Another big shoutout to BrutusDeagon and FirnenOne for their help in editing and proof reading. This story wouldn't have been nearly as legible if it weren't for their help.

A/N:

The last two and a half months were hard to describe for Nick. On one paw, he'd finally managed to get to a library and look up what rabbits were. It was a sad and shameful tale of his and other mammals ancestors. Rabbits had indeed been hunted down and pressured into extinction over a thousand years ago. If that was true, then the rabbits he'd seen were truly the last of their kind. More research showed they were among the mythical creatures that are often sighted in the wilderness but have never been caught. They had a place alongside creatures such as bigfoot, yeti or even leprechauns.

The last one had Nick stopping in his tracks as he grinned and shook his head before continuing home. The fact it was St. Patty's day had to be the reason he thought of the wee folk. Other than his mind being on strange creatures that lurk in the wilderness, his life had seemed to take a turn for the better. He'd managed to make a few very lucrative deals lately and he was able to put a large sum of money away for a rainy day. He also noticed he felt more inclined to be more polite to those who often looked down on him. Even being nice to Weaselton when they bumped into each other. But ten weeks without a word had him believing it was all a dream. He shrugged off the mug that still sat in his kitchen as something that he picked up a while back and just forgot about.

Making his way home from another fairly successful day, he rounded the corner to his street and saw something that had him quirking an eyebrow. A slight mist had come over the city and he'd seen rainbows popping up all over the place. But seeing one leading to the roof of the old building he called home was a first.

"Hmm, wonder if there's a pot of gold?" He chuckled before continuing on, walking around the back and slipping in without anyone seeing, still worried that someone might call the police if they caught him squatting there. Once inside, he walked through the kitchen in the back and was stopped by what he saw in the living room. There, sitting in his best chair and wearing a leprechaun outfit, was a small green fox with some of the biggest ears he'd ever seen and top hat that rivaled them.

"Well 'tis about time ye got here laddie." The voice that came from the small fox was deeper and harsher than any he'd ever heard before. It was enough of a difference to shock him out of his stupor to find his own voice.

"W-who are you?"

The little fox stood in his seat and spread his arms as wide as they would go before proclaiming in the same booming voice.

"I be Finnick, one of the wee folk from the Emerald Isle lad. Sent here to deliver a message from the elves at yer workshop." He took off his hat and held it in front of him, then, like a magician pulling birds from its hidden compartment, the green fox produced an envelope. After placing his hat back on with a swift move, he held the envelope for Nick to retrieve.

Nick hesitantly stepped forward and took the envelope from his paw. Examining it quickly he could see that the opening was sealed by wax, an ornate N stamped into it. He flipped it over and found a message neatly inscribed.

For Saint Nicholas Eyes Only

He looked back to find the smaller fox holding his oversized hat in front of him again, but now with a mischievous smile showing all his small razor sharp teeth on display.

"Um, was there anything else?" Nick asked.

The little green fox's eye twitched before his grin fell into an angry frown, throwing his hat onto the floor before going into a tirade. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD TIS TO GO TO THE NORTH POLE AND THEN SHOW UP HERE IN THE MORTAL REALM JUST TO DELIVER A LETTER!" The little fox then started shouting things in a language Nick didn't understand and started jumping up and down on his own hat as he continued to throw a fit.

Nick had taken a couple of steps back and was watching the display of anger with some worry. He'd never seen a leprechaun before, much less an angry one, and it took him a moment but he finally realized what it was he was truly angry about.

"A tip." He said softly then louder. "A TIP!"

That got Finnick's attention. Almost instantly he stopped jumping and looked up at him with a devilish grin. He picked up his hat with one paw and with the other thumped it, making the once crumpled fabric seemed to snap back into perfect shape again. He held out his hat in a gesture for Nick to place a monetary tip within.

Nick fished out his wallet and was about to put a few dollars into the hat when a thought occurred to him. "Wait, what about my pot of gold?"

"Oh, sorry me boy-o. That be if ye were able to catch me. And as I'm here on me own free will, then I owe ye nothin." He said with a shrug and cocky grin.

"Oh, you're all set then!" Nick proclaimed chipperly, placing his wallet back in his pocket.

The little green fox scowled as he watched him place the money out of sight. "And they said ye were a saint."

"Don't worry, I won't let you leave empty handed." Nick said as he walked into the kitchen, retrieving the mug he had from Grizzmas.

"You know." He started saying while tossing it in his paws as he walked back with a grin. I'd ruled all this off as a dream, told myself it wasn't real." Then taking a seat across from his guest, he held the mug up to the green fox. "But this mug actually came from the North Pole, didn't it?"

