Archive of Our Own ^beta

Charlie sighed.  "Focus, Chet."

The reindeer in question did his best to listen to Charlie, but the man knew it was going to be a hard ride there.  Chet was a sweet reindeer, they hadn't taken away his ability to fly or be smarter than the other reindeer, but it had been clear years ago that he was essentially a washout for reindeer regardless of how hard they tried.  The elves had worked on getting a different one trained, poor Larry had ranted to Charlie and Judy over a cup of cocoa, and Chet had been quietly given his own section of 'auxiliary reindeer' in case there was another situation where the other reindeer were out of commission.  Which actually shouldn't have been a problem, but his brother apparently liked to make new problems.

"Alright, down there, I think," Charlie said, grateful that Buddy's magic worked well enough for him to send a request that he ‘needed to be rescued’ and also ‘please don't tell anyone’.  Well, he was grateful for the first and more resigned on the second.  He relaxed when he was able to count all eight reindeer, one sleigh that would need work done on it, and one intact brother.  Both Chet and Charlie felt a tingle of magic as they headed toward the ground, but Charlie didn't think too much of it.  If there was trouble, it would have already gone after the other nine beings.  Chet landed, racing over to the other reindeer, and Charlie hung on until he stopped.  "We still need to work on your landings."

Chet gave an excitable giggle and Charlie just patted the reindeer's neck and focused on the rest of it.  Buddy gave him a sheepish look.  "Hi Charlie."

"So, you don't think everyone is going to notice you went joyriding with the sleigh and all eight reindeer?"  He asked.  He turned on the reindeer.  "And you eight.  You thought this was a good idea?"

There were several reindeer noises and Charlie put his hands on his hips.  "Oh yeah, Dad's going to totally buy the 'training' excuse again.  Listen, we've been through this:  If you need to get out to fly around for a bit, let us know!  We'll work with you.  Don't just go along with Buddy's really bad ideas."

"I'm standing right here," Buddy informed him.

"I see you," Charlie said.  "And we both know that I'm your best option right now."

He was keeping his voice down as well considering it was nighttime, the only reason why Buddy might have gotten away with it, and fortunately Buddy was doing the same.  "That's why I reached out to you directly.  Can't you just fix the sleigh and we'll head home?"

"I have zero magic, no tools, and I can't teleport.  No, I can't just fix up the sleigh so we can go home," he said.  "You should have called Bernard."

"He'll just yell at me!"

'You swiped the sleigh.  Yeah he's going to yell at you," Charlie hissed.  "We already went through this with you when you were younger..."

"I thought I could do better now."

"It's not like you had lessons, Buddy," he hissed.  They were interrupted by a door opening and closing.  They both turned to see a large yellow bird coming toward them.

"I thought Santa only came on Christmas!"  He said and he was not quiet about it at all.  Charlie made the universal motion for him to keep his voice down.

"He does," Charlie said, figuring that explaining might be a good idea.  Besides, he was a North Pole elf at this point, biology notwithstanding, and he could recognize a child, even if they were taller than him and covered in yellow feathers.  "We're not Santa."

"But you have the sleigh and the reindeer," he continued and Charlie was starting to think that the kid didn't have an indoor voice.

"Try to keep your voice down so you don't accidentally wake up everyone else," he said gently.  "Yes, we have the sleigh and reindeer… hold on, a moment.  Chet!  Stay by Vixen, don’t wander off.  Yes, we have the reindeer and the sleigh, but we aren't Santa.  See, neither of us has the beard or the suit."

"Then why do you have the sleigh and reindeer?"  The bird asked and Charlie really wished he had the ability to get a kid's name in his head when he met them like his dad.

"Well, because Buddy borrowed them without asking," Charlie answered.  "Which was a very wrong thing to do.  And I'm trying to help him get them back before Santa or his elves find out."

He was pretty sure that the elves already knew, but that was beyond the point.  His actual goal was to try to get this fixed before they panicked too much.  The bird just looked at him skeptically.  "Taking other people's things without asking is really wrong."

"Trust me, I know," Charlie said.  "Someone is going to end up on the naughty list unless he says he's very sorry and tries to make up for it."

Buddy just gave him a look, but Charlie knew that Buddy's name had likely already shifted to the naughty list right after he'd taken them to begin with.  His brother tried to placate the bird.  "Look, I didn't mean to crash."

"But you took it.  The grown ups say you can't just take things without asking," he pushed.  Charlie heard the door to the building open and could have groaned.  It looked like their luck wasn't getting any better. 

"Big Bird, who are you talking to?"  A woman asked.  He looked to see that she was followed by several others.  Buddy leaned into Charlie.

"I think we're in trouble," he whispered.

"You think?"  Charlie asked back, obviously stressed by the situation.

"Hi Susan!  I thought Santa was here, but he isn't because he only comes on Christmas and the sleigh is here because they took it," Big Bird ratted them out, motioning in their direction.  Charlie gave Buddy a look to stay quiet for a moment and gave a polite smile.

"I'm sorry we woke you up," he said.  While he was the best liar the North Pole had, if one didn’t include Jack Frost anyway, that wasn't exactly a high bar to reach and Charlie chose to be honest.  They were used to giant yellow birds so it wasn't like he was having to talk to people who didn't believe in magic at all.  "I'm Charlie and this is my brother, Buddy.  It's not... I don't want to say it's not a bad situation, but it's not as bad as you're thinking.  It's not like we went to the North Pole to steal the sleigh and reindeer, but Santa is... well... he's our dad.  Buddy sort of did the equivalent of borrowing your dad's car for the weekend.  Only with reindeer and not telling him.  Speaking of the reindeer, Chet?  Can you please go get Lucy?"

"Aww we don't need Lucy," Buddy grumbled.  Chet just giggled again and took off.  Charlie was confident in his ability to get there and probably get back.

"You crash landed.  Just because the reindeer look fine, doesn't mean they are fine.  You know that," Charlie hissed back.  He turned back to the group.  "Hopefully, they'll be fine, the sleigh will make it back, and we'll be out of your hair in no time."

"Santa has kids?"  Big Bird asked, sounding delighted.  Charlie just smiled at him.

"Yep.  Two of us," he answered.  "I was around when Dad got the job and Buddy was born at the North Pole."

"Got the job?"  Big Bird asked and Charlie was careful about it.

"How old are you?"  He asked.

"Six!"  He said and Charlie relaxed.  He could work with six.

"That's how old I was too," he said.  "So, to sum it up, the first Santa Claus decided he was tired of being Santa and he wanted everyone to have a chance of being Santa.  So, he created a way to pass it on.  And then it's been passed on ever since like a job.  And the Santa before Dad had a little accident and couldn't be Santa anymore so Dad took over.  That was... well... several decades ago."

"Decades?"  The adults asked and Charlie remembered exactly how he looked.

"Oh!  The North Pole stops aging.  I started living there full time when I graduated high school.  And Buddy was born there and the magic just stopped on eighteen.  We age when we leave, but not while we're there," he explained.  "So I'm in my seventies and Buddy is in his fifties but we don't show it."

"I think we can understand that," one of the people muttered.  The first lady took over.

"I'm Susan.  That's Gordon, Maria, Luis, David, and Olivia.  The two in the doorway are Miles and Gabi," she said, running through them quickly.  Maria was looking over the sleigh.

"I think it's pretty broken," she admitted.  Charlie nodded.

"It's a matter of seeing if we can fix it enough to fly it back," he admitted.  "Since we already woke up half the neighborhood, I might just wait until sunrise and send a letter back to Bernard that we have it handled."

"Lucky for you," a voice said above them as Lucy landed.  Charlie patted Chet's back.  "I already let Bernard know we're handling it.  I'd say he's mad at both of you, but he likely has the same idea that I do of what happened."

She was giving Buddy a firm look that Charlie did not envy.  Charlie turned to the others.  "This is our sister, Lucy.  She's a vet.  And, Luce, I did leave a note..."

"That's how he knows what happened," she told him before turning to Buddy.  "Did we need to yell longer at you last time?  Sure, poor Aunt Carol's voice went hoarse but Bernard and I can tag team this time."

