Elf in the Shed (Santa Clause/48 Christmas Wishes Crossover)

Cold and Hot

"I must be dreaming," Emma thought to herself, for Christmas elves and Santa for that matter didn't exist. In fact, she stopped writing to Santa the year her father died, though she couldn't quite remember if she stopped writing that year because her father died, or the next year because she wrote to Santa asking for her father back. Things such as Christmas miracles didn't exist.

Yet, there was definitely no other explanation for what she saw in front of her.

When Emma stepped out of the house, there was most definitely only two sets of footsteps. In the shed she most definitely saw three individuals for whom there was no sets of footsteps, but all three were dressed strangely, their ears unmistakably pointed. There was no escaping the fact the three were Christmas elves who somehow strangely enough ended up in their garden shed, needing some way of finding their way home.

Except, that seemed like the least of their worries. "Who?"

Looking at the older of the three elves, Emma found herself sucking in her breath. "Cam? I believe..."

"Yes?" the smaller of the two elves piped up, a smile spreading across his face. Looking at Cam, Emma saw distinctly Asian features on that particular elf's face, making her wonder how diverse elves were.

"Can you help Bernard inside? So we can get some ice on his head and arm?"

Bernard opened his mouth, the confusion still obviously there. In the back of Emma's head, she wasn't sure if the confusion was because he hit his head, or some other reason, but she was most certainly dealing with a Christmas elf whose memories were either missing, or whose recall was inhibited by a head injury. "Can Christmas elves even get injured?"

Apparently they could, meaning things weren't so holly jolly at the North Pole, making her wonder about her Christmas wish when her father passed away of having him back in time for Christmas. Shaking her head, she headed inside, the snow crunching under her feet as she headed back into the kitchen. She wasn't at all sure what to do given the situation, beyond getting a pack of ice from the fridge.

By the time she pulled the pack out, Bernard was in the kitchen with Cam while her brother looked at her with a huge grin even though she couldn't help but feel he was way too chipper about Christmas elves finding their way into the garden shed and needing their help, not only to find their way home but because one of them was injured. "So..."

She handed the ice pack to Bernard, but watched Lucy step over and tug at Bernard's sleeve. He looked down at her, but as he did so Emma couldn't help but note how his clothing lacked the bright Christmas colors of the other two Christmas elves, which made Emma's mind wonder at the lack of Christmas spirit on his part. Quickly, she brushed it aside as Bernard said without missing a beat, as she'd expect of a Christmas elf interacting with a human child who believed in Santa, smiling as he did so even though his head hurt. "Hi."

"Hi. I'm Lucy."

"Nice to meet you, Lucy." Bernard took the ice pack and pressed it against his forehead while his other arm continued hanging at his side.

Lucy frowned, so unlike a child who believed in Santa. "What's your name?"

Bernard's eyes blinked, the smile fading from his face. "I don't remember."

"You don't?"

"No."

"Could this be because of the Christmas Spirit Cracker that Mindy broke?"

"What?" Mindy suddenly came into the kitchen.

Emma sighed, unsure of whether to believe her eyes that Mindy moved that fast. "Did you finish cleaning up the shed?"