The New Santa

"Christopher, it's time. We need you to come home."

With that sentence, made by his mother's tinkling voice, the twenty-some year old man's whole life changed. Some would say for the worse, but most would say for the better. He closed up his office, and headed 'home'. Not the house he lived in, but where he came from.

The artic air gusted around him, causing Christopher to pull his scarf up around his mouth. He got his suitcases out of the backseat, and with his head down, he made off for the house.

"Where's Dad? How bad is he?"

"Bad?" Ask a worker.

"Yes! Mother called, and said they needed me home. What's happened?" Christopher shrugged out of his coat and tucked his gloves in the pockets.

"Um.. Let me go get you mother."

Christopher's mind reeled. It must be worse than he thought. Standing at the entrance to the workshop, he watched everyone scurry around. It was Tuesday, and Christmas Eve was Friday. They had a lot to prepare for. He rubbed his hands together, hoping the friction would warm them up. He'd forgotten how cold it was here.

"Christopher, darling, I didn't think you would get here so quick!" His mother spoke as she rounded the corner.

"I left the minute we hung up. What's wrong with Dad?"

Her snow white hair was pulled into a bun, and little tendrils had escaped around her face. Her glasses had red frames, and she was wearing red slacks and a red sweater, with a white apron over it. She was dusted with flour. She must have been baking. Christopher couldn't remember his mother ever not looking like she did today. She was ageless.

"Well, Christopher, why don't you come in and get settled, hmm? Then I'll get you some hot cocoa, and we'll all sit down for a nice chat." Her lips curved into a smile, but Christopher read something behind her eyes.

"Oh no. He's not dead, is he? And he's not even sick. Is he." Christopher felt his heartbeat in his ears. It had been a trick.

"No, dear, of course he's not dead. He's not sick either really, he's just tired. He needs a break."

"He works one day a year! How can he need a break?!"

"Oh pooh, you know it takes more than a day. Don't you think you could help out, just once?" His mother's eyes pleaded with him to be cooperative.

He shoved a hand through his longish brown hair. It was a motion borne of frustration.

Suddenly the pleading eyes turned stony. She planted her hands on her hips and widened her stance.

"Listen here, Mister Important. We did the best we could to give you a normal life. We didn't even live here while you were in school! We always took 'vacation' right before Christmas so your father could get things finished up. You lived a good life, and never wanted for anything, except maybe to be more normal. But we did the best we could with what we had to work with. Now you, sir, are going to march yourself right upstairs and listen to what your father has to say!" By the end of her tirade, one finger was out, shaking at him.

Christopher managed a laugh. His sweet mother, standing there with flour on her face, scolding him.

"All right, all right. I'll go talk to him. I'm sorry I'm ungrateful."

Christopher stepped in front of his mother and pulled her hands away from her hips, holding them tightly in his own.

"I'm sorry I got you all worked up."

"It's all right. I just had to whip ya back into shape." She smiled and her eyes twinkled.

Christopher dropped her hands and went to talk to the big man.

~*~10 years later~*~

"Stupid chimneys." Chris straightened and looked around him.

The house was the same as many, only this one didn't have a lot of decorations. He quickly placed the presents under the tree, and with a wink, he was back on the roof. It was the same at every house. Some were nicer than others, some had dogs, some had kids camped out in the living room.

The reason no one had ever seen Santa was because the minute he landed, it was almost as if a spell was cast on the house, keeping the occupants deep asleep. The minute the reindeer hooves left the roof, the spell was broken, and only then did people sometimes hear a noise.

Chris was secretly entranced by all the magic that did happen at Christmas time. He's grown up with it so he was used to it, and it lost some of it's appeal since he knew how the magic worked. No matter. He wasn't a child anymore- he was the new Santa, and had been for ten years.

The only difference was, he refused to get pudgy, and he had a gym built onto the house. His hair was still dark- he told his father in no uncertain terms he didn't want white hair and a beard before his time. It didn't really matter, since no one would ever see him anyway. Santa had tried to change his mind for months, since it wasn't 'in the spirit of things', but Chris held firm. Finally, Santa had given up all together.