Charlie winced.  This was why he'd gone to check on the reindeer last time.  Instead, he was pretty sure he was the closest thing they had to a diplomat and was pulling hard from Judy to do it properly.  "They're going to be on that for a little bit and then she'll have to look over the reindeer.  I'm so sorry about waking you up."

"Well," Luis told him.  "I don't think any of us are going back to sleep at the moment."

Charlie nodded.  "Do you have a hardware store or something similar nearby?  We can get the sleigh over there and I can see what I can do in the morning."

"We'll help you get it to the Fix-It Shop," Maria assured him and Charlie smiled warmly at her.  "Luis and I can help you in the morning."

"That could be a help," he assured her.  Susan gave a polite smile.

"I'm good with cars but..."

"Well, we've added some mechanical parts to it over the years," he said.  "It might be out of your wheelhouse, but you're welcome to take a look."

"So it actually flies?"  Gordon asked and Big Bird gave him a look.

"It's Santa's sleigh, Gordon!  It has to fly!"  He protested.  Charlie didn't disagree, but he did answer Gordon.

"It does.  And not just on Christmas Eve, though that’s usually the only time we take this sleigh out.  It flies with a mix of science and magic," he answered.  "We use science to keep it stabilized at this point, but magic keeps it in the air with the reindeer.  I'm going to have to check the stabilizers if you want to see."

"I always thought Santa would be more secretive about it," Miles informed him and Charlie laughed.

"Santa doesn't know how any of it works," he told him.  "Bernard is more careful, but that's just around people who don't know how magic works anyway.  Quintin let me see what was going on when I was seven and I work under him, so I'm going with his 'sure why not' way of doing things.  Besides, I'm already showing the rest of your friends."

Lucy glanced over and shook her head.  "Are you making friends with everyone while we're in the middle of a catastrophe, Charlie?"

"No one bothers to stop me anymore.  And the first Santa did it all of the time according to Mother Nature," Charlie said easily.  "So I'm just sort of following a tradition or something.  Besides, I'm good at it."

"He is good at it," Buddy muttered.  Lucy snorted. 

"He got himself adopted by the grumpiest elf at the North Pole in less than two minutes," she agreed.

"I wasn't the one who won over Jack," he protested.

"We both have a problem," she said sardonically before looking at the group.  "I don't suppose any of you are a vet?"

"I can go wake up Gina," Gabi offered.  "She's our vet.  Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Definitely," she assured her.  "There's just several so two pairs of hands is better than one."

David looked at Lucy.  "So you're their older sister?"

"Middle sister," she said.  "I'm older than Buddy, younger than Charlie."

"Uh... so..."

"Why do I look like I'm in my sixties?  I am," she said.  "I'm assuming that Charlie explained Santa had two children, right?"

David took a minute and then nodded.  "Yeah, about that..."

"That's because Santa and my mom got a divorce before I was born.  Charlie and I share a mom, Buddy and him share a dad.  And Buddy and I decided that we were just as much siblings because anything less was ridiculous.  But, unlike Charlie, I feel more at home in the normal human world and Charlie didn't.  So, after some arguing, he won the ability to stay at the North Pole and I never even wanted to try.  I age normally and Charlie obviously doesn't.  And you can see how often he leaves by how old he looks," she explained, looking over Dasher's legs.

"Charlie?"  Big Bird asked and he looked at the bird.  "Is the North Pole really fun?  Like does it have toys everywhere?"

"Everywhere," Charlie agreed.  "And there's the candy room.  The kitchen where we can get cookies most of the time.  Within reason for Buddy and me but that's because we're human."

"Do they make birdseed cookies?"  He asked hopefully.

"No, but that's because we don't have a lot of birds there," he reminded him.  "Judy and Abby could absolutely make them though if they tried.  For all I know, they have.  They're a lot older than I am."

"How much older?"  Big Bird asked and Charlie considered.

"Well, I don't know exactly how old Judy is, but it took 1200 years to perfect her hot chocolate recipe and Abby is around 900," he answered.

"That's really old!"  Big Bird said and Charlie just laughed.

"They're not even the oldest," he said.  "But elves live for a really long time and all of the elves working at the North Pole are grown ups.  So they're all hundreds of years old.  You get used to it.  You want to know what the crazy part is?"

"What?"  Big Bird asked, looking excited.

"They look like human kids.  But with sparkles and pointed ears," he told him.

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," he said.  "Honest.  Dad thought they were kids at first.  Bernard and Quintin look like teens but that's because they're both really old."

"I'm telling them both you said so," Buddy said, picking up around the sleigh.

"I think they know," Charlie answered.  "If they're going to call me an elfling, I'm going to call them old."

"What's an elfling?"  Big Bird asked.

"A term for an elf that's a kid," Charlie answered.  He looked up.  "I think we weren't as quiet as we were trying to be."

"It was only a matter of time," Susan assured him.  "Good early morning, Mr. Hooper.  Hi Bob, Gina, Linda."

Charlie noted the signing.  He let the magic click into translating into ASL and easily moved to talk with her.  "Are you deaf?"

"Yes.  You sign?"

"Yes."

He made sure to sign as he spoke with the others.  Fortunately, the translator in his head didn't have trouble keeping up.  "Lucy, you're going to need a translator, I think.  Linda is deaf."

"Tell her I can sign some, but I never had enough clients who were deaf to keep practicing," she answered.  "And apologize for it, please."

Charlie nodded and did so.  He made certain to keep it up the rest of the time.  Buddy glanced over, watched it for a minute and gave a thumbs up to Charlie.  His translator seemed to have kicked into gear as well.  Charlie focused back on the newcomers.  "Sorry about waking you up so late.  Or early.  I'm Charlie.  My sister is the one working on the reindeer, her name is Lucy.  And that's Buddy.  The reason we're here."

"Hey!"  Buddy protested, but Charlie didn't change his wording because it was true.  Bob looked at the sleigh.

"So, what's going on?"

"They're Santa's kids, Bob!"  Big Bird said excitedly.  Charlie shrugged and motioned to the bird to show he was right.  Mr. Hooper looked at Charlie and he was easily reminded of Bernard in a bad mood.

"And the reason Santa isn't here is..."  He asked.

"Because Buddy borrowed the sleigh without asking and crashed it," Charlie answered easily.  "Listen, we're really sorry about all of this.  I'm hoping that Maria, Luis, and possibly Susan can help me look over the sleigh tomorrow.  Gina and Lucy are handling the reindeer now.  And with luck, it won't take long for us to head out.  Once again, I'm so sorry about waking you up."

"Is everyone okay?"  Bob asked.

"Well, we're double-checking on the reindeer, but I think so," Charlie answered.  He looked over to see their only uncrashed reindeer trotting off.  "Buddy!  Go grab Chet."

"Ah Chet.  This is why you're auxiliary, pal," Buddy said, heading over to get him. 

Mr. Hooper matched eyes with Charlie.  "We can talk about this more later.  No one is getting any more sleep tonight, so I'll make some breakfast."

"Thank you," Charlie said earnestly.  "Lucy, do you know how long Bernard is giving us?"

"He said you'll ring him if you need him," she said.  "So, it sounds like you're in charge, Charlie."

"Great," Charlie said, looking at all of it.  "That's... great."

***

The reindeer were absolutely fine, but Lucy was sticking around until they'd get them in the sky again.  Charlie was attempting to work on the sleigh, but he also seemed to be the best equipped to answer the questions of the child monsters.  It wouldn't be the first time a member of Research and Development worked while answering a child's question.  He, of all people, should know, considering that Quintin had to give him a small hard hat and goggles so he could be more involved and stop pulling away his elves from their work.

"Hi Charlie!"

Charlie looked over and gave a smile.  "Hi Elmo."

"Elmo has a question for Charlie," he said.

"What's up?"  Charlie asked, still focusing as he did so.

"Why are Santa's clothes red like Elmo?"  He asked.

"Well, do you see how the sleigh is green?"  He asked.

"The sleigh is green and... yellow?"

"Gold," Charlie gently corrected.  "That's because green plants like holly and pine trees grow in the snow and they tend to have red berries.  Since the sleigh carries Santa, it makes more sense for Santa to wear red and the sleigh to be green."

