Believe (10 page)

****

We buy way too many gifts. The cart becomes increasingly full as we meander through the toy aisles of the local Target store. I keep thinking about the smile Nick gave me in the truck. Despite the headshake, which I took to mean he still couldn't risk believing me, that smile gave me the feeling that something had altered.

As Nick compares different styles of baby dolls, the realization hits me that everything has changed for me. Convincing Nick to accept his role isn't just about avoiding the wrath of the elf elders and my parents. Now I want him to accept his role so that he'll be with me. My heart beats out a nervous rhythm. I don't know how to tell Nick how I feel. Heck, I can barely admit it to myself.

“Which one do you think she'd like?” Nick asks, holding up two dolls for me to inspect.

I pick the one that seems the most girly. Something about the things Merry has told me makes me want her to have gifts that are entirely too frivolous for her normal life. That's what believing in the magic of Christmas is all about. Not frivolity, of course, but the belief that Christmas can transform reality into magic. At least for a little while.

Nick pulls out his wallet as we approach the cash register. I blush and fumble for my money. He just shakes his head and gives me his brightest smile. My knees wobble. All the blood in my body rushes to my head making me hot and dizzy. I haven't seen that smile in quite awhile. Bracing myself on the checkout counter, I try to slow my breathing. Lord, what that smile does to me.

“She's going to love this stuff,” Nick says as we push the cart toward the entrance.

We stop to zip our coats. “Yeah, she will,” I agree. “She's such a special kid. I just want to fix things for her, you know?”

“I do,” Nick says. “Not that toys will fix her life, but at least it will give her a break from reality.”

The automatic doors open, and a burst of snowy wind swirls around us. Nick grabs our bags with one hand and then reaches for me with the other. Without questioning the gesture, I reach for him. Our gloved fingers mesh together. Nothing has ever felt more natural or more right. We belong together no matter how we were introduced or what our parents have dictated for us. I'm in love with him, and I'm beginning to suspect that he feels the same way.

We bow our heads against the wind and rush toward the truck. Just as we reach the passenger side, we are startled by a diminutive figure standing in our path.

“Halt!”

 

Elwyn steps nearer, and I huddle closer to Nick.

“Who is this guy?” Nick asks.

“Silence,” Elwyn commands. “You have taken too long, Virginia. Things are about to come to fruition that I had hoped you would not have to be party to.”

I stare at Elwyn, trying to make sense of his words. Something about the way he talks tells me he isn't threatening me. Rather it almost sounds like he's trying to protect me. Before I can respond, though, a flash of bright white light accompanied by a thunderous reverberation knocks us all back against the truck.

Before my eyes adjust to the throbbing orbs left by the light flash, I know my father has arrived. Only he would travel by magic from one realm to another. Time traveling always makes for something akin to a sonic boom. When I can finally see again, I notice my father dressed in full Santa costume, complete with fur-trimmed cape.

“Virginia, get away from that boy,” my father says, his face twisted with fury. He spits the words at me like they're dirty. “He has been a waste of our time.”

Nick tightens his grip. I didn't realize we were still holding hands. “No,” I say, my voice firmer than it has ever been against my father. “I-I love him.”

Nick, Elwyn, and my father turn to me with varying degrees of surprise. Elwyn looks pleasantly surprised, the corners of his mouth curling upward. My father looks more angry than surprised. Furious, actually. I can't bring myself to look at Nick after my initial glance in his direction. Whatever his expression reveals will have to wait for later when we can be alone.

Snow swirls around us, blocking my view of my father. But then I hear him say, “Why you…”

“Don't touch him.”

The voice seems to emerge from the wind, dripping with ice. For a moment the snow thickens, then suddenly clears as the King of Winter emerges from the darkness. Beside me, Nick tenses. I watch curiously as the King moves closer to my father. The two men stare at one another, moving in slow circles.

“What's going on?” Nick asks, the whisper of his warm breath against my ear sending delicious shivers along my spine.

My mouth and throat go dry, making my voice scratchy as I say, “I don't know. Something bad, though.”

The King raises a hand, and in a rush of wind and snow, he knocks my father backward. The snow continues to whirl in an icy tornado, hovering near my father as he struggles to get up. Being rotund is not an asset to him now.

When my father does get to his feet, he manages to sidestep the snownado and advances on me. Nick tries to maneuver me away, but my father grabs my elbow, roughly pulling me away. His grip tightens as he yanks me further away from Nick. I'm actually surprised at how strong my father is. His fingers bite through my coat and I wince.

