My Christmas Star ( A Santa Clause Story Ft Bernard x OC)

Chapter 4: Santa's Retirement

"Holly-Joy! Give Evangeline back her sketchbook!" I yelled from the kitchen.
"No! She drew me an ugly boyfriend and now he won't leave me alone!" Holly-Joy yelled.
"Evangeline Star Krumholtz!" I yelled. I heard Evangeline's giggles from the other side of the house.
"Mom! Chris and Joe are being creepy again!" Nicholas yelled.
"Nicholas you're sixteen years old, be creepy back," I said as I continued to cook dinner.
"Come play with us, Nicky," Chris and Joe said in creepy voices in unison. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Adam who was helping me cut the potatoes.
"See what I have to deal with?" I told Adam, who shrugged and continued to cut the potatoes.
"Honey, I'm back from the store!" came Bernard's voice.
"Oh, good. Your father's back," I said in relief. "Can you deal with the girls, please? They're fighting again," I called from the kitchen.
"Nice to see you too, angel," Bernard said as he stepped into the kitchen with several bags of groceries.
"Just put those on the table. I'll deal with them," I told Bernard.
"What are the girls fighting about now?" Bernard asked as he approached me and kissed my head.
"Evangeline drew Holly-Joy an ugly boyfriend, I guess and Holly-Joy took her sketchpad," I explained.
"Okay, I'll deal with it," Bernard said before he kissed me on the head once more and left the kitchen. I went over to the table and took the groceries out. I took the bag of rolls and put them to the side so we could toast them a little later. We were having roast beef with mashed potatoes and rolls, which were the kids' favorite. The only one who enjoyed helping me in the kitchen was Adam because he's always so focused on staying away from his siblings who fight all the time.
Once Adam finished peeling and cutting the potatoes, we threw them in a pot of boiling water and let them sit while stirring occasionally. Once they were boiled, we drained the water then mashed them up. We added butter and seasonings to the potatoes. We then threw the rolls in the oven and by the time Bernard stopped the kids from fighting, dinner was ready.
"Adam, can you feed the dog real quick, I'm gonna set the table," I said. Adam nodded and went over to Oscar's bowl. I set down the plates, silverware, napkins and cups. I grabbed the glass of sparkling cider and placed it on the table.
"Dinner!" I called. And like a stampede of rhinoceroses, the kids came flooding in and took their seats. Just as we were about to dig in, the doorbell rang. Everyone groaned.
"I'll get it," I said as I stood up. "Nobody touches anything until I get back," I said in a stern voice. I got up and went to the door and opened it. I was surprised to see my Dad standing there.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Just thought I'd have dinner with the family," Dad replied. I crossed my arms and gave him a stern look.
"I'll tell you about it later," Dad replied. I sighed.
"Come on in."
Dad walked in and I closed the door behind him. I led him into the dining room where the family was waiting patiently at the table.
"Look who decided to join us for dinner tonight," I said as I entered the dining room.
"Grandpa!" the kids yelled in unison.
"Hiya, kids. Ooh. Roast beef," Dad said as he sniffed the air. The kids giggled.
"I'll grab an extra plate," I said. I went back into the kitchen and grabbed an extra plate, fork, knife and cup. I brought it over to the table.
"Thanks, sweetheart," Dad said.
"You're welcome," I said as I took a seat between him and Bernard.
"So, what brings you here, sir?" Bernard asked as he began to serve himself.
"Adult things. I want to talk to you both after dinner," Dad replied.
"Why can't you tell us?" asked Evangeline.
"Yeah," the other kids agreed.
"Because I only want the grown ups to know," Dad replied.
"But, we're almost adults," Holly-Joy said as she gestured to herself and Nicholas.
"You two don't even have your licenses or a part-time job, yet. You're nowhere close to being adults," I said as Bernard passed me the mashed potatoes.
"We don't like driving and working sucks," Nicholas chimed in.
"Exactly. Not adults," I said as I grabbed a roll from the basket. The twins slumped in their seats as they were passed the potatoes.
"Anyways. I visited Charlie earlier," Dad said.
"Oh, really? How is he?" I asked.
"Him and Marie are good. The boys are getting big," Dad replied.
"Well, they are kids. It's funny how Charlie and I both had twins," I said.
"Yeah, I think it's a genetic trait passed down from your mom," Dad replied as he bit into his roast beef.
We ate and chatted occasionally over dinner. For dessert I made chocolate pudding, which everyone devoured quickly. After dinner I sent the kids to do their chores. The twins did the dishes, the triplets straightened out the kitchen and Adam took Oscar on a walk.

