Christmas With the Calvins Two: Charlie and the Toy Factory

Chapter Thirteen

"Sorry, this is a lot to unpack." Holly exclaimed, putting down her fork. "This all started, what? twenty something years ago?"

"Twenty-Five." Bernard supplied.

"Okay, twenty-five years ago we would have been eight." Holly said after doing the mental math. "Wait a minute, third grade." She remarked suddenly remembering something from nearly three decades ago. "Third grade one of our first assignments back from Christmas break was career day. You told everyone your Dad was Santa."

"Yeah." Charlie laughed. "Then he tried to correct me and say he was like Santa."

"You got in trouble for that didn't you?" Holly asked. "I remember your parents all having to go to the Principles office and a little bit after that I heard from someone you couldn't see your Dad anymore."

"It didn't last long." Charlie assured her. "By the time the next Christmas came around everything was sorted out. My parents had an arrangement that I'd stay with Dad the month of December every year."

"That part I definitely remember." Holly nodded. "I told you when we first reconnected, no one forgets the kid who gets to take the whole month off for Christmas. Is that how the two of you met?" She looked between Jess and Bernard.

"Basically." Bernard shrugged.

"It's a really long story." Jess answered. "I'll be sure to tell it to you some other time. Maybe next time you visit?"

"Next time? I can come back?" She looked at Charlie.

"Anytime you want." Charlie agreed. "But I think there's a few more things we should talk about first."

"Well, then finish your story, give me the Cliff Notes version." She smirked, calling back to when he'd said the same thing to Bernard before dinner.

"So, Dad becomes Santa in Christmas of ninety-four. Lucy was born in ninety-six, these two were married a year later," Charlie listed off events that he thought important enough to mention. "Dad got remarried in oh-two. How long was Buddy born after that?"

"Christmas oh-six." Bernard recalled. "Not that I was actually there."

"Bernard lost his memory for a few years." Charlie clarified.

"Lost your memory?" Holly gasped. "How did you..."

"He fell off the roof." Jess answered.

"I was pushed off the roof. By the Northern Winds." Bernard grumbled.

"Not by me," Charlie told Holly. "The previous Jack Frost, and if we're being technical, he also didn't exactly lose his memory. He was sent to an alternate universe where my Dad was never Santa and the Bernard from that universe was sent here and he didn't remember anything before Christmas ninety-four."

"This is a lot to keep track of. Is there going to be a test later?" Holly laughed.

"No, but Bernard will happily go over North Pole history with you any time." Jess offered for her husband.

"As long as your questions don't involve anything that happened between Christmas oh-four and Christmas oh-six." Bernard said.

"I will take that under advisement." Holly told him. "Charlie when we talked in October you said that there was a chance your family could lose your Toy Factory. Everything seems fine here. Is the North Pole in some kind of danger?"

"Not exactly." Charlie sighed. "Buddy turns thirteen this year and he decided that he doesn't want to live at the North Pole anymore. He's been saying it for years and I think Dad and Carol are just tired of listening to him complain. So Dad decided he was going to give up the red coat."

"If Dad gave up the red coat, it wouldn't just mean that he, Carol and Buddy would have to leave the North Pole they'd also forget everything about it."

"Including the three of you." Holly guessed. "That's terrible! Is there something you can do?"

"It's never been done before," Charlie told her. "But we think that if we can keep the coat within the family, everyone will get to keep their memories. Jess can't put on the coat and Buddy obviously wouldn't want to, so that leaves me."

"Can you do that? Is it that easy to become Santa?" Holly wondered.

"It's that easy." Charlie replied. "Whoever puts on the big red coat gets to be the big man. But there was a small catch. I can't be Jack Frost and Santa at the same time..."

"Jack Frost...Jack!" Holly realized what Charlie was telling her. "The family business, the job interview. Jack! My baby brother Jack?" She huffed, suddenly enraged. "Charlie, tell me you didn't!"

"I didn't force him to do anything." He promised. "He's old enough to make his own choices, Holly."

"I know that!" Holly snapped.

"It can be a lot to process." Jess said. "That's why Charlie wanted us to be here when he told you. Being Jack Frost is certainly a lot of responsibility, but for the most part Jack can still live a normal life."

"Right." Charlie concurred. "As long as he completes his required tasks each month Jack can do whatever he wants with the rest of his time. He can visit you whenever he'd like. He can live wherever he wants. He really only has to work three months out of the year and it's creating snow. He loves snow."

"You just met him Charlie. You don't know what he loves." Holly hissed.

"I know more than you think." Charlie disagreed. "I know he feels like he's always lived in your shadow. I know he feels like he's never had a something that he excels in. Something that he feels passionate about. When I offered this job to him, I know he couldn't say yes fast enough."

"He-he said that to you?" Holly remarked. "Her never...I didn't know..." Holly frowned getting to her feet. "Please excuse me, I need a minute." Holly retrieved her coat in from the hall and stepped outside.

"Holly..." Charlie stood to go after her but his sister stopped him.

"Give her some space, Char." Jess suggested. "We info dumped a lot on her tonight, and it seems like she didn't know how Jack really felt."

"Great," Bernard clapped his hands together. "While we wait, maybe now we can discuss exactly how you plan on telling Jack about the Frost Curse."

"The what Curse?" Jess asked.

"You never told Jess about the Frost Curse?" Charlie questioned Bernard.

"She has the handbook; she could have read it." Bernard answered. "Besides, Jessie doesn't need to know about the Frost Curse because she's not slated to become the next Frost. How are you planning on telling Jack?"

"I haven't exactly mapped that part out yet. I'm trying to put out one fire at a time here Bernard." Charlie argued.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you're doing a very good job." Bernard countered. He raised his voice slightly and spoke quickly. "It seems like you're creating more fires and dowsing the old ones in gasoline. We don't even know if this Santa plan is going to work. This could all be for nothing and you might ruin that young man's life."

"That's not going to happen." Charlie insisted, raising his voice to match Bernard's. "Jack can do this job, he wants to do the job. I wouldn't pass the suit onto someone that I thought couldn't handle the Curse."

"That's the problem Charlie, you don't understand how hard it can be for a person..." Barnard exclaimed in frustration.

"I Don't understand?" Charlie's volume grew louder still. "Bernard I have been fighting this thing for the past thirteen years. So don't tell me..."

"Charlie, Bernard!" Jessie snapped getting the attention of both men. "Knock it off. I'm going to chalk this up to pre-Christmas stress because I know that the two of you have nothing but love and respect for each other. I've never seen you two talk to each other like that. It's been long enough Charlie, why don't you go outside and check on Holly."

"Yeah, alright." Charlie grumbled. He got up from the table and went outside.

"Now, what the hell is the Frost Curse?" Jess demanded from her husband.