Finnick studied the mug for a second before looking back at Nick. "I wouldn't know."

Nick scoffed. "You wouldn't be here, delivering a message to me, Saint Nicholas, if it wasn't." Leaning back, Nick lifted the envelope up to examine and tossed the mug over to the leprechaun. "Here, take this back to the North Pole for me. When I return and find it there, I'll owe you a favor worth doing."

Finnick caught it and his ears instantly perked up at Nick's words. "A favor ye say, from Saint Nicholas himself. Boyo do you know how to bargain." He removed his hat again and dropped the mug into it. "Well then, I'll be on me way. See ye around Saint Nicholas."

"Nick." Finnick looked at him, confusion on his muzzle. "Call me Nick."

"Saint Nick it is then! Cheerio!" There was a flash of light and the leprechaun was gone.

Nick now sat alone with the envelope in his paw. He went to the kitchen, fetched a butter knife from a drawer and used it to pry the wax off. He pulled out a folded letter and opened it to begin reading, the more he read, the more his ears lowered.

North Pole

The work in Santa's home had been completed in record time. The cabinets, counters, closets and other fixtures had been lowered to a level that was just below too tall for an elf. The furniture had been removed and replaced with adequately sized replacements. Stu had headed up the project and Judy had simply checked on their progress from time to time.

In fact, it was all she was doing.

Despite being head elf, she didn't have a lot to do, mostly she just helped out where she could when the other elves needed it. With no Santa to give direction or make changes, she tried to fill her time with making sure everything was sticking to the status quo... which, not being really time-consuming at all, gave her time for her other project.

Learning about Saint Nicholas.

Judy would prepare daily reports on the status of things in the toy factory. How many toys were made by each department, issues that occurred, injuries reported, number of kits on the naughty and nice list. All compiled into a single report that she would bring and place on the growing stack in Santa's… Saint Nicholas's room. But, while she used that as an excuse to enter his home, she did have other motives. The magical snow globe.

After a couple of tries she figured out how it worked. The user would stir the artificial snow within while thinking of what they wanted to know, the globe would then produce a visual record of events long past. The first thing Judy had seen, without realizing she wanted to, was why he stopped believing in Santa at such a young age. The image of him being bullied and muzzled had tears soaking her cheeks for days afterwards, but that was only the beginning.

The globe showed a scene where a red fox vixen was in an altercation with other mammals that matched the species of the ones that muzzled Nick. Without sound she couldn't be sure but it appeared she was confronting them about it. One of them, a male zebra, seemed to take offense and became very agitated. Then, the unthinkable happened. The zebra turned and kicked her. Throwing her against the wall and she crumpled to the ground.

The next scene she was shown had to be the following Thanksgiving. She could see the young version of Saint Nicholas helping his mother to set the table with a meager meal. She could tell by his expression that he knew something was wrong with his mother. She would limp and hold her side for no apparent reason, seeming to struggle with the smallest of task. Yet she always had a smile when she looked at Nicholas.

The scene ended and a new one appeared. A young Saint Nicholas standing at the graveside of what Judy presumed to be his mother. A single small stone marker at its head.

That was all the globe showed her that night.

In the months that followed, she used every excuse she could to go back and have the globe show her more glimpses from Saint Nicholas's life. From what happened after his mother passed to how he became Santa.

The story inbetween broke her heart. She watched as the globe showed how he was passed from one abusive foster home to another, till he ran away at the age of 14. She only knew his age because it showed him writing it on a birthday card to himself.

He was recruited by the mafia to serve as a low level messenger and was blamed for something to do with a rug and chased away. She didn't know how old he was at that time, but throughout the months that she came back the globe showed every side to him, every trick and scheme he ever used to make a quick dollar, and every small act of kindness he performed for others, even when he himself couldn't afford to.

The things that she had witnessed had left her confused and in doubt. How could he be this Saint Nicholas after doing so many wrongs? All the rights in the world couldn't make up for lying and stealing, could it? So here they were, stuck with an imperfect Santa and nothing she could do about it.

After watching how he scammed a whole group of lemmings by buying a large elephant-sized popsicle and melt it down to smaller ones for a jacked-up price, then selling the used sticks as construction wood to mice, she'd had enough. She stormed out of his workshop and home and went straight to her parents. Furious that this fox could not be the Saint Nicholas they thought he was. She all but kicked the door open as she stormed into the kitchen where she found her mother preparing the next meal for the army of workers.

"You and dad, meeting room, now." Judy said, causing Bonnie to raised an inquisitive eyebrow, as did the rest of those present. "Head elf business." She added before walking out, her ears burning with embarrassment from her outburst.