As the times changed and the populations grew, each country ended up with their own Santa. Chris' father was the original, and he chose a man from each continent to do his job. They all came for a year long course on how to be Santa. That had worked out very well, and additional workshops were added to the original. Each Christmas eve, all the Santa's showed up, the workers in the workshops loaded the sleighs, and off they went.

The North Pole was a well oiled machine. Everyone knew their job, and they did it well. And every year without fail, they had a successful Christmas. Chris was grateful that everyone was so competent, because the first couple years were rough for him. But, all that was behind him now, and he was even a little more efficient than his father had been, but he figured it was because he weighed seventy pounds less than his dad.

At this point, he had a couple hours to go until dawn lightened the sky, and he picked up his pace. Chris was in the home stretch- he just had to finish up the houses on the street he was currently on. Ironically enough, he was in the neighborhood he used to live in. Chris imagined it created quite a stir when he all but disappeared, but that was years ago. He doubted anyone remembered him now.

Finally, he came to the last house. He remembered the woman that had lived here years ago, but didn't imagine she would still be there. As he climbed from the sleigh, he made quick work of going down the chimney. There were only a few packages that went here, so he wasn't burdened with a huge sack.

His feet struck the floor with a muffled thump, and he quickly stepped to the right and put the presents under the tree. With a proud smile on his face- he had finished an hour earlier than the year before- he folded up the bag and turned around.

A woman stood in the archway of the living room, a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other. One bite was missing from the pastry, and her mouth was hanging open. Suddenly, she sprang into action.

"You freak show! Who the hell are you? I am calling the cops." She set her coffee down and ran for her cell phone.

Chris was behind her almost before she turned around. He caught her around the waist with one arm. She screamed.

Chris rolled his eyes and tried to calm her.

"I'm Santa. Please, Miss, calm down."

"Santa?" She scoffed. Her breath smelled of glazed sugar. Delectable.

"Yes. Please, don't call the cops. You'll only make yourself look silly. I can disappear in a wink, literally. So please, don't."

The woman stopped struggling to get out of his hold. She was obviously wrestling with her good sense, and wasn't coming to a conclusion very quickly

Finally, she turned slowly, and Chris released her. He wasn't sure why he went after her- protocol called for leaving immediately, yet here he stood.

"You're not fat, you're not old, you don't have white hair..." she ticked the items off on her fingers. "Or are all the pictures of Santa wrong?"

"No, they're right. I've just taken over for my father. He's the original Santa. He wanted a break one year, and well, I've been doing it for ten years now. And I refuse to be old and pudgy." Chris wrinkled his eyebrows.

"I must be dreaming. First off, there's no such thing as Santa, and second of all, he isn't supposed to be drop dead gorgeous." The woman finally realized she was waving around a donut as she talked and she took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.

"You're not dreaming. There is a Santa, and I'm him. Do you really think I'm gorgeous?" Chris smiled.

"Well, no, yeah, well maybe.. Hell, why are you asking me?"

"You brought it up!"

"So?" She dropped her head to her hand, and quickly jerked it back up, noting the sugar on her fingers. "Hang on."

She stuffed the last few bites of donut in her mouth and went to the kitchen to wash her hands. She reappeared and grabbed her coffee, then offered him a cup. He accepted.

They stood there in as awkward of a situation as anything could be, and finally she bust out laughing.

"I still think I'm dreaming. Either that or I've completely lost my mind."

"No on both accounts. This is why people can't see Santa. They wouldn't know how to process it. You were already out of bed when I landed." His tone was almost accusatory.

"Guilty." She smiled.

"You're Ariel, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you know my name?"

Chris was surprised. She was the same woman from when he lived here.

"I used to live here. Well, not here, but down the road."

She narrowed her eyes and examined his face.

"No. Are you kidding me? Chris??"

"In the flesh. And the red suit."

"You were so normal! What happened?" Ariel clapped her hand over her mouth and looked horrified she'd said it.

"I can see you're never going to believe me. Go, pack an overnight bag. You're coming with me."

Ariel stared at him like he was crazy again.

"Do it. Hurry. The sun will be coming up soon."

Against her better judgment, she headed to her bedroom to get some things together. When she returned, Chris was standing at the window, gazing out. The sack wasn't folded anymore- he'd put her gifts back inside- and the bag hung from his hand.