"What about the gold?"  Elmo asked, standing on his tip-toes to try to reach the decorative parts.  Charlie paused and lifted him up so that he could see.

"That's gold because before the first Santa was called Santa Claus, he gave gold to some people who really needed it.  And the elves thought it would be nice to show that," he said.  Like any small child, Elmo seemed entranced by the idea.

"Elmo likes the gold reindeer," he told him.

"Me too," Charlie agreed.  "You can touch it if you want.  You're not going to hurt it."

Elmo reached out as Charlie held him and touched the sleigh.  "Charlie?  How does Santa visit every house?"

"The reindeer are really fast," Charlie answered.  "And I think that time is a little wobbly on Christmas Eve for him.  It slows down to give him a little extra time."

"Thank you, Charlie," Elmo said as Charlie set him back down.  "Can Charlie fix the sleigh?"

"I think so," he said.  "Maria and Luis have the tools I need and I think they're as excited about helping to fix it as you are to see it."

"Elmo was very excited," the monster agreed.  "Thank you for answering Elmo’s questions!  Bye!"

"Bye, Elmo," he said, focusing back on the sleigh.  He could hear Luis and Maria heading back from their break and readied himself to direct what needed done.

***

Susan wasn't able to help as much which Charlie had taken in stride.  "You don't have to be helping to see it, Susan."

"How'd you know I wanted to see?"  She asked and he grinned.

"Because every adult gets that look.  My mom got it the first time she saw the sleigh," he answered.

"How does it land on roofs without snow?"  She asked.

"The sleigh hovers a bit," he answered.  "When there's snow, it uses it.  It gives everything a bit of a break.  But when there's not, it just gently hovers a bit.  It doesn't bother by the time it heads back to the North Pole.  Quintin and I will need to look it over anyway."

"Which one is Quintin?"  Luis asked from where he was working.

"Head of Research and Development," Charlie answered.  "My direct boss and mentor.  Peter, Fiona, and Felix stopped checking it over years ago so I think they know it's sort of a tradition or bonding thing for Quintin and I now."

"That's so sweet," Maria said.  "So you two are the only two who look over the sleigh?"

"Just when it gets back," Charlie said.  "After that, all of us work on it.  Oh hey!  Cookie Monster, right?"

"Right.  Me have question for Charlie," Cookie Monster said.  "What is Santa's favorite cookie?"

"Oh that's easy.  Chocolate chip," he answered.  "I'm more partial to snickerdoodles, but Dad can't get enough chocolate chips."

"Me like chocolatey chip cookie too.  And me like snickerdoodle," Cookie Monster agreed.  Charlie just held back the slight laugh.  "Are there lots of cookies at the North Pole?"

"Tons," Charlie said honestly.  "Elves need the cookies almost as much as you do.  And Santa isn't much better."

"Elves like cookies too?"  Cookie Monster asked with glee.  Charlie nodded.

"I asked Judy about it once.  Apparently, they need the sugar to help with the magic," he answered.  "Some of the others use other foods.  Like Mother Nature eats a lot of fruit and the Easter Bunny eats a ton of carrots.  We use cookies up north.  Well, the elves do anyway.  I'm still on a balanced diet."

"You don't get chocolatey chip or snickdoodle cookies?"  Cookie Monster asked in horror and Charlie was worried he'd accidentally sent the poor monster into a crisis.

"No, no.  I can have cookies, just not as often as everyone else," he said.  "Like when the grown-ups here down don’t let the kids have too many sweets at once."

"Oh good.  Me was worried," Cookie Monster said, putting his hand over his heart.  "Me can't imagine living in cookie-filled place without being able to eat cookies!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," he said.  "Even the reindeer... Lucy is still here, right?"

"Right," Susan said and Charlie relaxed.  "Why?"

"Even the reindeer can eat sweets, but none of them know their limit.  Lucy will be able to stop the kids from giving them too many," he said.  "She made that mistake when she was little.  Bernard made her a little book."

"Did she read book?"  Cookie asked and Charlie nodded.

"A lot," he said with a laugh.  "Mom and Neil were fortunately patient about it, but there's a reason why Lucy is on call for the reindeer even if we do have an elven vet."

"Charlie?  Do you think Santa will bring me lots of cookies for Christmas?  Me keep eating letters," Cookie told him, covering his eyes with one hand in shame.  Charlie smiled.

"I will personally put in the request for you," he promised.  "But I think we have the right idea for you.  Just stay on the nice list."

"Me will!  Thank you, Charlie!"  He said and rushed off as Charlie just chuckled.  Luis looked over.

"You can give personal requests?"  He asked.

"I said I'd personally put in the request," Charlie corrected.  "So, I'll make sure I write up the letter for him so we have it.  I really am pretty sure that after all these years, every Santa knows what he wants."

"About that," Maria said.  "You told Big Bird that it passes on, right?"

"Right," Charlie said.  "The full version is that there's a clause.  Like as in a legal document."

"Hold on," Luis said.  "David is going to want to hear this."

Charlie just nodded and looked at Maria and Susan.  "Lawyer?"

"How'd you guess?"  Susan asked in amusement.

"Lucy's wife does the same thing," he answered.  He noted that Luis and David had made their way back and he continued.  "So, a little backstory that I've gotten from Bernard.  The first Santa wanted to quit.  Usually, the Legendary Figures like Mother Nature or Father Time, choose their replacement and raise them into the role.  But the first Santa was literally St. Nicholas and he wanted everyone to have a chance.  So, he gathered Bernard since he was the Head Elf and Mother Nature because she was his best friend, and they worked together to create the Santa Clause, clause with an e.  We think he liked the pun."

"You think he did?"  Luis asked and Charlie shrugged.

"No one thought to ask," he said honestly.  "So, let's see if I can get this right:  'In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all rights to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus in perpetuity until such time that wearer becomes unable to do so by either accident or design.'"

"I take it your dad put on the suit?"  David asked.  Charlie nodded.

"You can't really read it on the card," he said.  "Because that wasn't really Santa's point.  That's a lot to take on.  I'll be honest with you:  I don't think Nicholas really cared if the person wanted to do it or not.  He cared that the kids would still get their presents and that the elves, especially the three he raised, would be safe.  So, he set it up to protect those groups as well as give people a chance to do something wonderful with their lives.  It was rough at first, but Dad being Santa?  It's the best thing that ever happened to us.  Dad became a better dad, my parents worked things out with each other.  You've seen Lucy and Buddy.  Lucy calls Dad and Carol her uncle and aunt and Buddy did the same with Lucy's parents.  That's how close we are.  And it wasn’t just the humans involved.  The elves baby-sat us and are other members of our family."

"Does it always work that way with Santa’s family?"  Maria asked and he shrugged.

"We're the first," he answered.  "Well, other than Nicholas and the first three North Pole elves, but that was a different sort of family.  Sort of.  Interspecies adoption has its pitfalls which you all know.  I've seen you with Big Bird."

"Did they ever want to run off and live with other elves?"  David asked.  "Because we had that problem once."

"Nope.  Opposite actually.  Some elves tried to take them away," he said.  "Which was really bad because the Agreement was in place."

"The what?"  Susan asked and Charlie paused.

"Huh.  Okay, I'll be honest I thought you'd recognize that," he admitted.

"Sesame Street doesn't deal in Agreements," Mr. Hooper said, heading over.  He must have heard Charlie talking.  "Because they're dangerous."

Charlie motioned to Mr. Hooper.  "That.  We don't use them often at the North Pole either.  Because they're dangerous.  All except for the first one.  So, an Agreement is a formal deal between a fae and someone else.  Maybe it's another fae, maybe it's a human.  Usually, the fae comes out on top if it's a malicious Agreement, but little fae can get trapped.  And Nicholas was faced with three elflings, the oldest being the equivalent of six.  So imagine that you have Big Bird, Elmo, and Irvine and you have Nicholas' problem.  Quintin was a little older than Elmo, but still.  And all three of them were nervous because they were staying with him, but there was nothing permanent in place and a fae cannot accept a favor for nothing.  The elflings feel it, Nicholas knows it, so he realizes he has to make an Agreement and he calls in Mother Nature.  She was, uh, prickly at the time, but still willing to help.  Mostly.  She hadn’t known about the elflings before that and was a little upset about the whole thing and then she was even more concerned when he let her know he wanted her there to make sure the Agreement he directly made with Bernard was fair."

