Charlie and Claire used the Ball as often as their mom would let them the first couple weeks after that Christmas, sometimes twice a day, and Santa came each time, as promised. But then Bernard came one time instead of their dad and reminded them that as Santa he was extremely busy. He proposed a once a week visit when Santa would have dinner with them and tuck them into bed. The kids reluctantly agreed, and realizing that they might actually need more time with their father, Bernard suggested they spend a few days of their mother's choosing at The North Pole once a year. After some deliberation between all the school holidays, they decided on the winter break, so it wouldn't interfere with any camps or sports the kids may be involved in. Plus, it would be prime time at The Pole, the best time to get in on the action. Charlie loved that week the best, because he got to be hands-on with a lot of things, while Claire preferred the dinners where Santa was just dad. When he really sat and listened to them, and then tucked them in before spilling the latest elf gossip until he heard snores. She would write to him too, whenever she felt like she had to say something right then, and then she would collect the letters and send them every week along with any tapes their mom had gotten of school plays, graduations, birthdays, sports, and the like. Now, that's not to say Claire didn't enjoy those days at the North Pole. In fact, she made two of her very best friends there. Tinsley, which seemed like a given, and then Terrence, the boy who had helped her down from the sleigh the very first time. He turned out to be a designated stable elf, and as she spent a lot of time paying attention to the reindeer, sneaking them snacks, or playing with the babies, their friendship was inevitable. They had gotten reacquainted when she hid in the loft with a book during their first weeklong Pole visit. She fell asleep, and when he found her there, it startled him so bad he fell off the ladder. He fractured his leg, and she spent most of the rest of her visit in the infirmary, either reading to him or bringing him cocoa and cookies. She found that she really enjoyed talking to him. He was around 1,400 years old and had a ton of stories to tell her, not to mention all the stable tea. Apparently, reindeer could be real drama queens. Who knew? Tinsley would come in during her breaks and sit with them, and they became quite the tight-knit group. Santa found himself carrying a sackful of correspondence between the three of them almost weekly. Claire didn't usually see much of Bernard during these annual visits, but she knew he was always around. He tended to be right beside Santa practically 24/7, so their interactions with their dad and with Bernard were usually one and the same. Sometimes he came for the weekly dinner if he wasn't too busy, having taken a liking to Neal's cooking, but would pop back out right after. He would also occasionally pop in on them at home if Santa wanted to invite them to a birthday cake cutting, or a Kribble Krabble send off, (kinda like rumspringa for elves) or the reindeer birthing in the spring. That was Claire's favorite. She loved helping tend the gangly little things for a day. And lastly, Bernard came on their birthdays. They never saw those visits, but there was always a present neatly wrapped in North Pole paper on their beds. If Claire was honest, those gifts were usually her favorite, second only to her dad's Christmas presents, because he was Santa and somehow always knew the perfect gift. But Bernard brought her things she could cherish, like a real snowflake perfectly preserved inside a glass orb, or a handcrafted elf jewelry box that played her favorite, Bagatelle No. 25, or Fur Elise. One year was a beautiful faberge egg that he supposedly traded a favor to the Easter Bunny for. The doll he had given her so long ago was now on a shelf to only be looked at, and of course, there was her necklace. She never took it off. He had admitted to giving it to her, and had explained that it was a piece of elf magic that allowed her to see the Northern Lights. She loved to lay on the floor of her closet and read by them, so that they weren't visible from the street. But her favorite gift of all had been on her fifteenth birthday. Her dad had told her that Bernard was especially stressed that year for some unknown reason that he wouldn't talk about, and that he had suggested he find a hobby as a joke. But then, like usual, she went upstairs to find a carefully wrapped package on her bed. Ripping it open what looked like some wild animal fell out, but upon further inspection it was a very obviously homemade scarf. It was a little too long, and some of the stitches were crooked but she didn't care. She was thrilled, and wore it absolutely everywhere for as long as it was cold out. His 'hobby' apparently lasted just long enough for him to make that scarf, which made it even more special to her. She hadn't told anyone, not even Terrence or Tinsley, but she had a terrible crush on the Head Elf. What she thought was just puppy love when she was eleven and twelve had turned into a full-blown crush at thirteen and fourteen. She could hardly help it of course, what with his dark hair and eyes, no nonsense demeanor that made him a wonderful leader, and his rare but beautiful smile. Not to mention his accent and the smell of peppermint that always clung to him. After the scarf there was no going back, and every little interaction fueled her stupid daydreams for the next three years years. All of this really sucked, though, because no matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself to genuinely like another boy. Of course she had no delusions about the two of them. He was almost 1,600 years her senior, her dad's most trusted employee, and not to mention not interested in her in the slightest. But a girl could dream. All of this brought her to her 18th Christmas at the Pole, and the year all hell almost broke loose.