I was going to post this in Sci-Fi, but the first part was in "Loving Wives", and I didn't want to lose any readers. All though they might wish I had when then read it.
Part 1 is, without a doubt, the most popular story I have ever written. That being said, I decided you guys deserve a Part 2 Christmas present. I hope this does not alienate any of my fans, or new readers. But this is my story. And my Christmas present to you. I hope you enjoy it. You came look at part 1 and enjoy the premise. Not much sex (Santa doesn't screw and tell-much. Heh, Heh, Heh.) It did tend to run on quite a bit and will not appeal to everyone. But as I mention frequently-IT'S MY STORY! And it gives a little closure. So lighten up and enjoy. It's Christmas, for goodness sake.
So I thought about it and figured what the heck, I could tie up some loose ends and give it a happy ending. I pretty much like it, it's not quite as good as part 1, but hey, it's my story. Enjoy it or not. Merry Christmas.
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I got into the red Custom Ford F-10000, err, 'sled' and woke up the 'reindeer.' We booked out towards Europe, and as I passed Greenwich, England, I shut off the time stasis setting and pressed on with the, uh, deliveries. I finished up (it's pretty easy with GPS, Satellite communication, and 'magic'), and, by 5:00 a.m., I had finished, except for Palisades Park, New Jersey. I landed on the roof and made my way to the chimney. This would be snug, as I had added a few pounds to the look. Down the chimney, I came with a bound.
Ooh, my aching backside.
The tree was a little small this year. Mary O'Brien was asleep, curled up on the couch. I put the presents under the tree, wondering why they had not written to ask for anything this year.
She stirred and opened her eyes.
"Oh, Santa!! I didn't expect to see you this year."
"Well, I'm running a little late. I had some unpleasant business to handle." I blushed and grinned. "As a matter of fact, yours is the last house on my list."
She smiled a devastating smile. Not sultry, just pretty. "Someone on the naughty list had to be taken care of??"
I can blush on occasion.
"Some thing like that," I said.
"Well, I needed to talk to you. We won't be here next year, and I wanted to thank you for being so kind to us." She extended her hand, and started to sniffle.
"Where are you going? WHY are you going??" I asked.
By now, she was in tears.
She wouldn't say anything, just lowered her eyes and looked at the floor.
I pressed. "Mary, what is going on??"
She hesitated.
"We are losing the house. They are foreclosing. I don't know where we are going to go, or what we are going to do."
I was stunned. I thought for a minute.
I made a decision.
"Don't do anything. Don't sign anything or make any decisions about moving or anything like that. Don't tell your children anything except that you're not moving."
"What are you talking about," she sniffled. "We have to move. They are coming the day after tomorrow to evict us."
"Nah, I don't think so. Just trust me, o.k.?? Give me two weeks to work this out. Then you can decide."
She looked at me like I really wasn't real, took a deep breath, and sighed.
"Every Christmas, for the past ten years or so, you have been here for us. Sometimes just as emotional support, other times with actual physical aid........
"I will trust you. I have no one else, no friends or relatives........ I'll wait."
She raised her face and looked into my eyes.
'Wow,' I thought. 'Don't screw this up, Chris.'
I resisted every impulse I had, save one-I kissed her nose.
"Don't worry, we'll get past this."
I went out to the Custom-made F-10000 enclosed cabin class sled and fired up the twin Rolls Royce RB-911-6 'Reindeer' engines. (All Rolls Royce turbine engines are named after English or Scottish rivers. Except these. They were custom-made for yours truly, putting out close to 45,000 lbs of thrust each. Hence the name 'Reindeer.')
(My story.)
They pulled us up, up, and away and we set course for the North Pole. (Cool, HUH??)
I turned the radar jammers on, and we disappeared from sight on the radar at NORAD. I punched some buttons, threw some switches, and suddenly we appeared to be a G-IV outbound from Teterboro to White Horse, Canada.
My mind raced at a thousand miles an hour, in a thousand different directions.
I had to stop the foreclosure, stabilize her home situation, and find out about the kid's status, her marital status, background check on her citizenship, health, and financial status all came into play. And I had to do it in two days.
No pressure.
I arrived at the North Pole in record time, and pulled up to the hangar doors. The ground crew was waiting, and they put the craft away. I hoofed it to the house, and Jeeves met me with an old-fashioned glass, full of Chivas Regal- on the rocks. I pulled my coat off, went to the master suite, and stripped down. A nice hot shower helped me to think. I toweled off, and repeated the spell I used to adjust my weight, beard, and hair color.
Jeeves was waiting as I walked into my bedroom. "No guests, Sir?"
"Not yet, Jeeves. But I'm working on it. Give me a couple of weeks."
"Very good, Sir," my major domo replied.
