Frosty Comfort Zone (The Santa Clause/48 Christmas Wishes Crossover)

Frosty Comfort Zone

Bernard blew on his fingers.

His warm breath chased away the chill in the tips of his fingers.

Frosty mornings weren't anything new at the North Pole. They were, in fact, part of the norm for any elf living up there. Bernard enjoyed how the mornings always greeted him this way when he left his home before heading towards Santa's workshop and his office. The frosty mornings greeting him was the one thing Bernard could also depend upon to go right, though if these mornings suddenly became something more or something less than a frosty morning, Bernard would also know something was terribly wrong at the North Pole.

Early morning at the shop was honestly the best, with only a few other elves around. Many were ones in charge of their divisions or ones who helped in running said divisions. That in turn meant they kept busy, yet mornings were a time frame when things normally didn't go wrong.

Unless, of course, Curtis decided to wake up promptly and somehow managed to get to the workshop in the morning.

That, often led to trouble, profound trouble. As such, Bernard never lectured Curtis for being late, as Curtis not showing up on time meant less work for Bernard that day. He arrived at the main office and found Curtis' desk empty. There were other empty desks, though these were empty as long had it been since there were other elves in administration, something Santa was becoming concerned about.

"You'll work yourself to the bone, Bernard if you're not careful."

"I'll be fine," Bernard said. He'd been fine since elves his age and older started leaving for other opportunities, never to be heard from again, or practically so. He stepped into his office and stopped, his eyes focused on the overstuffed chair in front of his desk, realizing someone was there. He took a deep breath, expecting Curtis to be there, wondering what the younger elf was up to.

He stepped around the chair, knowing he would need to double-check his paperwork for the day. Bernard stopped moving when he realized the person wasn't Curtis.

"Patty?"

"Hi."

Bernard's mouth twisted into a frown, watching the young female elf sitting across from him. Young might not be the right word though, at least at the North Pole, for Patty was the same age as him and would have graduated from the elf academy under the Christmas division if it hadn't been for—well, the incidents with his teleportation magic going awry.

She was one of the elves who left. "You're not pleased to see me?"

"Uh..." Bernard stood there, unsure of how to react to her presence. Eventually, he decided on what to say. "It's more of I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Oh. Good. I was a little worried you didn't want to see me given the fact I'd left as I did." Blond curls cascaded down around her shoulders while her eyes twinkled.

"Wait." Bernard didn't think that sounded right. "Didn't I do something wrong to make you leave? Shouldn't you be the one not happy to see me?"

A laugh escaped from her mouth, light and airy. "Good to see you haven't changed."

He stared—and he stared. Then, he said, "I don't follow."

"Oh, Bernie—Bernard. That's what I love about you."

"I'm still not following." Bernard looked at her. His eyes then blinked. "Let me rephrase that. I'm still not understanding why you're here."

"Because I'd like to transfer back."

He stared, still feeling confused.

Patty's bright smile faltered. "You're not happy about that?"