Disclaimer: I don't own the Santa Clause.

I apologize for the delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Don't wish, don't start. Wishing only wounds the heart.

-I'm Not That Girl, Wicked

I played this song today on my Ipod and it made me cry. It's from the Broadway musical, Wicked, and it's a pretty song. This chapter is roughly based on this line.

Kaleigh POV

Bernard was taking a long time coming home today. With Christmas getting closer, I was well aware that he'd be busier, but anything past eight was simply ridiculous. It was seven fifty six. I was sitting on our soft, red couch, which was a bit small so even I had to curl up my legs to fit on it. It was worn in from endless years of abuse. Even after scolding my mind and telling myself not too, I still found my eyes wandering to the door, where Bernard should be walking in… but he wasn't.

Angry and impulsive, I got up and dumped the food I'd worked hard on down the kitchen sink drain and turned on the garbage disposal. That'll teach him. I never really felt guilt like any normal Christmas elf would. I wasn't the cheery, happy elf that everyone expected and I certainly never acted in a way anyone would expect me to act. I was the girl who never turned down a dare; the girl who, if someone expected to do so, would do exactly the opposite. I didn't like being predictable. Everyone knew that as well as the now knew never to expect that I wouldn't so something. No one placed bets on me anymore.

"Twenty says Kaleigh won't do it. She may be the one who will do anything, but certainly not this." A mischevious elf, who went by the name of Gregory, whispered to a much younger looking Bernard and Curtis. Gregory was tall, muscular and sort of scary looking for an elf. He stood at a height of six foot, towering a foot over Kaleigh and about four inches above Curtis and Bernard.

"I don't know…" Bernard replied skeptically. "I think she'd do anything."

"Anything? That's a big word, Bernard. You live with her don't you?" Curtis responded. They all spoke in hushed tones.

"Yeah, she doesn't say much. Likes to keep to herself."

"Kaleigh!" Gregory shouted, standing up. "Get over here." Kaleigh glared at him as her small form moved almost to gracefully toward them. She cocked her hip to the side and placed her hand on it, looking up at Gregory icily. Small elf, big attitude.

"What?" She snapped. "If you're going to order me around, you better have a pretty damn good reason for it, Gregory."

"Aww… come on, sugar. Don't be like that." If anything, Gregory had just dug himself into a much deeper hole. "Can you hold your liquor well, girl?"

"Hmm… I don't know. Can you speak easily with that big ass foot in your mouth?" Bernard and Curtis snickered.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Gregory just looked at her, and the small elf sighed and reluctantly nodded. "What's the dare? How much hard apple cider can I drink until I pass out?" She was sarcastic, but Gregory simply smiled.

"You hit it right on, babe." He slid his glass over to her. "You up for it?" Kaleigh didn't respond. She took the glass in both of her hands and downed it more quickly than should have been humanely possible.

"I didn't grow up here. I have much more tolerance to alcohol than you North Pole-born elves do. Hit me." The three of them watched as she downed six or seven more drinks. They would see her eyes rolling and her head spinning. Even Gregory knew that he had pushed her too far. He could only hold three before he threw up. Kai had just had eight and her head had only just started to spin.

"Wait, Kai, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Stop, before this really gets dangerous."

"Sorry, honey. I made a bet, and I'm keeping it." She wasn't even slurring her words yet. This was unnatural, not to mention completely dangerous. As Kaleigh had another two drinks, Bernard pushed his way out from Gregory and pulled Kai from where she sat at the bar.

"You're done Kaleigh." She pouted and widened her eyes like a sad puppy at Bernard. "You're done," he repeated, picking her up. She was surprisingly light but still a struggle for an elf of Bernard's size to carry.

"Curtis," he said roughly with the little breath he had, nodding his head toward the belongings that sat on the bar. He was using most of his energy to carry the little girl. Curtis got up and picked up Bernard's things, nodded to Gregory, and followed Bernard out of the bar.

"Aww… come on Bernard. I'm not even the slightest bit tipsy yet."

"Yeah, sotally tober."

"I think you, my friend, are the one who's had a little too much to drink." She giggled. "Bernard, can you please get your hand off my butt?" Bernard felt his face warm. He hadn't even realized that his hand had slid there, he was just trying to carry her more easily.