"You just said Bernard was six!  You can't make a contract with a minor!"  David protested and Charlie gave him a smile.

"First off, equivalent of six.  He was several hundred years old.  Second, that's a human rule," he said calmly.  "Fae rules are for all fae.  Babies can't because they can't talk, but children?  They're fair game.  That's why we start teaching elflings, and Buddy, how not to make Agreements at the North Pole through games so that they have fun but also get the point."

"Did you play those games?"  Maria asked.

"Nah," Charlie said.  "I was too old by the time it was an issue so they made up their own game for me which was more competitive."

"Have you ever made one?"  Luis asked and Mr. Hooper looked unhappy about where the conversation was leading.  Charlie didn't blame him, but they didn't have anything to be worried about here.

"I have been part of one," he said.  "It's a long story that I definitely don't want to talk about, but I've never formally made an Agreement because they're dangerous.  Bernard, Judy, and Quintin spent a long time teaching me that.  Mr. Hooper had the right idea making sure you can't do them here.  Sure, it worked with Nicholas and Bernard, but that doesn't mean that everyone sees it in a good light.  We've run into that problem."

He remembered how angry the elf had looked at all of them and tried not to shiver at the memory.  Mr. Hooper pulled back somewhat and Charlie just smiled at him.  He knew that Mr. Hooper didn't think he was a threat, but he also likely didn't want him to put the ideas in anyone's heads either.  It was why Charlie had been so quick to take his side on the matter.  David still looked annoyed by the idea that children could be involved and Charlie decided that probably wasn't worth the fight as he kept his head down for the moment.  Susan gave him a smile that told him he'd guessed correctly.

***

"They'll be able to get home, right?"  Charlie asked his sister and Gina as he headed over.  Lucy rolled her eyes.

"They're fine, Charlie," she assured him.  "Comet, tell Charlie you're fine."

The reindeer made the appropriate, reassuring noises that Charlie understood.  He sighed.  "Okay, okay, I just needed to make sure."

"Umm... Charlie?"

He turned to see two blue monsters looking back at him, both of them looking a little nervous about things.  He wasn't sure why, but he was happy to help.  "What do you need, guys?"

"Herry and I wanted to know if Santa loves cute, furry, friendly, loveable, little monsters," Grover answered.  Charlie just smiled.

"Oh, that's easy.  Of course he does," Charlie answered.  "That's his favorite kind of monster."

Grover just beamed back at him, but Herry looked even more nervous.  "Charlie, I think I might be on the naughty list and I don't mean to, but I break things and I can't watch my strength or anything."

Charlie took a seat and motioned for Herry to join him.  He noted that Grover was waiting around as well to make sure that the other was okay.  Herry needed reassurance, Grover needed to make sure that he helped Charlie give it.  "Let me ask you a couple of questions, Herry.  Do you mean to break things?"

"No!"

"Do you try really hard to remember to control your strength?"

"I really do!"

"If you hurt someone or break something, do you apologize to them?"

"Of course!"

"Then I can tell you without even looking at it that you're not on the naughty list," he said.  "Santa doesn't expect you to be perfect.  He wants you to try.  And everyone ends up on the naughty list now and then only to be taken off again once they make up for it.  So even if you were on the naughty list for breaking something, you'd get back off it for apologizing and trying to make up for it."

"Have you ever been on the Naughty List?"  Grover asked and Charlie wished he could subtly tell his sister to shut up as she started giggling.

"Yep," he said.  "And I actually deserved it.  But, eventually, I started to make it up to everyone and got back off again.  And then I apologized to my friends because it had hurt them to see it there.  We all mess up."

Herry looked a lot more relieved at that and Charlie decided he could easily suffer the slight embarrassment if it made the young monster feel better.  "Thanks, Charlie!  I'll make sure to be as careful as I can!"

Charlie pulled from Bernard, echoing the words from when he'd been given the snow globe.  His expression was a mix of a smile and a serious look to prove he understood the sincerity of Herry's remark.  "Make sure you do."

Gina fortunately waited for Herry and Grover to leave before looking at him in amusement.  "You were on the Naughty List?"

"According to Bernard, everyone is, but mine may have been more extreme," he answered.  Lucy looked at him.

"May?"

"Was."

"What did you do?"  Gina asked and the two siblings looked slightly embarrassed.  

"Vandalism," he answered.  "I was going through a lot and we sorted it out.  Fun fact:  You can not use vandalism to promote the Christmas Spirit and still stay on the nice list which I still think is ridiculous and Bernard still tells me to let it go.  That said, we even kind of used it to save Christmas so that was something…  Listen, it was a bad year for everyone."

"It wasn't for me," Lucy said.  "You finally told me what was going on."

"Lucy..."

Gina looked at the two.  "I keep forgetting that Charlie is older than you."

"Most people do forget," she admitted. "And we're mostly fine with it, but Charlie is eight years older than me."

"And looking older than your older siblings runs in the family at this point," Charlie added.  "Bernard is way older than I am and he looks younger.  Quintin is my mentor and he looks like he's in his early teens.  You just start to get used to it.  Lucy and I tend to pretend that her older brother is off doing something or another and I'm her great nephew."

Lucy went to protest.  "Oh you're right.  We did switch it."

"Right after Lily," he reminded her.  "If you were a grandmother, I should probably be a grandpa now."

"And Buddy is younger than both of you," Gina said.  They both nodded.

"That's right," Charlie agreed.  "Just like I think I heard David mention that most of you are different ages but you all stopped in your mid-thirties?"

"Right," she said.  "So, Street Protectors stop aging at a certain point on Sesame Street.  So do their families.  We've dedicated our lives to being here and keeping it safe and, well, that’s a perk of it.  Mr. Hooper, Mr. Macintosh, and Willy stopped aging later, which is why they look older, but the same applies to them now."

Charlie nodded.  "Got it.  Magic will do that."

"You're pretty relaxed about all of this," Gina mentioned.  "Usually when I'm explaining this, the person starts to panic a bit."

"Dealing with magic and Christmas since we were children tends to counter that," Lucy reminded her.  "There's a reason that Charlie sent Chet to get me for the reindeer even though you were a huge help.  I have a normal veterinarian degree just like you do, but I also was mentored at times from Dr. Tilly who is an elf at the North Pole and brilliant at magic diseases.  She and I will sometimes team up if we're not sure which is which."

"So, Lucy is one of the best people I know of to bring one of our sick reindeer to.  The other is Dr. Tilly because Lucy taught mundane veterinary techniques to her," he explained.  "It's a matter of teamwork."

"I also wrote four papers with her," Lucy told Gina who whistled.  "They're all only in the fae realm, but if humans ever come back, it will be available to them too.  Just keep an ear out, Gina.  You're in a magic middle space too.  You might be able to help out if you hear about something that can't be solved."

"I don't know the magic side of it," she reminded her and Lucy smirked.

"Well, we're friends now so I think I can help you fix that, if you'll let me," she said easily.  Gina looked a little relieved and Charlie couldn't blame her.  The street was full of animals that fell into the same place as the reindeer.  It would be useful to have a vet who could help more with them as well.  Big Bird seemed to be his own species, so he wasn't sure if he fell under vet or human doctor care.  Possibly both.  Possibly something else.  Dr. Hismus had always managed to look over the humans and the elves equally without problem, but neither had feathers either.

"Thanks, guys," he said.  "I'm going to find Buddy and make sure he's... uh..."

"Not causing more trouble?"  Lucy asked.  Charlie looked sheepish.

"Something like that," he said, ignoring the knowing look both women were giving him.

***

Fortunately, Buddy was staying out of trouble and was instead regaling several children and young monsters with various North Pole stories.  Like Charlie, he'd decided that the magic wasn't a secret with the children here because they knew magic existed and still were marveled about it.  Buddy looked over to see his elder brother and grinned, turning to a little turquoise monster.  "Hey, Rosita.  Why don't you ask Charlie your question?"

