As usual this story is my property and may not be republished or redistributed without my express permission. This story is a work of fiction, any resemblance to people living or dead is a coincidence.
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Ryan loved Christmas, it was his favorite time of year. All the hustle and bustle, kids bursting with excitement and parents trying to keep up with them. That's probably why he'd worked as one of Santa's Elves since he was sixteen, and had continued doing it for the past ten years. He loved it so much that he always took his vacation in the two weeks before Christmas just so he could be an elf.
He was probably the only male elf around and his friends all gave him a hard time about it. He didn't care though, he got to work with cute girls and check out some hot moms. The only downside was the long hours, and his tights itched like crazy.
This would be his first Christmas alone since his grandmother had died. She had raised him from the time he'd been a toddler, when his parents left him at her door and took off. He didn't feel sorry for himself though, his granny had more than enough love for him.
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With Christmas eve being on a Friday the mall was absolute pandemonium with people racing around doing last minute shopping. Ryan was snapping photos like a madman he was so busy.
Near the end of the day it started to slow down a bit and Ryan was chatting with Tania and Felicia the other elves. They hadn't had any customers for a bit when Ryan saw a pretty young woman leading two boys down the main hall. The kids looked to be about eight and ten from what he could judge. The girl looked way too young to be their mom.
"Picture with Santa miss?" Ryan asked hopefully.
The girl looked at Ryan and shook her head, "No, no thanks."
Ryan had an idea and called out to her, "Last picture's on the house miss!"
Tania and Felicia looked at him and he gave them a little nod. The girl slowed and the kids looked at her hopefully.
She gave the kids a smile and looked up at Ryan, "Thanks, this means a lot to the boys."
"No problem, come on up guys! Santa needs to head back to the North Pole soon and get everything ready for tonight!"
The boys scampered over to Santa and got on his knees, both whispering their wishes in his ears. Santa ho, ho, ho'd and gave the boys a candy cane each.
"Your little brothers give you much trouble?" Ryan asked softly while they waited for the kids to finish.
The girl jumped a bit and looked surprised. "Huh? Oh no, they're my nephews."
"Giving their mom and dad a break so they can wrap presents then?" he asked.
The girl gave Ryan a sad look, "No, their parents died two years ago. They live with me now."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."
"No, it's okay. It's been tight but we manage."
Ryan got behind the camera and took a picture of the boys then told their Aunt to get in with them for a second one. "Okay every one smile!"
Ryan took their picture and the girl came up to him, "Listen..."
"Ryan," he told her.
"Ryan I can't afford to get both pictures. I'm just hoping I got them what they wanted this year."
"Look Michelle, they're on me okay? Our printer's been acting up so can you come back in about a half hour?" Ryan lied.
"How do you know my name?" she asked a bit surprised.
Ryan chuckled and touched the side of his nose as he grinned, "Christmas magic, that and I heard your nephew call you Aunt Michelle."
Michelle laughed and grinned back at Ryan, "So that's how Santa does it, spies everywhere!"
"Now you know my secret. A half hour okay?"
Michelle smiled again, "See you then Ryan."
When they left Felicia waved Ryan over, "What the heck was that about? The printer's fine."
"Well my little Elf-girl sometimes Santa works in mysterious ways. Just get everything ready okay?"
Ryan went and had a quiet talk with Santa for a few minutes.
"Hey girls cover for me. I have a few things I need to pick up before everything shuts down." Ryan called out as he bolted away.
Twenty minutes later he got back with several shopping bags and tucked them under the counter.
"So what's this all about Ryan?" Tania asked with a smirk.
"I'm just making sure that Santa doesn't miss anyone," Ryan said with a slight blush.
Felicia giggled, "Let me guess, that pretty girl with the two boys?"
"Yeah, call me a sap but I just can't see kids disappointed at Christmas."
Tania patted Ryan's cheek and laughed, "God you are such a sweetie Ryan! If I didn't already have a boyfriend I'd snap you up!"
"Tell me about it," Felicia said. "My boyfriend's great but I don't think he'd do something like that for a total stranger."
Ryan's ears burned as he blushed deeply, "My grandmother always told me that Christmas was more about giving joy and sharing with others. We always had an extra body or two at the table on Christmas day."