Judy went to the largest room amongst the living area, where the family would hold meetings to discuss upcoming events and plans for the burrow, or where one of the kits would get some privacy to discuss with their parents. She waited for several minutes before her mom and dad finally made it. This gave her time to calm down and think about why she was there. Did she really want to discredit this Santa? How did they know that he really was meant to be this Saint Nicholas? Questions like these raced through her mind until the door opened and Stu and Bonnie walked in.

"Alright," Stu started, "what's so important you had to burst in shouting orders at your mother?" His voice was stern as was his posture.

"I never said she was shouting Stu." Bonnie corrected.

"Well it wouldn't surprise me if she did."

"Guys." Judy tried to cut in.

"She's just under a lot of stress." Bonnie replied, not noticing Judy.

"Hello?"

"Well, she wouldn't be if she weren't taking this head elf thing so seriously."

"GUYS!" Bonnie and Stu both stopped and turned to face Judy. "Would you please just listen to me?"

The two shared a glance before focusing on Judy. "Alright Jude, but we're going to talk about this later." Stu said sternly. Judy nodded in agreement.

"So what's this about bun-bun?" Bonnie asked.

"It's about Nicholas, I…" She stood there, with her mouth open, ready to admit to everything so that the truth would come out. That he was no saint and that he didn't deserve to take Santa's place. But that meant revealing what she'd done. And, while the idea of being stripped of her title as head elf, having to start from scratch as a floor sweeper, didn't really bother her, she was worried about the uncertainty of what would become of Grizzmas if she did. Was it better to let an imposter sit at the helm of Grizzmas while she was there to guide it along? This gave her pause as her parents stood waiting.

"...I, have some concerns." She said slowly. "How do we know that Nicholas is truly a saint?"

"Well," Stu started with a sigh, scratching behind his ear as he gathered his thoughts for an answer, "what do you think a saint should be?"

This gave Judy pause, what was a saint? Images of heavenly mammals with wings and halos came to mind. Someone who'd lived a virtuous life and was glorified in the heavens of the afterlife perhaps. Those were the only things that she could conjure up, so that had to be it. All of which were a far cry from what the globe had shown her.

"A saint should be someone of high moral standards. Someone who's an example to all in all aspects of life. Someone worthy of the title Santa." Judy said with a grin.

"Someone, perfect?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes!" Judy exclaimed, but then realized the unfair burden it would put on whoever wore the title. "I mean, no. Not perfect, just someone who…" She seemed to have a lack of words now. Her previous argument pulled out from under her by two simple words spoken by her mother.

"Perhaps," Stu interjected, "a saint could be defined as someone who, despite their faults, shows mercy and compassion to those less fortunate than they. Someone who endures the persecution against them, and still has kindness in their heart to share with others. Would that about sum it up?"

"Yes, but-"

"But how do we know he's a saint? Simple, we don't." Bonnie's answer to the question stunned Judy. How could she simply accept that this fox was who he was supposed to be without proof? And she asked as much.

"How can you just accept this without question?" Her parents let out a collective sigh.

"Listen, Jude, we understand what you're going through. We felt the same way when Santa took over for Kris Kringle. We didn't know who this stranger was or what he was like, and he seemed to have so many flaws that we didn't believe he could possibly do the job." Bonnie nodded along.

"Your father's got a point. We'd been disconnected from the rest of the world for so long, we forgot that mammals often have to struggle just to make ends meet. Forcing themselves to do things that society frowns upon just so they can put food on the table."

Judy hadn't thought of that. She'd forgotten all the images of the bad things that happened to Nicholas at the beginning because of all the things, borderline crooked things, he had done to make money. But was he too jaded to be Santa?

"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day," Bonnie continued, "and you will be going to fetch Saint Nicholas, then you can ask all the questions you want, but for now, be patient." Bonnie ended by pulling her daughter into a motherly hug that had Judy's worries melting away. The hour was late, and there was nothing more to discuss.

Tomorrow would be the start of a new era.

Thanksgiving Day

Traveling to the mortal realm, as it was called, was something new to Judy. She'd first inquired about when she found Saint Nicholas was gone from his home.

It turns out, Stu had gone in after he'd fallen asleep, and taken him back using a snow globe. These strange little trinkets were more surprising than Judy ever knew. Her parents admitted they'd only seen it used a couple of times by Santa or Kris Kringle, and Stu only used it the one time.

Judy and her parents were standing in the middle of Nicholas's living room as Stu gingerly handed the globe over, this one with a snowman as the figure.