Charlie just smiled at her.  "Hi Rosita."

"Hola, Charlie!"  She answered and Charlie had to admit he was a little surprised.  Normally, the magic just translated everything into his brain, but it very specifically didn't this time.  "I was wondering if Santa spoke Spanish too!"

Charlie smiled at her.  "Well, that's a little complicated, but mostly the answer is yes."

"Mostly?"  She asked and Charlie sat down with her and the other kids.  Buddy just leaned back to let his older brother answer.  Charlie didn't mind.

"Well," he said.  "There are a lot of languages.  Thousands.  And Santa can't learn all of them, so the North Pole magic gives him a helping hand because it's extremely important that he's able to speak any language a child can.  And that includes all forms of sign language.  That is a very special gift that passed on to all of the elves and Mrs. Claus.  And, as it turns out, to Buddy and me."

"Because you're Santa's kids?"  Rosita asked and Charlie shook his head.

"I don't think so exactly," he answered.  "I think it's just part of living at the North Pole.  I didn't even know I could do it until Bernard started asking me questions in Russian.  But it is more impressive that you can speak multiple languages."

"I can't speak all of them though," Rosita reminded him.  Charlie looked at Buddy to back him up and his brother did.

"Maybe not," Buddy said.  "But Charlie and I didn't have to work hard at it either and you did!  That's amazing!  And we can't really tell we're doing it because the magic isn't for us:  It's for all of you.  It's to make sure you feel heard and loved.  Because Santa loves every kid.  And, well, Charlie and I are Santa's sons so we feel the same."

Charlie nodded his agreement.  Sure, Buddy made mistakes but it was moments like this that reassured Charlie that his brother's heart was in the right place.  Rosita looked extremely proud of herself.  "Santa would be proud of me?"

"Santa is proud of you, Rosita," Charlie said, knowing full well he could speak for his dad on this one.  "And so am I.  I know how hard it is to learn a new language."

"I thought you said that you knew all of them?"  She reminded him and Charlie looked sheepish.

"Human languages," he said.  "And probably monster ones if we listened for a minute or two, but fae have many different languages and we aren't gifted with that.  So, one of the elves, Judy, decided that she should teach me Elvish since Bernard and Quintin won't learn to write in it."

"Why not?"  Rosita asked.  "Wait, you said they were elves!"

"They were raised by a different Santa," he explained.  "So, they learned in Latin instead of Elvish.  They're just not interested in learning it.  But they're supportive of me learning it."

"Even though you're not an elf?"  One of the kids asked.

"Close enough," Buddy said cheerfully.  At Charlie's look, he shrugged.  "Well, the North Pole elves aren't here to say it, so someone had to."

"The point is, it's really hard to learn more than one language and it's amazing you speak two," he said.  "And just remember that Santa's biggest concern is that all of you are happy at Christmas, alright?"

"Okay!"  The horde of children answered and Charlie beamed at all of them.  Buddy motioned he had it from there and Charlie slipped away quietly.

***

"Charlie?"  Big Bird asked as Charlie was working under the sleigh.  Maria and Luis were working on the replacement parts for him nearby.

"Yeah, Big Bird?  What did you need?"  He asked.

"Santa has a really big tummy, right?"

"Right," Charlie said, ignoring the protests in his head he could practically hear from his dad.

"And chimneys are really skinny.  Like really, really skinny."

"True."

"So how does big old Santa Claus get down the skinny chimneys?"  Big Bird asked.  Maria looked over.

"Big Bird..." she warned.  Big Bird looked at her.

"He'd know!"  Big Bird protested.  Charlie pulled himself out and up.

"I think maybe I'm walking in on something?"  He asked.  "What's going on?"

"Last time Big Bird wanted to know it was because Oscar convinced him that Santa wouldn't deliver presents if the kids couldn't figure out how he got down the chimney," she answered.  "Which led to Big Bird sitting on the roof, in the snow, trying to find out."

Charlie felt a surge of anger at that.  "And someone talked to Oscar about it?"

"I did," Maria said, her tone matching his feelings and he relaxed.  It was handled.  "But we don't want him to do it again."

Charlie nodded.  "I'm going to assume that you were told exactly why you shouldn't do that and I know how cold a roof on Christmas Eve can be so I also know you hopefully learned that getting that cold wasn't worth it."

"Why were you on the roof?"  Big Bird asked.  Charlie smoothly went to censor it, not wanting to explain that his mom had thought his dad had lost it leading to visitation being taken away and the kidnapping situation and needing to break Santa out of jail. 

"I was delivering toys with my dad and there was a little problem that happened which meant he couldn't get back to the roof for a while.  Fortunately, the elves knew where I was and made sure I got down and inside a building for a bit," he answered, not mentioning that that building was a police station.  Bernard had mentioned more than once that his ability to leave out specific details was why his sister had thought it would be easy to tell her fiancee about the North Pole and stop that.  Charlie had argued that that was one small issue they'd had and it worked out for everyone besides that.  This was why he still did it even if Bernard still pushed back and had dragged in Judy to help him lecture.

"That was nice of them!"  Big Bird said cheerfully and Charlie nodded.  "So if I promise not to do it again will you tell me?"

"That depends on what Maria and Luis say," Charlie answered.  "I don't want to go against the grown-ups you're used to."

"I think it’s fine," Luis answered and Maria sighed.

"Alright," she said reluctantly.  Charlie nodded.

"So, remember how there's a lot of magic with Christmas?  This is more magic than science.  When Santa moves over the chimney, the magic... umm...  hold on," Charlie said and grabbed a funnel and some water.  "So, you see how the top of the funnel is round and pretty big and then it moves down to a small point?  The magic does the same with Santa by making him super thin.  Pretend like Santa is the water.  Will the cup of water fit?"

"Nope!  It's too big!"  Big Bird answered and Charlie nodded.

"But if I pour the water in, then it's easy to fit," he answered and grabbed another glass, putting it under the funnel.  "So, Santa gets to the edge of the chimney, the magic makes him thinner like this, and then when he is out of the chimney, he's the same size he normally is again.  It works the same way coming up."

"Are you sure?"  Big Bird asked and Charlie grinned at him.

"I've gone with him several times.  Trust me, that's how it works," he promised. 

"What if the reindeer wanted to go with him?"  Big Bird asked.

"Well, the same thing would happen with them," he answered.  "But usually they stay on the roof because as you can see, reindeer aren't small."

"They're pretty big for a room," Big Bird agreed.  "And there are eight of them.  The Count counted them this morning.  Three times."

"This is why we can never tell if a thunder storm is coming," Luis muttered and Charlie noted that he had heard and seen the thunder and lightning that morning.  Three times, come to think of it.  It was a good thing to keep in mind.

"How does the Easter Bunny do it?"  Big Bird asked and Charlie rocked on his heels.

"He explained it to me once, but he also asked that I don't tell anyone and I don't want to lose out on my Easter chocolate this year, so I can't tell you," he said with a grin.  "I can tell you that I personally know the Easter Bunny.  My dad is friends with him and Bernard is pretty much his uncle.  And you don't need to know how it happens in order to get the Easter basket."

"Is he nice?"

"Oh yeah," Charlie said.  "All of the Legendary Figures are.  Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Father Time...  Cupid is a little grumpy at times, but he's still a good guy.  And Jack is a lot better since Lucy started working with him.  He's pretty much part of the North Pole now.  And Mother Nature is a close family friend since she’s been around since the first Santa."

"Wow!  You know all of them!"  Big Bird said and Charlie nodded.  "I'm going to go tell Snuffy!"

"Okay, have fun!"  Charlie said before turning back to face Luis and Maria.  "I'm going to guess you have questions."

"You were a little cagey on Santa having an accident," Luis informed him and Charlie made sure none of the kids would hear.

"That's because he didn't get back up again.  He Left," Charlie answered.  "And no, it's different from dying, I guess. Bernard tried to explain it to me when my mom and step-dad were getting old.  But Santas change out either by accident or design.  Design just means that they choose to move on.  I don't know what that looks like.  Accident is, say, falling off a roof and disappearing when the humans' back is turned."

