The animals were extremely unhappy as they pulled them into the cargo bay and closed the doors.

"Fitz, assess the... sleigh?" Coulson told him. "Simmons, assess the... Santa... what the hell is going on", he muttered. "Alex, Skye, sort out the reindeer".

They both looked at each other with wide eyes. Before Coulson could walk away, Skye found her voice.

"Uhhh, Sir? What do you mean sort them out? Where are we meant to put them?"

"I don't know, just make sure they don't break anything".

As he said it, one of the animals tried jumping over a box but caught its foot. The stack of boxes fell to the floor with a crash as the rest of the room watched in silence.

"Pick it up!" Coulson shouted as he started to leave. "Simmons, tell me when you've got the results on white beard here".

He walked away and into his office, shutting the door. His eyes drew themselves to his desk draw where a very small but important file sat. The weight of it filled his mind as he stepped closer and picked it out.

A huge classified sticker covered the front. Alongside small writing that read, 'the death of agent Coulson'.

***

"Put him on the bed", Simmons instructed Ward as he heaved the strange man up.

He lay motionless, and due to his large stomach and red coat, neither of them felt very threatened. Ward stepped back and let her work as Simmons attached vital monitors onto the mans chest and head.

After a moment the small machine started beeping slowly but constant.

"Breathings a little slow but fine for the most part", she observed. "Lets see why he's still unconscious".

She grabbed a small device from the desk and began scanning him. Small rays of light ran over every inch of his skin until it was pulled away with a beep.

"Hmm", she frowned.

"What is it?" Ward asked from behind.

Simmons ignored him for the most part, scanning the man again and even shining a light into his pupils by hand.

"I don't know why he's unconscious", she concluded.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I mean, nothing is showing up on the scans. He seems fine".

"Well he's clearly not".

Simmons bit her cheek as she decided what to do next. But the man shifted.

Ward ran forward and shoved her out the way as he put a hand to his weapon.

The man in the bed groaned and lifted a hand to his head as his eyes tried to open.

"Don't move", Ward warned him. "Whats your name?"

The man looked over at him confused before looking around in a small panic.

"Where am i? Where are my reindeer? BLITZEN?" He shouts.

"Sir, calm down", Ward told him again. "Where did you come from?"

"The-the North Pole", he replied. "Oh, my wife must be really worried. I need to leave".

He tries standing up but his eyes go cloudy as he falls back down to the bed. Ward must think he isnt a threat as he puts the gun back in its holster and walks closer.

"Whats your name?"

"Nick", he gruffs out through a cough.

"Oh yea", Ward nods sarcastically. "Like St Nick. Santa Claus".

"Exactly", he responds simply. "So you know I need to get out of here, the children need their presents".

"Right. Why don't you sit down so we can treat you and drop you back home as soon as possible".

"No. No!" The man in the red coat starts getting distressed. "I need to go now, the presents need to be delivered to bring back the christmas spirit or it will die forever! Look in the sleigh!"

"There is no christmas spirit, now sit down!" Ward shouts.

As the words leave his mouth, the man goes still and falls back to the bed, unconscious once again.

Ward and Simmons look at each other will equally confused looks.

***

As Alex and Skye try and control the reindeer, they talk about the huge red vehicle looking thing in the cargo hold.

"What do you think it is?" She asks, staring at it.

"It's a sleigh".

"Alex... you really believe it's Santa?"

"I didn't say that did i?" He answers, crossing his arms. "Whether it is the real Santa Claus or not, that's still a sleigh".

Skye was about to answer when the reindeer started acting strange. They began to make noise and shake their heads, moving around together.

"Whats going on?" Alex whispers.

"How am I meant to know? Aren't you the christmas expert", she teases.

"Very funny", he jokes back

But the smiles on both their faces vanished as one of the reindeer started running around in circles until its feet were just above the floor. It hovered in a circle, legs kicking the air.

Alex's eyes went wide and Skye hit him without taking her eyes off the animal, just to make sure he was seeing this too.

"Oh".

"My".

"God", they said one after another.