"Now, just tip it over to stir the snow and then think of where you want to be. It's a bit of a rush but it doesn't hurt." Stu explained.

Judy nodded and then tipped the globe over. And, while thinking that it worked just like the one she had been using to learn about Nicholas's life, she watched as the snow filled the globe till it was swirling all around. She then tipped it back upright and looked into the face of the snowman before closing her eyes, silently whispering where she needed to go.

"To Saint Nicholas." Judy suddenly felt as though her stomach was lurched up into her chest with the wind blowing through her fur.

Her father was right, it was a rush. It only lasted a second before she found herself standing in a grassy field. She was a little dizzy from the sudden adrenaline rush and was smiling from the exhilaration. She was catching her breath as her eyes were adjusting to change in lighting.

It was bright, far brighter than it was Nicholas's home at the North Pole. As her vision finally adjusted, she realized why it was so bright. She was standing outside, in a graveyard. F\A sudden fear suddenly gripped her heart as she assumed the worst; her breath catching in her throat.

Until, coming from behind her, she heard a voice.

"Hey mom. It's been a while. Sorry I haven't been by more often. I know you said not to worry about visiting, that you aren't really here, that our bodies are just a temporary shell for our spirits, but it's nice to have somewhere to come and just talk. You won't believe what's about to happen to me. I'm moving to the North Pole. I'm sure you already know it's real and not just some kits tale. I'll be the new Santa, Saint Nicholas they called me. I don't know why though, I'm certainly no saint. But, maybe, this is my chance to be what you'd always hoped I'd be. An example to others. I'm not sure how good of a job I'll do but I'll have help."

At this point, Judy had tiptoed to a large headstone that allowed her to hide. Nicholas had his back turned to her as he sat in the grass speaking to his mother's headstone. One that was larger than the simple block that she'd seen placed there when she had died. It was modest in size but had her full name and dates etched in with the epitaph 'Loving Mother' along the bottom. Peeking around the side of the headstone she was hiding behind, Judy listened to him continue.

"There's a head elf there, her name's Judy. She seems nice. She wasn't too happy about me taking over for Santa though. I think we managed to come to some sort of truce though. She reminded me of you actually. She's passionate about what she does and is a little firecracker for sure." He chuckled at that and Judy felt her ears warming. "Would you like to meet her?"

Judy's eyes widened when she heard him say that, even more so when he looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. Feeling as though her ears were on fire, she walked out from her hiding place to within arms reach.

"How did you know?" She asked, embarrassed at being caught listening in.

"Not just for show." He said, reaching up and tapping his nose. "Besides, you smell like Grizzmas." When she gave him a curious look, he explained with a single word. "Cinnamon."

She brought her arm up and gave herself a small sniff, just barely catching a hint of cinnamon.

"You also have your own scent that makes you stand out from anyone else. Everyone does." He kept his eyes on his mother's tombstone as he spoke softly.

Judy's nose was twitching, she wanted to ask how she smelled, how he could pick her out of a crowd, but there were more important issues to discuss. So, with her ears hanging limply behind her back she looked down at her feet.

"Saint Nicholas-" She started, but was interrupted.

"Nick, please." He said. Judy nodded before starting again.

"Saint Nick-" This time she was interrupted by his soft laughter.

"Just Nick, if you don't mind." He looked at her with an amused smile, and a twinkle in his eye that she didn't remember being there the first time they'd met.

"Nick," she started, the feeling of using his first name so informally felt foreign yet friendly, "I need to step down as your head elf."

"Oh, is that so?" He replied, still looking at his mother's headstone.

"Yes, I doubted you without even giving you a chance." Her breath hitched as her eyes began to water. "I was suspicious and prejudice for no reason." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "And I've violated your privacy for my own selfish reasons." Her chin quivered making it hard to speak. "A-and if you never want to see me again, I'll understand." She sniffed a couple more times before she heard him answer.

"Ever since I accepted this role," he spoke softly, keeping his gaze straight forward, away from her, "I've found that I can sense things about others. Kids would ride their bikes past and I would instantly know their name and whether they were nice or naughty." He let out a soft chuckle. "It even worked on adults."

Judy listened as her dread began to build. He knew everything before she'd even said a word, she was doomed from the beginning. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. She glanced up and her eyes nearly bulged from her head when she saw the letter she'd left on his desk.

"How did…" She'd started to ask, but stopped herself before finishing the sentence. Nick was now facing her with a mischievous smirk.

"So you knew about this?" He playfully asked.

"I didn't know how to get it to you, so I left it on the bench of your workshop." He hummed at that.

"Hmmm, would you like to read it?" He held it out to her.

