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

Boxes and Cookies

Mindy knew she messed up.

The young elf knew from the way the human children looked at her and she knew from the way, Bernie...

Mindy didn't like a Bernie who didn't remember who he was, even if he did remember who she was in that very moment. "I shouldn't be the one feeling guilty."

"Huh?" Cam turned his head.

"Nothing," Mindy muttered, yet what she said wasn't nothing. Rooted in her mind was the memory of Bernie not ever visiting, or at least she didn't clearly remember the last time he visited. There were vague details in her mind, details which a little voice in her head kept telling her she'd been glad he'd not come, given how much of an embarrassment he was to the entire family, what with not being a Toy Maker Elf, let alone the fact he never graduated the academy.

It wasn't nothing.

"So, he gets to forget his guilt?" Mindy wondered. "That's so not fair. Why do I feel guilty?"

"So, if he's not a hot-chocolate-making elf, then what kind of job did he do up at the North Pole?" Emma asked, her arms folded across her chest. One look at the girl and Mindy could tell she was a major bah-humbug regarding the Christmas season, much like Bernie was, yet the way Bernie acted just now, making the hot chocolate and getting into the Christmas spirit seemed a bit off.

"Oh. That's right," Mindy stated out loud.

"Don't tell me you forgot already that we're trying to help your older brother remember?" Emma sighed. "Seriously. I wouldn't have thought Christmas elves had siblings, let alone were prone to memory loss."

"I..." Mindy frowned. "That's what I feel guilty for. I feel guilty for not ever finding out what it was Bernie did at the North Pole because we might not be in this situation." Mindy started pacing, registering the fact Lucy picked up her doll and was frowning at her, as if expecting something specific, but she paid the doll no attention. Blake glanced over and opened his mouth, only for Emma to shush him.

"Fine! We'll decorate the house for Christmas and surprise mom for when she gets home! Just don't knock anything over this time!"

"Yes!" Blake hurried out the door, but then popped his head back in. "Come on Mindy! Cam! We've got decorations to get from the shed."

Mindy followed after. "That's right. None of us took the time to find out what Bernie did, because not being a Toy Maker Elf was such a big deal. He was an embarrassment, but is doing stuff like making chocolate and decorating at the North Pole really such an embarrassment?"

"Come on Mindy," Blake smirked. "I've got an idea of what your brother might be."

"Oh?" Mindy's head perked up. "A decorator elf?"

Blake didn't answer and instead started pulling in a tub of decoration, but then Mindy heard a voice from behind her. "Let me help."

"Bernie?" She turned, watching her brother flinch right before looking away. "Did you remember something?"

He didn't respond to her question at first, instead choosing to walk into the shed. "Emma said to take the bins straight into the living room."

"Oh."

"I don't think this will fix the problem."

"You mean help you figure out what you did at the North Pole? Maybe..." Mindy tilted her head. "There's also baking, you know."

"I know." Bernie took a glance around the shed, then without hesitation pointed out certain boxes he thought should go in, as well as a couple he'd handle as they'd be on the heavy side. He also muttered something about it being a Christmas miracle that nothing in the boxes was broken, something he shouldn't at all know.

Blake's eyes went wide. "Wow. Yeah. Those are the boxes that need to go in."

"That's amazing!" Cam stated.

Mindy instead thought that quite weird, but helped Cam carry a couple of boxes, not paying attention to what her brother did, not noticing when he carried the boxes he said he would move into the house, but they were there rather quickly. "Maybe he has the speed ability like you do?"

"Nah. I'm sure George would have said as much when I first showed signs, but he would have been convinced I would have caused some kind of disaster with my abilities."

"Bernie caused some kind of disaster at the academy?" Cam asked.

"Well, that's what everyone said."

"You know, you shouldn't listen to what everyone says," Emma stated from in the kitchen. "Blake said something about you suggesting to your brother that he should try baking Christmas cookies to see if that was it, so we'll leave the decorations there for now. Come on in and help us, alright?"

"Not my department."

"And what department are you in? Toy making?"

"Letter department!" Cam stated enthusiastically.

"Bernie stuck me there because..." Mindy looked at the ground. "Never mind. Family can be such a pain."

"Oh, I rather know that. I've got Blake as a brother."

"I heard that."

Soon, the smell of Christmas cookies spread through the entire house, but Mindy found herself surprised that Bernard had a few recipes memorized. Cam stood by the stove while her brother leaned against the counter, his arms crossed and seeming so not in the Christmas spirit at that moment. Blake called out from the living room. "Can I put on some Christmas music?"

"Yes!" everybody but Bernie and Emma said.

Except, the music wasn't like anything Mindy ever heard. "This..."

"Something the matter?" Emma asked, a rather confused look on her face.

"This is Christmas music?"

"It's Christmas Rock," Bernie suddenly said, giving Mindy a rather funny look, as if she were strange for not knowing what the music was. "You've never heard 'Run Rudolph Run'?"

"Okay!" Emma lifted her hands into the air. "Am I the only one who finds it strange that it's the older elf who recognizes that one, and not one of the younger ones?"

"But why would Rudolph need to run?" Cam asked.

"Don't you hear the lyrics?" Bernie shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. "It's about Santa getting the presents to the children on time."

"But.." Mindy frowned.

"This wasn't at the academy," Cam said, a smile appearing on his face. "I like."

"That's what most of the elves just out of the academy say when they hear this for the first time," Bernie stated.

"So, wait. Are you telling me that the two of you just graduated or something?" Emma pointed her finger first at Mindy, then at Cam.

"Um, yeah."

"And the one who has seniority and knows what we need to know to fix the problem is the one stuck with the memory loss?" Emma shook her head. "And to be honest, your brother isn't lacking in Christmas Spirit."

"What?"

"I mean, he's really into this Christmas thing, almost as much if not more than Blake."

"But it doesn't show!"

"I know. That's the weird part. And..."

The sound of the front door opening was heard, with every elf and human child looking up. The voice of an adult came from out in the hallway. "Guys. I'm stopping by during lunch to check on how you're doing." Mindy froze, unable to use her speed ability as she heard Blake and Emma's mother—for Lucy wasn't related and being what was called babysitting—headed towards the kitchen. "It smells nice in here."

She watched Bernie move, one hand reaching out to grab onto Cam, pulling him over to Mindy so that he could grab onto both of them. the other arm hanging down at his side. The next thing she knew, they were in what she assumed was the upstairs bathroom, but she heard the splash from where Bernie stepped into the toiled as he landed, a groan escaping his mouth. Cam opened his mouth, only for his hand to quickly shift from wrapping around them to covering Cam's mouth "Shush. This is bad. I don't remember why, but it's bad."