“Let go of me!” I shout, struggling out of his grasp.

“You don't know what's good for you, you stupid girl,” my father says, glaring at me.

An image of my mother flashes through my head. Something tells me she doesn't know my father is here. She'd said he was sick. I know she loves him despite the way he treats the rest of the world. And no matter what, I don't want him to keel over here in front of the King of winter.

“Father, let's go back to Gran's. Maybe we can talk this through calmly. Besides,” I say, lowering my voice to a soothing tone, “you don't have any magic. The King will win.”

My father's eyes narrow and I know I've said the wrong thing. I take a step back. “The King,” my father says with a nasty laugh, “won't win. This time I will beat my brother.”

“Your brother?” Nick and I chorus. Then I add, “Ew, if the King is your brother that makes Nick my cousin.”

My father waves off my words with his hand. “The King is my foster brother. You are not related to Nick in any way.”

“None of this makes any sense,” Nick says. I hear the helplessness in his voice that he is trying to cover with a hard-edged tone.

Elwyn steps forward. “Perhaps I can explain,” he begins. “The former king and queen of winter chose to send their son to foster care, much as the current king and queen chose to foster you, young Nick. The purpose was the same: to keep you safe from forces outside their control.”

“He was always so special,” my father says, his lips curled up in a derisive snarl. “Always the center of attention. And when his magic activated…well, he was even more important.”

“You're jealous.” The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them. I expect more anger, but my father laughs.

“More than jealous,” he admits. “So when I saw your mother and found out what she was looking for, I made sure I was perfect.”

I shake my head. “Do you even love her?” I ask.

Something in my father's face softens. “I do,” he says. “But now I am sick. My magic fades even as we speak. And I won't be replaced by
him.
”

My heart speeds up. I can feel my pulse throbbing in my temples. This information is almost too much for me to wrap my head around.

“Regardless of what you want, the elf council has chosen young Nick because we feel he is the best choice. He has been since his birth,” Elwyn says, stepping toward my father.

When Elwyn comes near me like that I get nervous and back away, but my father simply glares at the elf.

Behind me Nick mutters, “This cannot be happening.”

The King has remained silent for the whole conversation. When I sneak a look at him now, he seems to be amused by this exchange. As he leans against a nearby parked car, his mouth lifts upward in a frosty grin and he cocks an eyebrow. With his arms crossed over his chest, he doesn't seem as imposing as he had standing on our front stoop. Not that he seems approachable now.

“I can't believe you would use your daughter as a pawn in your warped attempt at revenge. And for what?” The King pushes himself away from the car and strides purposefully toward my father.

“As if you haven't used your son as a pawn all these years. Hiding him away in the human world just so he could steal my position once he came of age,” my father sputters, going red in the face.

“I don't want your position,” Nick says. Part of my heart sinks. This will send us swiftly back to square one.

“You don't have a choice,” Elwyn says. Nick shoots him a look that reads to me as disgust.

“He's right, my son,” the King agrees. “The treaty is magically binding.”

“Don't call me your son,” Nick says, “and I don't even have any magic.”

Elwyn steps through the swirling snow. “Nicholas, you certainly do have magic. It just has not been released yet. Your…true parents are both magic and immortal, so naturally you inherited their traits.”

Nick sighs, pushes his knit cap off his head, and runs a hand through his hair. For a moment I'm distracted by how amazing his hair looks when it's casually mussed. My father takes the opportunity to sidle up to me and grab my arm again. I struggle ineffectively under his grip. He hisses at me through his teeth sounding exactly like an angry goose. The noise startles me enough to keep me still.

“With that boy out of the way, I can find a way to retain my title,” my father says.

The King has repositioned himself opposite my father, who thrusts me in between them. I watch as if in slow motion as the King raises his hand and commands the snow. Second by second the snow becomes thicker around me and my father, building a wall that I can't break through. Panic overwhelms me. The snow gets heavier still and I can't breathe.

“Help!” My voice rise over the sudden howl of the wind. “Nick, help me!”

I don't know if he hears me, but the minute the words leave my body I feel comforted. My father shakes me roughly, and I think I hear him cough as the snow and wind get thicker, sucking all the air out of the small space.

Suddenly a glowing silver light, almost like the shine from an intense full moon, envelopes us. The light embraces me, and instantly I know I'm safe. And yet, even as I begin to breathe normally and my pulse slows, the light draws around me, squeezing. It's the strangest feeling I've ever known.

I'm vacuumed out of the snow encasement in a heartbeat, whisked through the air, and deposited in Nick's waiting arms. He sets me gently on the ground, looking stunned.