"I'm ready. I can't believe I'm doing this. Can I take a shower when we get there?"

"Sure can." He smiled and motioned her forward.

Ariel stepped in front of him and he wrapped his free arm around her. She closed her eyes for a second to get herself under control. She'd always kind of hand a crush on him years ago, and had wondered where he took off to. Being this close to him, and gazing into his green eyes was just a lot to take. Not to mention the fact he was claiming to be Santa and she'd agreed to leave with the nut job.

She felt like she'd been thrown into a vacuum for a moment, and when her eyes flew open in surprise, they were on the roof.

"Oh my God."

The sleigh was huge. Huge. And it was waxed to perfection. It glimmered even in the meager light of pre-dawn. The reindeer all turned their heads at the same time, and she swore one of them... was it Donner? Gave Chris a look of disbelief. She shook her head to clear it, and Chris helped her up into the sleigh.

Ariel barely had time to register that they were lifting off before they shot off into the night like a cannon ball being fired. Her fingers gripped the seat, and Chris wrapped and arm around her and pulled her to his side. The reindeer knew where they were going, so Chris never really did anything to the reins. He pulled a blanket from under his side of the seat, and covered their laps.

"It gets a little brisk."

Ariel barely heard him. The wind snatched his words almost before they were out of his mouth.

After what only seemed to be a few minutes, the sleigh landed in the middle of no where. Chris pushed a button and the ground raised up in front of them, revealing a tunnel. The reindeer walked forward, carrying them in out of the snow. They ground beneath them moved as the tunnel replaced itself, and inside there was a flurry of activity.

People appeared, unhitched the reindeer and led them off. Chris jumped from the sleigh and stepped around to her side, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her down. Someone else took the sack and her suitcases and disappeared with them. Ariel felt her mouth hanging open again, and made a conscious effort to close it.

Chris grinned. "Still think I'm nuts?"

"No, but I might be." She looked around, trying to take in everything at once.

Chris took her on the grand tour. He explained how everything worked, and showed her the individual workshops. The workers greeted her warmly but looked surprised that he'd brought someone with him. Chris just shrugged it off. It was his business, and he liked Ariel. He had a good feeling about her.

The sun was up, and it was officially Christmas morning. A cheer rang through everyone as the bell rang, releasing them from their duties. Machinery ground to a halt, and the workshops emptied quickly as everyone took off to be with their families.

The sudden silence was deafening. Ariel ran her hand over the railing as they looked down onto the workshop.

"So what do you think?"

"Some of it is what I'd imagined, but some is completely different. How strange."

"Had to move with the times." Chris flashed her a smile.

"I'd say so." Ariel smiled back.

Suddenly there was a thread of tension between them. They slowly came to the realization they were attracted to one another. Chris cleared his throat.

"Are you ready for your shower? Then after I take one you can open your gifts."

"I am. I don't understand why I got presents though. I'm not a kid."

"Ya know, I can't quite figure that out either. Maybe it's destiny."

"Maybe." Ariel's voice was soft.

"Come on." Chris led her to the house, and up to his set of rooms.

"Wow, this is like an entire house in one level."

"That's exactly what it is. Mom and Dad live two floors up." Chris pointed her in the direction of the bathroom, and off she went.

The minute she was out of sight, Chris stomped to the phone and called his parents.

"What gives?"

"Oh, hello Chris. You had a wonderful night, as usual. What gives with what?"

"You know, Ariel. I brought her back."

"I know you did dear. Your father and I just thought you might need some company. It's been ten years, after all." He could almost hear his mother smile.

"You two are the most meddling people I've ever met. Now what?"

"We see good things in your future. Enjoy her company dear. Be natural. Good-bye darling." The phone clicked.

Chris grabbed the hat off his head and threw it on the couch. The belt, boots, jacket and pants soon followed. He stood in his flannel pajama pants and a long sleeved thermal shirt. He stretched and rolled his neck. Soon he knew exhaustion would set in, and he'd sleep most of the day away. He went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, and was just taking his first sip when Ariel reappeared.

"Oh, can I have some?"

"Course." Chris smiled and poured her a cup.