"And you aren't worried about your dad?"  Maria asked.  Charlie sighed slightly.

"Not really," he admitted.  "We came up with a lot of ways to keep him safe.  It's okay.  Every job has risks, but Santas tend to do the job for decades.  If it was more of a risk to them, we'd have gone through a lot more Santas."

Maria nodded.  "And the roof thing?"

"That's... okay, listen.  It's about to sound really bad but you need to know that everyone is past it at this point, okay?  Mom and Neil got past it in less than a year," he admitted.  "I was on the roof because Dad had lost visitation.  The whole Santa thing sounded crazy to Mom and Neil so they took away visitation from Dad.  Dad really wanted to spend time with me and Bernard, well, he didn't really know what was going on and didn't ask enough questions.  So, when I begged them on Thanksgiving, the two took me with them to the North Pole.  For a month."

"They what?!"  Both of the adults asked and Charlie motioned for them to keep their voices down.

"Yeah, I know.  Bad choices.  Bernard said Mother Nature basically let him have it.  She's not in charge of him or anything, but she's kind of this weird mix of their aunt and former social worker and she was the original Santa's best friend so she came in swinging.  But anyway, I went with Dad when he made his rounds that Christmas Eve, but he got himself arrested and no one knew where I was at first.  Or rather the humans didn't know and the elves didn't know that Dad had been arrested.  Fortunately, when he didn't respond, Judy let Bernard and Quintin know, Bernard sent out the E.L.F.S., they got me off the roof and the... uh... 'inside' I mentioned was the police department where we sort of broke Dad out of jail," he finished.  "You asked."

"And your mom and step-dad just accepted this?"  Maria demanded.

"Sort of," he said.  "Dad didn't let me come with a second time and reminded me that I needed to spend time with Mom and Neil too.  Mom was touched by it and the belief set it so she was able to see Dad for who he was.  She got rid of the court documents and told him to visit when he wanted.  Neil took a bit longer, but he got there.  Neil had a slight breakdown and just accepted all of it.  Mom took longer to accept everything, but she was willing to try and the elves were willing to work with her.  Two years later, Lucy was born and Dad became 'Uncle Scott' for her.  Another eight years later and Buddy was born and referred to Mom and Neil as 'Aunt Laura and Uncle Neil' so I think we made it work."

"You have an interesting life," Luis informed him and Charlie just laughed.

"Look who's talking," he answered.  "I think we've almost got this, but I'm going to go take a break."

The other two waved him off and Charlie headed off to relax.

***

He probably shouldn't have been surprised when a shadow crossed over him.  He opened his eyes from where he was lying on the ground and looked up to see Gabi standing there.  Miles wasn't too far off, but apparently whatever was bothering Gabi wasn't bothering him that much.  Lucy looked up from her book as well.  Considering that the reindeer were perfectly fine, she had decided to stick around until her brothers were able to leave and enjoy the mini-vacation.  Like her elder brother, she was able to tell when things were a little tense however.

"Gabi, right?"  Charlie asked with a gentle smile.  Gabi nodded.

"Yeah," she answered.  "I was hoping you could help me with something."

"What's up?"  Charlie asked, sitting up. 

"Your brother, Buddy, he was using magic to entertain the kids," she said and Charlie sighed.

"Is that not allowed here?  He's starting to get the hang of it, so he shows off sometimes.  I can get him to stop," he offered. 

"Oh, no, it's not that," she said.  "Mumford uses magic all of the time and he doesn't have the handle on it that Buddy does.  It's just that I haven't seen you or Lucy use it."

"Ah," Charlie said.  "Well, that's because we can't.  Lucy doesn't have any magic other than the ability to See.  It's why she can't just translate languages and she ages...  She's almost completely a normal human who is just part of a large secret."

"And you?"  She asked.  He was sort of hoping she wouldn't notice that he'd left himself out of it, but he guessed she had a reason for asking.

"I'm a little more complicated," he admitted.  "I have magic in that it's part of me, but I can't actively use it.  I can See, I don't age, I can do the language thing, but that's the magic itself.  I don't have anything to do with it.  The elves just sort of treat it the same way all of you do with Linda:  There are many things she can do, here's how we can help her with things she can't do, and you just accommodate her.  But it can get hard feeling it and not being able to use it."

"I was born on Sesame Street.  All of my parents are Protectors," she explained.  "They were gifted magic to protect the Street and keep it safe for everyone.  Six parents, Charlie, and every one of them can do something."

"But you can't," he said with a nod.  "It's hard when the magic skips you."

He could hear Miles muttering that it didn't bother him, but Lucy was already handling it by explaining that Miles and Lucy couldn't understand how their sibling felt because they weren't part of the magic that they couldn't use.  She just nodded.  "Do you ever get jealous?"

"Of course," he said.  "Bernard is basically my older brother and is the strongest elf I know about when it comes to magic.  He can even teleport.  And I can't even do small things.  Carol can tell where every elf is and sense if the younger elves are upset.  Dad can go down chimneys, he can know the name of a child if he meets them.  Buddy can do various magic tricks that elves tend to be able to do.  So, that gets difficult.  But, Buddy isn't the one that the elves add a 'close enough' to when they're reminded we're not elves.  I think Jack just decided I'm my own sort of fae at this point.  And you're part of the Street Magic.  It's just... in you.  Even if you can't use it, I think."

"I think so too," she agreed.  "I've just never met someone else who understands."

"Why aren't you a protector?"  He asked.  "You're old enough to be one, right?"

"Because Miles and I wanted to leave and explore," she said.  "I can still feel it, but there's enough Protectors on the Street right now.  What about you?"

"The North Pole is my home," he said.  "It's the place where I feel right.  I tried to live normally, but it didn't feel right like it should."

"Huh," she said.  "So you're kind of like a protector up there?"

"Nah," he said.  "We don't have that because... we have other things that Mr. Hooper doesn't like me to talk about.  Dangerous, but it gets the job done.  I'm just your normal, everyday researcher and builder.  Not even the head of the department."

"Do you want to be the head of your department?"

"No.  Because that would mean that something bad happened to Quintin and Peter.  And Quintin is my mentor and Peter's my friend," he answered.  "I'm happy just doing the work."

"What sort of stuff is it?"

"Oh, working on the sleigh and smaller sleds, creating new ideas for toys, fixing machinery that gets broken, creating new machinery to help out, building walls in case it explodes..." he said easily.  She actually laughed at the last one like he'd intended.  "Sometimes, it gets a little wild."

"Well, you said things exploded," she teased.

"We have safety measures in place," he assured her.  "Otherwise, Bernard would have had an actual panic attack when I was helping out at seven."

"Have you ever used magic by accident?  Even if you can't control it?"  She asked.

"Nope," he answered.  "That's... more up Buddy's alley, actually.  He has magic, he accidentally used it, things happened.  I take it, you have?"

"I slowed down Miles from growing so we'd be the same age," she said.  "But I was a baby so I don't remember doing it and I haven't been able to do anything like that on purpose."

Charlie considered it.  "Sounds to me like the magic wanted to do it anyway and had a handy conduit.  I mean, I'm just guessing though."

"You're probably right," she admitted.  "Thanks."

"Hey, trust me, I know it can be hard sometimes," he assured her.  "We're essentially magical mascots."

She giggled.  "That's probably not wrong.  "It's a shame you three have to head back soon."

"Well," Charlie said.  "We need to make sure the reindeer get back.  And the sleigh.  That doesn't mean we can't visit."

"Really?"  She asked.  "We're just visiting our parents, but is there a way we can meet up?"

Charlie just got an amused look on his face.  "There is."

"How?"

"How do you let Santa know what you want for Christmas?"  He asked.  She looked at him.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not.  Maybe later we can work on a special mail box like we have for Lucy, but starting out?  Just do what you did when you were seven," he suggested.  "Someone will get it to me or Buddy."

"That doesn't give you the same option," she reminded him.

"For now, I'll borrow one of the reindeer and just drop in.  Someone will know how to reach you here," he assured her.  "Put Santa's name on the envelope.  You can write 'Dear Charlie' but only Santa really has the North Pole Address."