Dad, Bernard and I went into the backyard to talk.
"So, Dad. What announcement do you have this time?" I asked. Dad chuckled nervously.
"Well, I decided to make a very difficult decision. For the love of my family and for the love of Christmas...I've chosen to retire.
Our jaws dropped practically to the floor.
"You're what?" we asked in unison.
"I'm stepping down. I'd like to have Christmas with my family this year. I realize that both of the kids want to go out into the real world. I want to give them what I had as a kid. I want them to go to school, to make friends, to learn about the real world," Dad explained.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Bernard stressed.
"I'm not. I realize my kids aren't exactly...normal. Sandra's friends are all animals, Cal is constantly wearing that VR set and Carol can't even remember her own name. I need to give them what they need," Dad said.
"And what about you? Do you even know who to pass the torch down to?" I asked.
"Well, that's why I went to visit Charlie," Dad replied.
"And?" I questioned.
"He said no," Dad trailed.
"So, who's next?" I asked.
"Well, Edie's recruiting all the possible replacements according to a file that Betty's been keeping in her desk in her office," Dad replied.
"I'm not surprised," I muttered. "Dad, are you sure this is the right decision?" I asked.
"I'm sure it's a great one. And hey, you and the family should come down and visit us once we move to Chicago," Dad offered.
"As much as we would like that, sir. Kids around the world will be devastated. Especially our kids once they find out you won't be Santa anymore," Bernard said as he put his arm around me.
"I know. But I'm not meant to be Santa forever," Dad said, glumly.
Bernard and I exchanged looks. If only he knew what we knew.
"The only way I could, would be to reinstate, and that would make it permanent. Which means I'd be Santa for all eternity," Dad explained.
"You read the Secessus Clause, didn't you?" asked Bernard.
"Yes. I did. I didn't even know that was a thing," Dad said.
"Neither did I," I said as I looked at Bernard who chuckled nervously. I rolled my eyes. "Wouldn't be the first time he didn't tell us about a clause," I said, annoyed.
"Don't worry, there Secessus Clause is the last Clause...I think," Bernard said as he made a thinking face.
"It better be," I said sternly.
"Okay, I better be going. I'll be interviewing possible replacements in just a few hours," Dad said as he checked his watch.
"Okay, Dad. We'll see you around Christmas time," I said before I embraced my Dad.
"You betcha. We'll be in Chicago. Our old home, hopefully," Dad said.
"See you at Christmas, sir," Bernard said as he shook Dad's hand.
"Alright. Behave, tell the kids I said bye and don't do anything stupid," Dad said. I chuckled and nodded.
"Tell little brother and lil sis I said hey. And tell Mama Carol I miss her," I said.
"You betcha. The family misses you guys. We wish you would've visited more," Dad said.
"We know but we have a lot on our hands," I said.
"Yeah, I know Ms. Mayor-of-Upland," Dad said as he nudged my shoulder. "I'll see you guys," Dad said as he walked towards the front gates. He put in the code on the keypad on the side and the gates opened. He walked out and disappeared.
"When should we tell the kids?" Bernard asked me.
"--We already know," came a voice. Bernard and I exchanged looks before we both turned around to see the kids hiding in the bushes.
"You all know you know better than to eavesdrop," I said sternly as I crossed my arms.
"We know," Holly-Joy said as she stood up and got out of the bushes. "But, Grandpa never visits us to simply have dinner and we wanted to know what was going on since we couldn't be part of that conversation," Holly-Joy explained.
"Guys, we still would've told you. We just would've done it in a more...sugar-coated way," I trailed.
"We don't need anything to be sugar-coated, mom. We're kids who have elves for parents. We already live in a harsh reality where we have to hide who we are because we'd be considered freaks and science experiments if we didn't," Holly-Joy said. I sighed and walked towards the kids.
"We don't hide or disguise you guys because we're afraid of you guys getting bullied. It's the SOS, not to mention that there are a lot of other elves who disguise themselves to blend into the real world," I explained.
"Yeah but that's their job, mom. This is different. We're kids, not hundred year old elves. There's a lot more buried beneath the surface than that when it comes to not just me but all of us. Including Adam. We all feel misplaced in some type of way, shape or form."
"I'm not sure what to do with that, Holly-Joy. Your father and I are doing the best we can to make lives for you. We wanted you to go to school and be out in the real world. We wanted to give you guys room to stretch out so that if you didn't want to be an elf and work in the North Pole, you could choose something else like a lawyer or a doctor, an artist, an actress, practically anything you could imagine. We wanted what's best for you guys. And that's exactly what your Grandpa is trying to do with Nana and your Aunt and Uncle. He's trying to give them the same opportunities that we're giving you," I explained.
"But, Grandpa is cooler when he's Santa," Chris said.
"Yeah," Joe agreed.
"Yeah but we'll also get to visit him more often. He'll be living where I grew up. So we'll be able to see them at Christmas this year," I said.
"That's cool. I can't wait to see Sandra," Evangeline said with a small smile.