She smelled of his soap, and her auburn hair was damp and curling around her face. She really was an attractive woman. A little on the heavier side, but she was still shapely, and curved and dipped and swelled in all the right places. Her body was currently covered by a pair of tight-fitted jeans and what seemed to be a man's button down shirt. She'd rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, and her bare feet peeped from beneath her pant-legs.

"My turn. Go ahead and explore. Be as nosy as you want. I'll be right back." Chris set his cup down and jogged towards the bathroom.

The mirror was still fogged up and the air humid. It was warm in there, which was nice. He quickly stripped and flipped on the water, then stepped under the hot spray, letting it work the kinks from his shoulders. As he soaped himself up, he couldn't help but think she had just done the same thing. Chris groaned and forcibly closed his mind to the train of thought he was on. He'd never have any peace if he started fantasizing about Ariel.

However, his mom had been right. It had been ten years since he was in a relationship. In this line of work you couldn't just pick anyone. He didn't always stay the whole year at the Pole, so he had had a few sexual encounters over the years, but not nearly enough. Chris suddenly realized he was a virile male with raging hormones. Fantastic.

Shower finished, he threw on a pair of jeans and a red sweatshirt, then headed back out to his guest.

Ariel was standing in the middle of the living room, cup of coffee in hand, staring up at the tree. Her gifts had been placed underneath it, and he figured she was anxious to open them.

"What do ya think?"

"It's gorgeous." Ariel smiled. "Hey, I wanted to apologize for acting like an idiot this morning You just really took me off guard. It's not every day you find a sexy Santa in your house." She laughed.

"No problem. But I discovered while you were in the shower it was a set up. Thank Mr. and Mrs. Claus." Chris rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"That's why you got gifts. Somehow they found out about you- I had a crush on you years ago- and I think they must have investigated and figured out that you would be... well, okay with all this." Chris reclaimed his coffee cup and sat on the couch.

"It's odd, but I think they were right. I mean, it's still a little surreal, but I am okay with this."

The spent the next several hours talking. He explained how it came to be that he was Santa, and about his childhood, and anything else that came to mind. Ariel filled him in on the happenings of the old neighborhood, and the mystery surrounding his leaving. The only thing that kept it from being investigated by the police was the moving trucks that came and got his things.

Their conversation dwindled as the sun moved higher in the sky. Chris felt his eyes getting heavy, and finally told Ariel he had to get to bed for a while. He offered her free rein of the house, and went to his room to take a nap. She promised to wake him up in four hours.

The minute she heard his first snore, she took off to the elevator and went two floors up. She wanted to speak to his parents. Ariel knocked on the door, and Mrs. Claus answered.

"Ariel! How good to see you!" Mrs. Claus motioned for her to come in.

"Hey! You're that lady from the supermarket!" Ariel was stunned.

"Well I had to talk to you myself, to see if you were right for the job. And you are the sweetest girl on earth! I swear you are." Mrs. Claus clapped her hands together happily.

Ariel shook her head to clear it. She had bumped into this lady at the store, and they started talking. They ended up going to a café next door for coffee, and when they left, they planned to meet again the following week. The woman had never shown up.

"You stood me up." Ariel was still flabbergasted.

Mrs. Claus let out a tinkling laugh. "I'm sorry dear. But I knew you and I would be having coffee for years to come. I thought you'd forgive me that once."

"I need to sit down. Or maybe I need a nap." Ariel put a hand to her forehead.

"Listen sweetheart. I saw you in a dream. I found you. I think you're perfect for my son, and I think he thinks so too. So you go back downstairs and find out!" Mrs. Claus planted her hands on her hips.

Ariel's head was spinning. She really did think she needed a nap.

"All right, all right. Here goes nothing I guess." She stood and headed back to the door.

"Happy napping dear. And Merry Christmas."

Back downstairs, Ariel stepped into the living room and leaned against the wall. This was all becoming a little much to process. It was crazy, and it was insane. But here it was. She was at the North Pole with Santa. Yikes. It couldn't be some elaborate ploy because she'd flown in a sleigh with eight magic reindeer.

Yes. She needed a nap. That's what it was. And when she woke up, she'd be back in her bed and everything would be normal again.