"I'm pretty sure I already know what it says." She said sadly. Nick simply shrugged and placed it back in his coat.

"Alright then." he stood from where he was sitting and placed a paw on the headstone for a moment before facing Judy again, "So, how do we get back… Headelf?"

Judy's head snapped up along with her ears to look at him. "Yo-you're not demoting me?" He simply smiled. "Bu-but what I did, I-I…" Nick raised his paws up in a placating manor.

"What you did, was out of concern for what you hold dear. While you did break a couple of rules along the way, you had no malicious intent. As for the rest, well... it's nothing you wouldn't have learned anyway." Nick watched with a kind smile as she began to tear up again, this time with a grateful smile as she sniffled. "Come on, get in here." He held his arms open, inviting her in. She took the few short steps to him and plopped her head onto his chest. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders as he gently hugged her.

"You bunnies," he commented, "so emotional. Is it the letter?" He pulled it from his coat, holding it away from her. "Are you just trying to get the letter?" She let out a wet chuckle as she playfully tried to reach for it. "You are standing on my tail though, off-off-off-off."

After Judy had settled down, Nick said he was ready to return to the North Pole and Judy showed him the snow globe. Once there, things happened quickly. Nick set to work, going over the list of names with Judy's help. He was given a quick tour of the entire factory and, much to Judy's and everyone's surprise, he seemed to jump right in, giving hints to make things better. There were many comments wishing he'd been there sooner as everyone continued to work to keep Grizzmas on schedule.

Until one morning... Nick awoke to find a surprise.

As he dried himself after a shower, he noticed his coat was much thicker and fluffier than usual for his winter coat. No matter how much he brushed, it wouldn't stay down. It was with some embarrassment that he let Judy into his home, with his fluffy fur sticking out from all the seams of his shirt.

"Nick? What happened to your fur? It's all… floofy?" She pointed out.

Nick's expression staying impassive as he closed the door behind her. "I woke up like this. I don't understand, my fur's never been this poofy."

"Well, we don't have time to worry about that right now, it's only four days until Grizzmas eve and we have to finish the list, prep the sleigh, load the presents and… Nick, are you paying attention?" She turned to find him scratching down his back with a long stick.

"It itches!"

Grizzmas Morning

Nick was sitting with Judy on his couch in front of the fire, still wearing his Santa suit. The extra fluff that he'd grown the last few days had really filled it out, giving him a jolly and fluffy look that seemed to suit the image of Santa. His lips were slightly tugged into a tired, yet happy, smile as his tail laid stretched over the couch, just barely out of her reach if she were to try and grab it.

"So, how was it?" Judy asked.

As he pondered the question his tail flicked slightly between them. "It was nice."

Judy smiled and faced the fire once again. It was going to be nice to spend time getting to know Nick more. They worked so well together over the last month, there was no doubt in her mind that the two of them made a great team.

As Judy mused of the days to come, a knock was heard at the door. "I'll get it." She told Nick, who nodded in response. Pulling the door open she found her parents. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey Jude, mind if we join y'all?" Stu chirped merrily.

"Not at all, come on in." Judy held the door open for them to pass. The three walked back to the fireplace and took the seats available.

"So, Nick, how are you feeling?" Bonnie asked.

"I feel good. Tired, but good." He said with a smile.

"Well that's good, cause we've got news for ya." Stu said standing up.

"Oh?" Nick lifted his weary head to look toward him. "What's that."

"Well, since you've completed your first Grizzmas as Santa, you now have to full fill the second clause in the Santa agreement." Bonnie answered. Stu had walked towards the door and opened it to pull in a large cart that carried magnifying glasses of differing sizes.

Nick looked at her with a disbelieving eyebrow raised. "Second clause? What second clause?"

"Yeah, mom, what second clause?" Judy echoed.

"This one." Stu said, placing the card Nick had given them a year ago on a holder and lifting up the largest magnifying glass.

Nick stood from his seat and walked over looking at the magnified image and reading the words made visible aloud.

"The card holder acknowledges, dadada, a female of his choosing…" Nick's head tilts curiously. "In the arms of true love and holy MATRIMONY! I HAVE TO GET MARRIED."

"Yup! You sure do! Ain't it exciting!" Stu exclaimed, looking between Bonnie and Judy when a thump drew his attention to the unconscious form of Saint Nicholas.

A/N:

Using Finnick as a leprechaun was FirnenOne's idea. Not much to say about this chapter other than I'm glad this phase is over and I'm very satisfied with how it turned out. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next Grizzmas for The Santa Clause 2: Mrs. Claws!