A Claus For Love

Bobby's Report and Surprise

While Beverly was swooning over Bobby's letter and having a small breakfast, citizens of the North Pole were either celebrating Christmas or taking a well-deserved rest. Since the workshop was closed for that day only (so the elves could spend time with their families and take a break), the elves were partying in their North Pole neighborhood, enjoying a neverending amount of eggnog and good cheer. On the other hand, Santa's reindeer fleet was getting a much-deserved day of relaxation in the spa that was attached to their barn, which was the most rewarding way to relax after flying and landing on rooftops for 12 straight hours.

As the morning's celebrations continued, Bobby was up around nine in the morning after sleeping in, getting some comfortable rest in his own bed while wishing he had Beverly with him. He knew that he would be seeing her again soon, but he wished that "soon" could come sooner so he could see his beloved Beverly, all while he was amazed at how he never revealed the truth about his lineage to her. When he remembered his father's illness, that's when he heard a knock on his bedroom door, and he opened the door before smiling when his parents came into his room: Santa in his nightgown while Mrs. Claus was holding a tray of breakfast foods for him. While he was shocked to see his father up and moving after being sick the night before, Santa assured him that the mystery illness was gone thanks to some good sleep and a few cups of "medicinal" hot cocoa, which surprised Bobby before he helped Mrs. Claus carry the tray to his bed.

"So, Bobby... How was your first night on a Christmas Eve flight, hmm?" Santa asked with his usual chuckle, only to look on in confusion as Bobby sat on his bed and blushed a little, to which Mrs. Claus kindly asked if he was alright.

"Well, Mom and Dad... I was doing a pretty good job with deliveries and stocking fillings, but... when the sleigh reached one house, I had to tell the other helpers to take over my shift."

"You did?" Mrs. Claus asked with a raised eyebrow before Santa leaned forward, intrigued by his son's unusual behavior as he asked Bobby why he would have the others cover his shift.

"It's because... the homeowner there was awake... and the moment I laid eyes on her... something about her made me fall in love with her."

Bobby then went on to give a brief description of meeting Beverly, and just from the way his eyes twinkled when he mentioned Beverly's name, both Santa and Mrs. Claus could see that their son had found someone special. Upon coming to his senses for a moment, Bobby worried and nervously asked if he was in trouble for stopping his work to spend time with Beverly, but Mrs. Claus patted his shoulder and assured him that a love story like his wasn't something to ignore... especially since it was Bobby's first time falling in love. After looking through a spare copy of his book of Naughty and Nice Lists, Santa was delighted to see that his son had fallen in love with such a sweet girl like Beverly, who had been on the nice list since she was a toddler.

Seeing how Bobby's eyes twinkled at the mere mention of Beverly, Mrs. Claus whispered something into Santa's ear before he nodded and smiled, leaving Bobby confused. After they informed him that a special surprise was coming, Santa went off to get changed while Mrs. Claus sat with Bobby as he ate his breakfast, rubbing his back to help him relax while they talked about his first ride in the sleigh. Whenever Beverly's name came up, Mrs. Claus giggled at the sight of Bobby's smitten smile, and she was quick to assure him that his feelings for Beverly were alright. Once breakfast was done, Bobby tried to get up and take the tray to the kitchen, but Mrs. Claus insisted that he get some more rest before the surprise, to which he nodded before she kissed his cheek and gently pinched it. While Bobby didn't like the cheek-pinching, he knew that it was Mrs. Claus' way of reminding him that he was her special gift, and he smiled as he blushed a little before going back to bed and hugging his pillow... wishing it was Beverly.

It was around noon that day when Santa knocked on Bobby's door, fully dressed in his traditional red and white suit with the classic floppy hat. When he peeked in and saw his son hugging the pillow and pretending it was Beverly, Santa smiled before laughing when Bobby jumped at the sight of him, having not heard the knock because he was too busy daydreaming. After apologizing for startling him, Santa informed Bobby that there was something they needed to talk about, which made Bobby a little nervous before he nodded and sat up as Santa sat beside him. With one hand draped over his son's shoulder, Santa chuckled a little and assured Bobby that he wasn't in trouble, since the topic they needed to discuss was relating to Beverly.

"Son, your mother and I are proud of you for your hard work last night, and you can bet your jingle bells that we're more delighted to hear of how you've fallen in love... especially with someone so amazing. With that in mind, your mother and I were wondering if you'd like to take a trip to her house... today!"

"Today?!? Oh, dad, really? I... I would love to go visit her, since I promised her that I'd see her sometime soon!"

"Well, 'soon' is now, Son. You get yourself dressed and meet me at the sleigh shed, and I'll get some of the replacement reindeer hitched up so they're ready for this!"

With that, Santa beamed at Bobby's growing excitement before leaving so Bobby could change, and Bobby danced around the room before getting dressed. After making sure his outfit - a green and red variant of what he wore when he met Beverly - was ready, he tied his boots and grabbed his coat before dashing outside, where he smiled when he saw his father and mother seated on the sleigh. Once everyone (both man and beast) was ready for the flight, Santa gently cracked his whip before the reindeer took off, leaving the elves and other reindeer confused while the passengers on the sleigh smiled as they looked forward to the surprise.