"Got it," she agreed.  "Thanks."

"Anytime."

***

He was nearly done when Maria and Luis both jumped.  Charlie looked over to see Bernard sitting on the ground, holding his head slightly.  He moved away from the sleigh and helped the elf to his feet.  "What happened?"

"I think I spooked the magic," he admitted.  "It wasn't expecting me to teleport in and I wasn't expecting anything to keep me out."

"Are you okay?"  Charlie asked and Bernard brushed him off.

"I'm over a thousand years old, Charlie, I know how to handle magic that's angry at me," he told him and Charlie rolled his eyes.  "So, Lucy didn't make it sound like it was going to take you this... hello."

"Oh right.  Bernard, meet Luis and Maria.  They're Sesame Street's Protectors," he said.  Bernard just looked at him.  "Good news!  Buddy crashed where there's a ton of magic floating around.  There's an 8' bird, by the way.  Don't freak out."

"See, this is why we shouldn't have told you my initial reaction to the Easter Bunny," Bernard said.  He looked at the two humans.  "Nice to meet you.  Is the sleigh almost fixed?"

"Charlie says it's about ready," Maria answered.  "You're the one that made the... uh... Contract?"

"Agreement.  I have the feeling the word you're looking for is 'Agreement'," Bernard said.  "And Santa and I made the first one, yeah."

Charlie quickly pushed the conversation into another direction.  "I thought you were dumping all of this in my lap."

"I was.  But it's taking a while," he said.  "I thought you'd do a patch job."

"And risk further damage to the sleigh?"  Charlie asked.  "What do you take me for?  An amateur?  I'm telling Quintin you have no faith in his department."

"Charlie..." he said.  "Did you at least yell at Buddy for it?"

"No, I let Lucy do it," he said.  "She's way better at it than I am."

"She is.  It would be nice if you learned how too," Bernard told him.  "I'm going to go round up your brother and the reindeer.  Get it finished, Charlie.  I've been having to distract your dad."

"I'm on it," he said.  "You could have finished it faster if you would have just come here."

"Unlike you, I'm willing to let Buddy learn from his mistakes or at least deal with the consequences," he said.  Charlie took the rebuke because he probably did deserve it for bailing his brother out too often.  He waited until Bernard had headed off before heading over and ordering a large sandwich from Alan.  That would hopefully help with the elf's attitude.

"He doesn't seem very jolly for an elf," Luis informed Charlie.

"He's the Head Elf.  He has to be in charge and that means dealing with everyone there.  He's kind of our version of Mr. Hooper," Charlie told him.  "Because Dad's not mature enough to be."

"Isn’t your Dad actually Santa Claus?"  Maria asked.

"So you know I'm right," he said with a grin.  "But Bernard’ll be back, I'll give him the sandwich, and hopefully he'll be happier about everything for a bit."

Buddy was following Bernard back and Charlie could see that his brother was trying to argue his way out of it which Bernard was listening about as well as he had with their dad's protest when he'd first reached the North Pole.  "Elmo thinks Buddy is in trouble."

"Elmo is right," Charlie said, not even startled that the monster had arrived next to him.  "Buddy really shouldn't have borrowed the sleigh without asking."

He didn't miss that Big Bird had joined him along with Snuffy.  Big Bird looked at Charlie.  "Are you in trouble too?"

"Nope," Charlie said.  "I left a note."

Bernard noticed the assortment of non-human children and gave them an amused smile, cutting off Buddy.  He reached into his pocket, where Charlie knew for a fact he was using magic and pulled out a bag.  "Hello, Big Bird.  Judy told me to give these to you and Abby said to let me know if something needs changed."

"Oh wow!  Birdseed cookies!  From the North Pole!"  Big Bird said excitedly.  Bernard looked at Snuffy in amusement.

"I can't just carry about Snuffleupagus sized cookies, but we'll make sure to get some to your cave later this week.  Share with Alice," Bernard said sternly.  Snuffy nodded.

"I will!  What kind are they?"  He asked.

"Cabbage.  What else?"  He teased, keeping his balance as the ground shook a bit from the excited Snuffleupagus. Once Snuffy had calmed down, Bernard looked over at Elmo.  "And here's a bag for you monsters.  Make sure to share, Elmo."

"Elmo will!  Uh, Mr. Bernard?  What about Cookie Monster?"  He asked, looking a little nervous.

"I'll hand his off personally.  I know he tries, but Santa says he sometimes has trouble sharing cookies," Bernard assured him.  "We're going to be..."

He paused in his sentence and looked over as Mr. Hooper handed him a sandwich and motioned to Charlie.  "He said you might need this, Bernard."

Bernard smiled softly.  "Thanks, Harold.  And thanks, Sport, you're probably right."

Charlie grinned at him and then looked at the two with interest, but Maria got there before he could.  "You two know each other?"

"Sesame Street is a very special street," Bernard answered.  "When it was first set up, the Santa at the time asked me to come check it out.  So, I teleported over.  It ended up startling everyone, but we were able to talk for a bit.  This was when there were only four Protectors."

"Mr. MacIntosh, Willy, the Count, and myself," Mr. Hooper explained.  "We were startled to meet an actual elf and to learn about Santa."

"Most adults are," Bernard agreed, though he couldn't resist a little needling.  "Most adults also weren't hanging around the Count and monsters though."

Mr. Hooper snorted.  "Some things are easier to believe than others."

"Apparently," Bernard said dryly.  "It's good to see you again, Harold."

"So, do you know what toys we all had growing up?"  Maria asked and Bernard gave her a beleaguered look.

"I'm an elf.  That's Santa's job.  He looks over the list, he knows which toy goes to which child, we make the toys," he said.  "We don't deliver the toys.  That's not our job.  You didn't bother walking them through that, Charlie?"

"I was a little busy with the sleigh, the kids, and it never came up," he answered.  "Alright.  I think that's everything.  Quintin and I will probably need to change some more of it when we get back, but it should get back.  See?  You didn't need to come."

Bernard gave him a look that told him he wasn't going to say it, but he had been worried.  Charlie didn't need him to say it.  He could tell.  "I'm going to go deliver Cookie Monster's cookies.  It's time to get back."

Charlie nodded as Bernard and Mr. Hooper headed off and Charlie didn't miss that they were talking.  He looked at the other two.  "Well, they're two peas in a pod.  So, thanks for helping with the sleigh."

"Are you kidding?"  Maria asked.  "We'd do it again in a heartbeat!"

He laughed.  "Yeah, I can see that."

"Besides, we don't get a lot of sleighs on Sesame Street," Luis said.  "Even less in Mexico."

"And Puerto Rico," Maria agreed.  Charlie grinned.

"Well, there's one there every year," he teased.  He shook each of their hands and headed off to make his good-byes.

***

Lucy was the first by the sleigh and Charlie looked at her in surprise.  "You can at least drop me off.  You don't expect me to ride Chet back?"

"Of course not," he assured her.  "I thought Bernard was going to drop you off."

"He asked since it was apparently very nice of me to come save you two, but I thought it might be nice to spend a little more time with you and Buddy," she told him.  He just grinned at her.

"More the merrier.  I'm driving," he said.

"Well you better," she scolded.  "I don't know how to drive a sleigh and I think we proved Buddy doesn't."

"Haha, you're not funny," Buddy said heading over to the group.  "I'm going to kind of miss it here."

"Then actually figure out which job you're good at, work it, and come here on vacation," Charlie teased.  That said, he was highly considering doing the same.  It was nice here and it would be fun to explore when they didn't have a minor emergency going on.  He wasn't surprised to see the group starting to line up as they stood there.  Some of them, like Bert and Ernie or Oscar, they hadn't talked to as much.  Others, mostly the child monsters and some of the humans, were a different story.  He didn't miss that Bernard was calmly talking with Mr. Hooper, Mr. Macintosh, and Willy.  He leaned back against the sleigh.  "So, I think it's time for us to head back."