"Are you seeing this?" He whispered.

"I think so", she answered.

It stopped as quick as it came. The reindeer dropped to the floor and stumbled for a few steps before they all went back to being quiet.

Fitz, who had been inspecting the sleigh and scanning over every inch didn't even notice. He looked up to see the shocked faces of the other two.

"What's going on?"

"Wh-" skye started as she pointed towards it. "Did you not see that?!"

"See what?"

"The reindeer flew!" Alex shouted.

"Haha, very funny", Fitz said as he rolled his eyes.

"No, really!"

Fitz wouldn't believe them, thinking they were trying to trick him. That was until he walked past the sleigh and saw something growing from inside.

"Woah", he muttered and stepped back.

His devices didn't detect anything harmful to them, but it was definitely strange.

"Uh, guys?"

Alex and Skye walked up behind him and frowned when they saw it too. It was hard to tell what it was as the light shone bright.

Before he stepped forward, Alex looked at Fitz's screen and determined it was probably safe.

He stepped closer to the glowing thing until he was in the sleigh.

"Alex, why don't you wait for Coulson?" Skye tried, but he leant forward and saw a red cover.

He had a strange feeling it wouldn't hurt him, so he knelt down, and picked it up.

The glow got stronger and stronger before it disappeared and all that was left in his hands was a book.

"What is it?" Fitz asked, keeping his distance.

"It looks like a book?"

Alex stepped back over to Skye where she leant over to look at it.

"Naughty and nice... what does that mean?"

Alex shrugged and ran his fingers over the cover.

"Only one way we'll find out".

Opening it slowly, it at first looked like an empty book with plain pages. But then the words started to form in swirled black ink.

"Its just names. I don't know a Hannah? Anyone?"

The other two shook their heads as Alex thought about what to do next. The words faded in and out and even changed occasionally. He experimentally held it out to Fitz and the words changed.

'Leopold Fitz. Nice'.

"Woah", Skye breathed out a laugh.

"What does that mean?" Fitz looked at it worriedly.

Alex turned it onto Skye and it revealed her name with the word 'nice' next to it.

"Your turn", Skye smiled and took the book to face it to him.

'Alex Hua. Nice'.

They let out a laugh and even fitz was letting his interest over power his fear.

"what do you think about Santa now?" He asked the other two. "Lets go find Simmons and Ward".

They left the reindeer and walked up the stairs to the Medbay where the man was still unconscious on the bed.

"Sooo", Alex started tentatively. "What are the chances that this is actually..."

"Santa Claus?" Simmons finished for him. "Maybe its time to get Coulson".

Barely minutes later they were all standing around the man in the red coat.

"So, whats going on guys?" Coulson asked.

They all looked at each other and no one wanted to be the first to say it. It sounded ridiculous. But ward was still having trouble believing it.

"They all think this is the real Father Christmas".

The only indication Coulson had heard was a slight twitch in his eye and a moment of silence.

"Okay... and whys that?"

"Well, umm, he said", Simmons told him. "And, well, this", she points to the outfit.

"And this", Alex steps forward with the book.

It glows as he opens the first page and he holds it out. Coulson's name appears along with 'nice'.

"It does it with anyone it goes near. See", he holds it up to Ward, but the word 'naughty appears'.

A couple of them stifle laughs as Ward clenches his jaw. Alex though, hesitates. He knows exactly why it says that, but he fakes a smile to the others and carries on.

"And the reindeer flew", Skye adds.

All the others blink a few times and before they know it Fitz has the footage on the screen.

"What is going on", Simmons asks as she sees it flying around the cargo hold.

"It seems like its really him", Alex replies.

"It can't be. Santa isnt real!" Ward tells him.

The book in Alex's hand starts sparking and he drops it to the floor before it goes back to looking like a normal book.

A cough sounds from beside them and the man starts coming to.

"You need to go", he says weakly. "The christmas spirit is dwindling. Take the sleigh. Deliver the presents. Save christmas. You need to do it Alex".

And then he's unconscious once more with everyone looking in Alex's direction.