“I did it,” he says in my ear.

“Uh-huh,” I say, snuggling closer into Nick's embrace. “What exactly did you do?”

Nick shakes his head and then rests his chin on the top of my head. “You called for me and I had to do something. So I did what my—the King was doing. I raised my hand and called for you to come to me. I have no idea why I did that. But it worked.”

“You had a reason for your magic to activate,” Elwyn says, emerging from a shadow. I really wish he would stop doing that. He continues, “Now please excuse me while I stop the foolishness.”

Holding me tighter, Nick places a kiss on the top of my head. We watch as Elwyn moves between the King and my father, chants some words we can't hear, and smirks while both men freeze.

Elwyn turns to us. “Take Virginia to her grandmother's house. I will meet you at your home so we can discuss things further,” he says.

Instead of arguing, I feel Nick nod against my hair as he releases me. We retrieve the shopping bags scattered on the ground and climb into the truck. The drive back to Gran's is odd, quiet and tense.

“Um…so, I'll wrap these gifts and have them at the community center tomorrow,” I say.

“Thanks,” Nick replies, giving me a small smile.

We pull up to Gran's house, and Nick jumps out to help me with the bags. He puts his hands around my waist as I get out, and for the first time all night, I look up into his eyes. My breath hitches as I remember my confession.

“I can't believe this is all happening,” Nick says, shaking his head.

“It's a lot,” I agree.

Nick stares into my eyes until I think I might fall into his. He drops his head to mine and places a gentle kiss on my lips.

“We'll talk more tomorrow,” he says.

I gather the bags and climb the stairs, watching from the porch as he drives away. There are so many things to think about, so many things left unsaid, but they'll all have to wait until tomorrow.

****

The next morning Gran helps me load everything into the SUV. “Have fun,” she says. I wrap my arms around her and hope that everything we talked about last night when I got home comes to fruition today.

As I drive into town, I'm struck by how peaceful everything looks under the blanket of new snow.

Pulling up to the community center, I'm struck by how odd it is that I'm back in the same place less than twenty-four hours later. My stomach feels like carnivorous butterflies have taken up residence. Nick never responded to my confession of love. Besides that there is the fact that he has discovered his magic, a detail even I didn't know until last night.

Licking my dry lips, I head through the doors. The community center is alight with sparkling strands and half a dozen Christmas trees. Already most of the families are here. I scan the room for Merry and her mom. Catching sight of her, I hurry to slip the gifts into the melee in the room.

“Virginia!” Merry runs across the room and throws her arms around me.

I laugh despite the slightly sick feeling in my stomach. “Hey, sweetie. Isn't it beautiful in here?”

“Oh, yes,” Merry says, her eyes gleaming. “Do you think Santa will be here soon?”

As if on cue, a ho-ho-ho resonates through the room. Merry squeals with delight. Seeing Nick dressed as Santa today makes my heart race. He catches my eye across the room, or at least I think he does, and he winks.

He takes the time to talk to each child, each family, before passing out gifts. When he's done, he makes a slow circuit of the room until he ends up next to me.

“I really love this, you know?” He looks around the room as kids are exclaiming to parents over gifts. “And now this is going to be my life.”

My jaw drops and my eyes fly up to meet his. I thought for sure I'd have an uphill battle on my hands today. Elwyn must have done some job.

“Does this mean…you believe?” I ask, searching his blue eyes.

Nick gives me his slow, magnetic smile. “I do,” he says. “I believe in the magic of this holiday. And I believe in us.”

My heart goes into overdrive. “So, about last night…”

“Yeah, about last night. You said some pretty big things, but I think I might have forgotten them. Would you mind repeating them?” Nick says, his smile widening.

I swat at his arm. “Oh come on,” I say, blushing. Nick just takes my hand and waits. “Fine,” I say. “I love you.”

“That's what I thought you said. So I guess it's only appropriate that I love you too,” Nick says.

“Oh,” I say, gasping. I never thought a declaration of love would literally take my breath away. I was wrong. Suddenly I'm completely winded. A giggle erupts from somewhere deep in my chest, and pretty soon the two of us are laughing hysterically. When we calm down, I ask, “So does this mean you'll, you know, be stepping into my father's position.”

Nick pulls me close to him and smiles down at me. “Why yes, Virginia, I am going to be Santa Claus.”

Just then Merry runs up to us, throwing her arms around my waist. “This is the best Christmas ever,” she says.

I couldn't agree more.