He wasn't surprised that the children were protesting even if the adults were understanding about it.  Children had a harder time of understanding that eventually, visits had to end.  He knew that he had as a kid.  The three siblings had quietly given most of their good-byes to the adults earlier.  Gabi and Charlie shared a look to start writing to each other as they'd discussed.  It would be good for her while Lucy and Miles nodded to each other.  He was guessing they'd set up something as well.  Many of the children had swarmed Buddy in slight protest.  That left the monsters, Big Bird, and Snuffy.

"Charlie?"  Snuffy asked and Charlie didn't mind starting with him.  "Are there any Snuffleupagus at the North Pole?"

"Not that I've ever met, but I'll keep a look out.  And hey!  You ever hear from any, tell them to come visit, okay?  We're still not built for the snow," he said.  "No fur."

"Oh I will!"  Snuffy said earnestly.  Charlie just beamed at him.

"Great!"  He said.  He wasn't sure exactly how far Santa had spread among the community, but if they believed, he was pretty sure that his dad delivered to them.  He was guessing that part of the issue was that on Sesame Street, they all lived together with humans and there were likely other streets in the world that did the same, but other communities wouldn't necessarily be the same.  He vaguely wondered if as communication spread more quickly, if his dad would be tasked more and more with getting them presents.  He also wondered if that would change the Agreement at all.  He paused and considered the wording that Bernard had taught him.  No, they wouldn't need to change it.  They never specified human children when it was created.

He turned to the next child he needed to speak to.  "Hey Rosita, keep working on your languages, okay?"

"Okay, Charlie!  One day, maybe you can teach me Elvish!"  She suggested and he smiled back at her.

"I would love to teach you Elvish," he assured her.  "But I think I have a long way to go, so it might be a while."

"I'm going to work to learn many languages!"  She said and then paused.  "Not as many as you."

"The magic cheats for me," he reminded her.  "And Buddy.  Not Lucy though.  She had to learn hers."

"Unfortunately, I'm not the best at it," she admitted.  "But I try."

"Like I told Rosita, it's more impressive because you have to work at it," Charlie assured his sister and Buddy nodded his agreement.  "Ours is for the kids, not for us."

Rosita looked at Lucy.  "I can help teach you!  If you come back."

"Well, I already need to work with Gina to help her, so I'll probably take you up on that," she assured her.  "I just need to plan it because I'll need to borrow a reindeer if I want to get her in a timely fashion."

"You don't have your own?"  Rosita asked.

"Even Charlie and Buddy don't," she said. 

"I have Comet," Charlie said and she gave him a look.

"No, Charlie," she said and he didn't bother to protest a second time.  He was Comet's favorite, followed very closely by his Dad, and he knew it.  "I'll see you soon, Rosita."

Charlie turned to Herry.  "Remember, trying to be good is just as important as being good.  Maybe even more so because it's so much harder for you.  Dad knows you're trying and you're a good monster, Herry."

"Thanks, Charlie.  I'll try really hard to be more careful," he offered and Charlie nodded.

"That's all we're asking," he said and then grinned.  "Maybe, when they're not working, ask Maria and Luis to help you learn their craft.  I know that building teaches me to be more in the moment and thinking about what I'm doing.  Plus, you might be able to learn how to fix what you break.  But only on their schedule, okay?"

"Okay!"  He said and Charlie met the adult humans' eyes who assured him they'd take care of it.  Charlie was pretty sure this was why elves got more active powers when they were a bit older.  It was a shame it was a bit harder for monster children.  He moved over to Grover.

"So, when I get back, is there anything you need me to tell Dad?"  He asked.

"No," Grover assured him.  Charlie started to move on, but Grover paused.  "Wait!  There is one thing."

"What's that?"

"Can you let him know that this loveable, friendly monster is happy he has two wonderful, nice kids we got to meet?"  He asked and Charlie nodded.

"I think I can do that," he assured him.  "And I know Dad.  He has to love coming here."

He probably just hated it was at night when he couldn't interact with them.  Charlie noted that he should see if his dad and Carol could take a vacation here at some point.  They'd probably get a kick out of it.  Grover just vibrated with delight at that thought as Charlie turned to Cookie Monster.

"Did Bernard get you your cookies?"  He asked.

"Me got cookies," Cookie Monster assured him.  "But then, me ate them."

"Well, as long as they were good," he said with a laugh.  "And don't worry, I'll make sure to put in that request."

"Thank you, Charlie.  Me will still try writing.  And try to not eat pencil," he said and Charlie nodded.

"Just don't stress it," Charlie promised.  "And I'll slip in a couple from me, okay?"

"Charlie, you are me best friend right now," Cookie Monster told him and Charlie just laughed.

"See you soon," he said and focused on Elmo.

"Charlie?  Since Elmo is red like Santa, do you think Santa would mind if Elmo got a Santa hat?"  He asked and Charlie shook his head.

"I'm sure he'd love it," he answered.  "And I'm sure he's amused that you both match."

“Really?"

"I can pretty much guarantee it," Charlie assured him and he knew that the minute he told his dad, Santa would absolutely get a kick out of it.  Elmo immediately started talking with the other kids about it so Charlie turned his attention to Big Bird.

"Do you really have to leave?"  Big Bird asked.  Charlie had guessed, and was right, that this would be the hardest one.  This was a bird who understood saying good-bye on a fundamental level, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"We have to get the reindeer back," he said.  "And I have to get back to work helping Quintin.  Lucy has to make sure that the pets in the city she lives in are healthy.  Buddy has to, uh, tell stories to the elf kids we have up there."

It worked well enough as a reason.  Buddy was good with the elf kids.  His brother just nodded while side-eyeing Charlie for pausing.  Charlie felt if he didn't want him to, he needed to actually figure out the job he wanted.  Still Big Bird didn't exactly perk up.

"But I like having you here," he said.  Charlie nodded.

"I understand," he assured him.  "I hated when my dad had to leave too.  But then you can look forward to us coming back!"

"Really?"  Big Bird asked excitedly.  "Soon?"

"Hopefully," Charlie said.  "But not with all of the reindeer or the sleigh unless it's Christmas, Buddy."

Buddy gave him another scathing look, but Lucy easily countered it with her own.  Big Bird sighed.  "Okay."

"And maybe next time we can convince a couple of the elves to come with," he said.  "I'd say Jack Frost, but I don't know if Jack is allowed on Sesame Street."

"We'll check in about it," Lucy agreed.  "And I'll have words with him to start with."

Charlie nodded, knowing that the sprite would be on his best behavior if he did come.  "Thanks for all of the help!  We appreciate it!"

The rest of the street gave their good-byes as the three siblings climbed up into the sleigh.  Bernard had already headed back to the North Pole, fortunately taking Chet with him.  Buddy reached for the reins but Lucy stopped him.  "Charlie is driving, Buddy."

"But..."

"Charlie, how many sleighs have you crashed?"

"Zero," Charlie answered, trying not to sound smug.

"And how many have you crashed, Buddy?"

"Fine."

"Let's get going," Charlie answered.  "We still need to stop by Chicago on the way back and you both know Lily is going to want to pet all of the deer.  The kids watching, Luce?"

"They're watching.  Get to the sides of the street, everyone!  We're going to need a running start!" Buddy answered for her as Lucy nodded.  "Why?"

"If they're watching, you have to put on a show," Charlie murmured.  Lucy groaned.

"Really?"  She demanded.  Charlie snorted and sat up straight.

"On Dasher, on Dancer!"  He called out and didn't miss that the kids' eyes lit up.  He wasn’t surprised that several of the adults’ looked equally delighted and that Bob was signing for Linda.  Lucy sighed, but continued it as the kids yelled the names with her.

"On Prancer, on Vixen!"  She said though she still looked beleaguered.  Buddy laughed.

"On Comet, on Cupid!"  He continued and all three called it out with the kids.

"On Donner and Blitzen!"

The reindeer ran down the street before taking to the sky.  There were excited gasps and chatter from below as they waved down, Charlie biting back wishing them a Merry Christmas considering it wasn't anywhere near Christmas.  He looked at his siblings.

"We'll get you home soon, Lucy," he assured her.  "You know you're totally grounded when we get home, right, Buddy?"

"I'm in my fifties!"

"I promise you that Dad and Carol do not care right now," Charlie told him and Buddy sulked. 

"I want to go back to Sesame Street."