O' Christmas Tree

Chapter 5- Comet and Cupid

"Here we go..." Santa whispered.

"Uh, Santa, you know that stuff's junk, right?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, well, Katie Cat, one man's junk... is Santa's treasure. Teddy, I'm gonna need your knife," Santa explained.

Teddy dug through his pocket and reluctantly gave it to him. I looked at the words engraved on the knife as Santa hummed in thought. Santa used the knife to mess with the radio.

"Uh, Santa, that's not how you work the radio," Kate said worriedly.

"It is when you don't have power tools." I smiled.

The police radio started sounding throughout the car. I marveled at the way Santa used a couple scraps of junk to make something.

"How did you just-"

"I am the greatest toy-maker on Earth," Santa cut him off.

There were reindeer spotted on Michigan Avenue. "Just what we're looking for. They're not that far away. That way, go!"

"The car can't fly, Santa," I said nervously.

"Right, habit. Okay, left on State, right on Erie, left on Michigan," Santa instructed.

"How do you know so much about Michigan?" Kate asked.

"He's Santa. He goes through these streets once a year, and he's done it for who-knows-how-long. Magic of Christmas," I said, smiling at Kate.

"I thought we agreed Santa wasn't real," Teddy said.

"Yeah, well, apparently we disagree on a lot more than we thought," I huffed, leaning back against the seat.

"(Y/n), look, I'm sorry. I've made some dumb decisions," Teddy pleaded.

"Just keep driving," I sighed.

"Teddy, you think we could pick it up a bit?" Santa asked, cutting off the awkwardness.

Teddy smirked, glancing back at me. "Put your seatbelt on."

"State Street, go!" Santa yelled.

Teddy made a sharp turn, making Kate grip me tightly around the waist. I held onto her, making sure everything was safe before letting her go.

"Good move, Teddy," Santa said with a breath of relief.

We started looking around, keeping a close eye out. "Alright. Slow down, Teddy. See if we could find my reindeer." Santa climbed through the skyview, calling out to the reindeer.

"There they are!" I said, pointing to them down the street.

"Back down that street! Turn around, Teddy! Turn around!" Kate instructed.

Teddy made a U-turn onto the street, and Santa tapped the car. Teddy stopped the car, letting Santa climb down the roof and chase after the reindeer. He stopped, calling after them. We climbed out of the car, but then Teddy pointed to something down the street.

"All right, Kate, (Y/n), come here. You go after the reindeer. Teddy and I are going to buy you some time," Santa explained.

"What? That's my sister and my girlfriend. We can't leave them alone out here," Teddy protested.

"Teddy, we can handle it," Kate assured him.

"But I think-"

"She said they could handle it, Teddy. Don't you trust them?" Santa questioned.

Teddy looked at me, staring into my eyes. "With my life."

Santa nodded. "I've always believed in both of you. Even though you didn't believe in me because of your mother, (Y/n), I always knew you wanted to believe in me."

"Because of Mom? What?" I questioned.

"Well, it's not your fault she didn't want you to believe in me. That's why she hid your presents from me," Santa explained.

"Wow," I said simply.

"Guys, we better move," Teddy said.

"You can do this. Go get 'em," Santa said determinedly.

We ran down the street, partly scared that the cops were going to go after me. The sirens disappeared, and I sighed in relief. Kate and I walked down the sidewalk, calling out to the reindeer.

We heard a snort and eagerly turned the corner. I beamed when I saw a few reindeer prowling for food.

"Sh. It's okay, it's okay. We won't hurt you," Kate assured them.

"We're with Santa," I added, slowly walking up to one of them. "You can trust us."

"Here. It's just a candy cane. Don't you want some? It's okay. We're the good guys," Kate said.

The reindeer sniffed it before tentatively taking a bite.

"You can trust us," I said as Kate gave me a candy cane.

Another reindeer took a bite of mine, letting me pet its nose. I heard the distinct crunch of the candy cane again. The reindeer took another bite of mine, making me smile and giggle.

"I'm Kate, and you're... Comet? The Comet? Wow, you're really famous where I come from! Santa's really worried about you. Is it okay if we take you to him?" Kate asked.

The two reindeer we had gained the trust of bowed down so we could get on their backs. I was careful not to hurt... Cupid. As I climbed on his back. Once he made sure I was safe, we were off.

"Kate, be careful!" I yelled as we turned onto a street.

"Help, somebody! I'm falling!" Kate yelled.

"Sorry, Cupid," I apologized, getting to my feet before jumping onto Comet's back. I straightened Kate out, switching her so I was at the front and she could hold on to my back.

"You haven't ridden a horse before, have you?" I questioned.

"Not one without a saddle. And a helmet," Kate snapped.

"Got this?" Teddy questioned next to us.

"You know I'm better than letting your sister fall off a reindeer," I replied.