I went to the walk-in closet and pulled out a pair of boot-cut jeans, cowboy boots, and a long-sleeved western shirt off the hangers. I looked in the mirror and saw a pretty good-looking guy, looking to be about 40 to 45 years old; 6'3'' tall, with no extraneous body fat, clear-eyed and intelligent, muscular, good looking six-pack, and a tight little tush. (Vivianne used to like looking at my tush. SIGH!!)
I grinned a little bit.
"Not bad for 189 years old. Let's see if I still got it."
I strode to my office and plopped in the orthopedic desk chair.
'Oh, that felt good,' I whispered. I hit the intercom button and was immediately connected with my Chief of Staff, Cassandra.
"Welcome home, Chief," she bubbled.
"Thanks, kid. Good to be back.
"Business. I need you, Esmeralda, and Igor and Stanley in my office ASAP."
"Be right there, Chief." The connection broke.
I had pulled a 15-year-old Cassandra off the streets of Chicago 75 years ago. She was desperate and looked like she was starving, homeless, and freezing her little tushie off. Her 'pimp' had turned her out on Christmas Eve and told her not to come back till she had made a $100. I had my security visit him, and after that, he sang soprano in the local church choir. He was also on the naughty list for 50 years.
I took her home, cleaned her up, and then sent her to school, eventually to Notre Dame University. She flourished, graduating top of her class. When she turned 23, we introduced her to the SPELL.
She decided to take it, knowing the consequences of her actions.
She would not age.
She would be here for the rest of her life.
She would be my 'protege' and my second in command. She acquired a few mystical skills and flourished. Blonde haired, blue eyes and a knockout figure. Such was daughter # 1.
I later told her that, actually, she could leave any time she wanted to. She would lose all her powers and start to age at that instant.
She thought about it for a long time.
She had been here for 75 years. She had no basis in her former life. She wanted to stay with her 'family'. Vivianne thought I was having an affair with her.
But I looked at her like the daughter we had never had. Yes, Mr. C is an old softie.
Igor and Stanley came into my office. They were the best of my troll squad.
They were also extremely loyal.
Just not terribly intelligent.
"Merry Christmas, Chief. How was the flight?" said Igor.
"Interesting, to say the least."
"Yeah, we heard about Miss Vivianne." Stanley looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Chief."
"Hey, it is what it is. I guess I wasn't enough anymore for Mrs. C."
Both of my guys got quiet.
Then Cassie blew in.
"Chief. Sorry about the shrew queen. I didn't suspect anything, or I would have blown the whistle long ago. It really would have hurt your image if she had been caught, not to mention breaking your heart."
She skewered me with her look. I looked at her and saw only the little girl I felt I had rescued from the streets of Chicago so long ago.
"Thanks, Cassie," I returned.
"Any time, ....Dad."
Then she smiled and turned to Igor.
"HELLOOO, Igor," she gushed, batting her eyelids.
I would not have believed that a big, brutish, bronze skinned ogre could blush.
But he did, and he dropped his eyes as he spoke.
"AAWW, Miss Cassandra, I wish you wouldn't talk like that."
Cassie was giggling at his discomfort, and then Esmeralda blew in. She shot the evil eye at Igor and Cassie and turned to me and said, "Sorry, Chief, my condolences on the marital problems. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I've always said."
Did anyone have a good word to say about Vivianne?? I guess not. I didn't realize I was that blind.
Esmeralda I had picked up from the slums of Mexico City about 65 years earlier. She was an orphan, about 6 years old, and was pretty close to death. I took her home, and she became our 'other' daughter. When she turned 20 years old, she went to Princeton and graduated with honors and a degree in financial administration (??). I don't know what it means either, but she immediately started the 'business' making a profit.
She also wanted to stay at home, as we were her only family. She had sown some wild oats at Princeton and felt she had it out of her system. Long straight jet black hair, short of stature, tanned completion, and round in all the right places. Daughter # 2.
So she also took the 'SPELL' and moved back home. She was Chief of Security and Production.
Such was my family.
"Oh, by the way, pop," said Esmy, "Mother Nature called and she said she would TALK to you in a day or two. She didn't sound too happy."
Esmy chuckled.
Sigh!! Another female to deal with.
I started with research.
"I need everything on Mrs. O'Brien. Dig deep. All the background you can get."
Cassie said she would get Intell started on it right away.
"Igor, I want you and Stanley to clean up and look like Wall Street Bankers. Tomorrow you're going to pay a visit to the First National Bank of Bergen County, N.J. We will make a 6-month payment on Mrs. O'Brien's mortgage, plus make up all back payments on the loan. Get with Esmey on everything you'll need, and lean on them, if necessary. I want that family to want for nothing until they make a decision. Got it??"