"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright. Just ask next time, ok?" Curtis burst out laughing as Bernard turned an even darker shade of red.

"Yep, she's definitely over the edge," Curtis managed to say between strangled hysterics.

"Yeah, no shocker there. She had, what, ten drinks?"

"I'd say eleven. But who's counting?"

"I am!" Kaleigh shouted.

I laughed. I remembered the next day's hangover all too well. I could never remember all the details of that night, but whatever I had said made the chemistry between Bernard and me very awkward from that point on. It was only a few weeks later that Bernard had snapped on me. I remembered every detail of that day.

"Kaleigh! You are a lazy elf who only looks after herself! I can't believe Santa even lets you work here! You're a disgrace! You get drunk just because someone dares you to and you decide it's 'alright' to skip work once in a while because it keeps you 'sane.' Has anyone told you lately that you are already the furthest thing from sane? You're insane! No one in their right mind does things they don't want to because of what other people think of them! Get out of here! This is my job! Go find your own. You're the reason we're a month behind schedule!"

Sparkling tears were welling up in the small elf's eyes. She wiped them away with the side of her hand, leaving a streak of black from her mascara.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Bernard," she choked out. "I was just trying to help, I thought things were going more smoothly…"

"Even though you should be sorry, that doesn't cut it! Stop trying to help! You're making things worse. You might have thought everything was all right, but you are beyond wrong. Unless you can find away to get us back on schedule, I will see to it that the North Pole no longer becomes your home." His last words made the tears pooled in her eyes finally fall. She ran from the factory, into the falling snow, protected only by a thin shirt. Bernard had followed her outside.

"I'm sorry, Kai. That was uncalled for. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have said it…"

"Kaleigh to you. Only friends can call me Kai. And no matter what you say now, you can't take back what you said! And I will find a way to fix this, my fault or not. I'll prove to you how valuable I am. From now on, I really hate you Bernard. You can never take back those words you just said. They'll always hurt when I'll remember them." Bernard knew she was right. She most often was, despite what he told himself. Kaleigh was bright, pretty, and in no way responsible for his own mistakes. He knew that now and could have saved himself had he figured it out a few minutes earlier. It was the stupidest thing he'd ever do.

I felt myself about to cry just thinking about the memory. He had looked so purely angry, so completely disgusted with me. I'd never felt so awful, so worthless, in my entire life. The feeling was magnified than what I felt every day when we had our normal skirmishes. When he'd gone at me the first time, we'd previously been friends, and I was so shocked by his outburst, I wasn't the normal me who could come up with witty comebacks in return. I'd lost all of my thoughts, and everything became a blur.

I knew Bernard was very… picky about the Christmas schedule. He had gotten on everyone's case about something at least once every year, but never, according to Curtis at least, had he gone at someone like he'd gone at me. Honestly, I hadn't even done anything wrong. I was good at math and engineering type things, so when I saw how some things were being done, I couldn't help but try to make them more efficient by demonstrating new ways. Bernard told me that the traditional Christmas ways were working fine, and that was that. But as more elves tried my way of things, everything got done faster, and apparently Bernard did not like the thought of someone pushing him out of his head-elf position. I wasn't trying to do that, of course, I just wanted to help. But Bernard didn't need help.

A light knock on the door awoke me from my reverie.

"Come in!" I called.

"I would, but the door's locked," Bernard's voice responded. I got up slowly and walked to the door, slow to unlock it and slower to open it.

"Slow down," Bernard said sarcastically. "You could hurt yourself at the speed you're going."

"Oh shut up." Great comeback, I scolded myself. "You're late." Accusing him took the spotlight from me.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I went out to dinner with someone tonight. Sorry you went through all the trouble of making me dinner."

"Oh, it okay." I smiled. "I already threw it away, so it's all good." Bernard's face fell.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget Kaleigh, Scott's family will be arriving tomorrow. You'll be responsible for keeping Charlie and Lucy entertained."

"You know I'm not good with kids."

"So it'll be a good experience for you. Besides, I think you guys will get along great."

"Yeah sure. Whatever you say Bernard." Needless to say, I didn't believe him.

What did you think? Obviously, you sort of know what's coming next right? Or not… Whatever.

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