Hi all! Annabelle Hawthorne here with the final installment of "Let's Lewd the North Pole!"
Can you believe I've written 96 chapters of this? Holy shit.
Anyway, if you're a new reader, this is a perfectly bingeable series, and you should do it now. This is the last chapter of book six, so it's like when you subscribe to Netflix between seasons of a show or whatever. You can get five years of storytelling in one shot!
Returning reader? WE DID IT! This is the last chapter of book six, and you got to be here as it all went down. I think it's serendipitous that I am posting it right before the Christmas season goes full swing again, because it means I made Christmas last an entire year!
I want to thank my beta readers, the color red, and everyone who has been part of this year's crazy journey. Your votes, comments, and feedback have not only encouraged me to keep going, but they've helped new readers find this story!
As a reminder, I am currently writing the opening chapter of Book 7. You can find my schedule in my bio, and I've been pretty good about sticking to it.
I won't keep you any longer. This chapter is a bit longer than others, and you might want some time and tissues to fully experience
Hearth and Home
Between Santa, Cerberus, and Freyja, there was little left of the North Pole village. Perhaps half of it had been burned to the ground by hellfire, and Santa had been a one-man wrecking crew, punching his way to victory. When Mike had finally emerged from Santa's home, it was to see a land that would need to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Mike and the others took up residence in Santa's home for a few days while the newly awakened elves eagerly started repairs. The Workshop was the first structure to be reinforced, as it was still in good condition. The air inside smelled of fresh cut wood and lacquer, along with cinnamon and nutmeg. The magical fireplace had been lit anew, and elves were constantly darting through it to gather lumber and supplies from all around the world.
Mrs. Claus reappeared shortly after Holly had taken ownership of the North Pole, though she now wore regular clothing. Holly had informed him that the wife of Claus would only wear lingerie when she felt like it from now on. Mike suspected that the older woman was still as amorous as ever, because Santa kept going missing every couple of hours.
While Christmas Present and Santa searched the North Pole for any missing elves, Holly and Mrs. Claus took charge to make sure that repairs were being done correctly. The map of the North Pole had survived the Krampus' spoogefest inside of its special case, and was being used as a guide. As far as Mike could tell, Holly was already planning some changes to the layout of the village, but whenever he'd ask about it, she'd just blush.
Holly was far less shy in the bedroom, though. He was pretty much keeping track of the days by how often she would ambush him. The two of them had snuck off on more than a few occasions, and it wasn't uncommon for Holly to go out of her way to bring along Tink. However, they had their own room now, and didn't need to worry about getting spunk in Santa's tree.
Currently, Mike was sitting at a table just outside of the Hot Cocoa lounge, watching the elves create an assembly line to transport the time-locked children home through the fireplace. A special team of elves was responsible for each child, a task which took at least a couple minutes per kid. Based on his own rough estimates, Mike figured that the process would take a few days to get everyone home safe.
With a list of names in her hand, Mrs. Claus stood by the fireplace, checking off the children as they went through.
"This is quite the affair, Mike Radley." Death sat across from him, eagerly munching on a cookie.
"Aren't you tired of those?" Mike asked.
"Yes. Yes I am." Death crunched his teeth down on another cookie. "And yet, I shall continue to eat them."
"But why?"
Death shrugged. "Habit, I suppose."
Mike pulled the plate of cookies away from Death. "I'm cutting you off."
"I suppose it's for the best." Death sighed. "Perhaps I am eating them because I am nervous about my trip."
Once the children were returned, Santa planned to go around the world and undo everything the Krampus had done and finish his deliveries. Much to Death's delight, Santa had invited the Reaper along to help him.
"You have nothing to be nervous about. You did such a great job on your own, I bet you could give the big guy a few tips."
Death snorted. "I am inevitable, Mike Radley, not gullible."
"Perhaps, but you're a good friend."
"Indeed I am." Death's eyes blazed with blue light. "And I shall miss you. For it will be but a day for you, but months for me."
"As you say, you are inevitable. We'll see each other soon enough. Besides, it's time for the rest of us to go." Mike wasn't able to contribute anything meaningful at this point. Tink had offered to help the elves rebuild, but they had immediately shut her down, declaring that they preferred to work without distractions. Lily was quietly creating enough of those to the point that Death had threatened to stick the Helper Hat back on her head.
Of Freyja, there was still no sign. The Yule Lads had long ago scampered off with their father and the Yule Cat, so Mike wondered if she went after them. Yuki had gone out multiple times searching for the goddess, but had been unable to track her. Every time he saw those extra tails of hers, Mike couldn't help but feel bad that the kitsune had sacrificed two centuries of her life to save them. However, he would have made the same decision in a heartbeat and respected her for it.
Another group of elves carried a child to their home through the magical flames of the fireplace and Mrs. Claus crossed another name off her list. The massive hearth was covered in stockings, each with an elf's name on it. Mike couldn't help but stare at the large pile of stockings they had pulled down and set with reverence in the corner of the room. That pile represented the elves who hadn't survived, for one reason or another. Most of the elves paid it little attention, and he really couldn't tell if it didn't bother them or if they were throwing themselves so hard into their work that they really were able to ignore what the pile represented.
Holly walked into the Workshop, causing the elves to stop momentarily. She waved them on, bidding them to continue, then sat down next to Mike.
"Hello." Her eyes sparkled. "I bet that you're ready to get home."
"I guess. Are you sure we can't be of more help here?"
She shook her head and put a hand over his. "Once we're done with the children, we have months of work ahead of us here, maybe even years. We have many hands to help, and none of them will age. You've already done more than enough."
"Yeah we have." Lily sauntered over to the table. "The cocoa is really good, but someone broke the jukebox."
Mike made a face, but kept his mouth shut.
"Speaking of, Santa wanted to speak to all of you before he left." Holly looked over at the entrance to the Workshop and the massive double doors opened. A red carpet with gold lining rolled itself across the floor as elves moved out of the way. Dancer and Dasher walked on the carpet, pulling a small sleigh behind them with a large velvet chair.
"What's going on?" Mike asked.
"It's time to sit on Santa's lap." Holly patted Mike's leg as the big man himself appeared. The chair was offloaded next to the fireplace, and Santa let out a groan as he squeezed into it. The elves let out a small cheer as Santa waved to Mike.
"Why am I sitting on his lap?" He looked at Holly.
