Brilliantly Not (The Santa Clause/48 Christmas Wishes Crossover)

Brilliantly Not

Mindy sat in a chair, in her best Christmas red dress for After Mas. Her mouth twisted into a frown, feeling quite dreary this year. On top of getting a lecture about removing the wards which prevented magical use that her aunt put up this year —except for healing magic, of course, Bernie was coming home.

Santa told Bernie he needed to take a vacation and insisted that this year he go home for After Mas.

"He's still at the workshop?" one of her family members asked—one of the cousins who didn't have the Elfbright name and thus wasn't expected to become a Christmas Elf or a toymaker elf, with becoming a toymaker elf being the bigger sin and staying a Christmas Elf being far worse than never becoming a Christmas Elf. "Most elves his age stop being Christmas Elves, but shouldn't he be looking to get married."

"Bernie? Getting married? As clumsy as he was, I doubt he'd be able to find an elf willing to put up with his accidental magic episodes."

"Oh. That explains the magical wards," Mindy thought to herself as she sat in the chair, wishing she could use her speed magic to hurry out of the room and disappear.

"Wait. I thought Bernard was considered gifted?" One of her cousins—she wasn't sure if it was Peter or Pierce Redholm, but the other one said, "Mum said so."

"Bernie is—Bernie," one of the uncles muttered. "And if he was gifted, I'd have offered him a job at the shop, just like all of the other Elfbright since—"

He stopped speaking, not bringing up the deaths of Mindy 's parents. Her aunt sighed. "He's gifted."

"You know as well as I, our brother and his wife saw what they wanted to see and thus were biased when they told us that."

"I don't think..." Whatever her aunt was going to say, was left unsaid as the door opened. "He's here." She hurried away while Mindy's uncle gave her a look of pity.

She honestly wished he hadn 't, as it simply made her sink into the stuffed chair, even more, feeling even more nervous about greeting Bernard. Nobody in the family seemed overly thrilled at Bernie being sent on vacation, but her aunt and perhaps a few of her more curious cousins were the ones who seemed excited.

Said aunt hurried off, but she came back with Bernie following her, looking slightly sheepish while avoiding any direct eye contact. Someone asked when he 'd stop being a Christmas Elf which brought a frown onto his face. He shook his head, brushing the comment aside, when another asked, "When are you going to get married?"

He stared, then said, "I'm actually quite busy with work."

"Oh, come on," the uncle who ran the toy shop sighed. "It's not as if you're head elf."

Bernie 's mouth twisted in annoyance. "I am head elf. "

Silence fell over the room, the sudden revelation coming out of the blue while her aunt simply chuckled, an "I told you" look on her face as she looked at her brother who sat there with his eyes wide in surprise. Someone tried breaking the tension. "Well, at least he's not too busy because he's on the council of elders."

"That as well, though I only attend if there's an emergency." Bernie stared, seemingly confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

"How is it we didn't know this?" his uncle huffed.

"Nobody asked," Bernie said.

"Bernard," their aunt said. "Why don't you come into the kitchen with me and help me bake? I mean, to become head elf—that means you have experience in every department."

"Well, yes, though that means fixing ovens as well as knowing how to bake," Bernard muttered, following after her as if he were glad to escape the clutches of the family. Mindy frowned, feeling like it was some kind of dream. It must be, given she didn't quite understand what just happened—that Bernie was actually brilliant enough to become head elf.