A few minutes later Michelle and her nephews showed up. "Hi Ryan. Thanks for everything, I really appreciate what you've done for the boys today."
"Don't worry about it Michelle, it was my pleasure." Ryan said as he handed Michelle her photos.
"Thanks again," Michelle said with a smile as she turned and left with the boys.
Ryan watched them walk away and hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should do what he was thinking about.
"Hey Michelle hold on a sec," he called after her. Ryan quickly wrote his address and phone number on a card and ran over to her.
Michelle turned and waited for Ryan to catch up to her. "Yes Ryan?"
"Listen, I don't want you to think I'm some sort of weird psycho stalker, but I have a turkey and home made pies that my grandmother made before she died last month. There's no way I could eat all that food by myself. Here's my address and phone number, the food's getting cooked no matter what, but I'd really like some company if you're interested."
Michelle's brow furrowed, "I don't want your charity or guilty sympathy. The boys and I will be fine."
"No, it's nothing like that. It's just, well I don't have any family close by and Christmas was always a big deal for my grandmother and I. We always had a few friends over, but this is my first year without her. Tell you what, just call and let me know either way. If you decide to come you can bring mashed potatoes, or even just make them up when you come over. Mine are always lumpy." Ryan said with a shy smile.
Michelle smiled back and said, "I'll call you later Ryan, and thanks."
---
"Aunt Michelle? Are we going to go to Ryan's for dinner tomorrow?" her younger nephew Patrick asked.
Michelle smiled at him, "Maybe sweetie. We don't really know him, but it was very kind of him to offer."
"Well it would be way better than fried bologna and Mac and Cheese." snorted his older brother Andrew.
Michelle smiled sadly at Andrew, "I'm sorry buddy but we had to be a little tighter so I could get you some gifts. Maybe next year it will be better okay?"
"I know Aunt Michelle, it's just that...I wish, well..." Andrew said as he started to cry.
"I do too honey," Michelle said as she hugged both boys close. "I know it's been hard for you boys, I promise you that no matter what I'll always be here for you okay?"
The past two years had been a bit of a struggle financially for Michelle. Sure her sister and brother-in-law had had life insurance, but his family had fought tooth and nail for custody of the boys. She had been executor of their wills and had dug in her heels relentlessly. Marie and Paul had wanted her to have custody and that's the way it stood. Sadly for Patrick and Andrew, Paul's family had turned their backs on them.
Michelle had decided that most of the money from their life insurance went straight into a college fund for the boys. She had been in college when her sister and brother-in-law had died, and Michelle ended up quitting school to make sure she was there for the boys. She had a day job working in an office now, and was continuing her college through online courses, many times staying up all night studying just to keep up.
She knew that Pat and Andy deserved a lot more than she could give them, but she always gave them every ounce of love she had. Michelle often cried herself to sleep out of frustration. Suddenly becoming a mom at twenty-two had been a big shock for her.
When they got to her car Michelle went to start it and it made one click and died. She tried again and it only clicked again. Michelle hammered on the steering wheel in frustration. "Damn-it, damn, shit!" she yelled.
"Stay in the car boys," Michelle said as she popped the hood latch and got out to see if she could find the problem. She checked to make sure the battery connections were okay, and looked at a few other obvious quick fixes but everything looked okay.
Michelle pulled her head out from under the hood and looked around. 'Just my luck, no one around for a boost. It's probably the effing starter anyway' she thought to herself, knowing that it had been acting up for a while.
"Hey, having car trouble?"
Michelle looked around and saw a car stop in front of her's. "Yeah, either my battery's dead or my starter's fucked."
The guy did a quick spin around of his car so the cars were nose to nose, then hopped out and grabbed some booster cables from his trunk. When he came back around to the front of the cars he laughed, "Hi Michelle! We've got to stop meeting like this or people will start to talk!"
"Ryan? What are you doing here?" she chuckled.
"Well I saw you pop your hood so I thought I'd come over and see if I could help. I didn't expect to see you here though."
"I'm glad you stopped to help Ryan."
"No problem," Ryan said as he connected the cables. "Try it now Michelle."
Michelle got back into her car and turned the key again only to hear a single click. She hit the steering wheel again and tried to hold back her tears.
