Winter Dream (Bernard the Elf x Reader)

Chapter 14- An Ideal Scenario

When we finally arrived back at Mom and Neal's house, Charlie opened the front door. I nervously lingered behind him, too afraid to face Mom and Neal. I didn't want to think about what they would say when they saw my ears. How would they react to finding out that I was an elf? Based on how they treated Dad, I worried that they would disown me, or worse, never let me see Charlie again.

"Mom?" Charlie called into the quiet house. "Neal? I'm home!"

Within seconds, Mom and Neal came running down the front hall. "Charlie?!" Neal exclaimed, quickly engulfing Charlie in a hug.

Mom followed close behind. "Oh my God, Charlie!" She scooped him up in her arms and smothered him in kisses. "Oh my boy, oh sweetheart."

As Neal stood up, he noticed me lingering by in the doorway. "(Yn)?"

I prayed that he wouldn't notice my ears, but to my surprise, the first thing he did upon seeing me was dart over and hug me. I felt my body stiffen as he hugged me. "Neal?"

"I'm so glad you're safe." He softly spoke.

I stared at him in complete and utter shock. "Really? Why?"

"I don't just care about Charlie, (Yn)...I care about you too."

I softly smiled and hugged him back. "Thank you, Neal."

Neal smiled as he let go of me, and Mom rushed over to me and gave me a side hug since she was still holding Charlie. "Oh (Yn)...thank goodness you're alright." She said, kissing the top of my head. "I missed you both so much...how are you?"

"We're fine, Mom," Charlie whined, trying to get out of his mother's death grip.

"I missed you two..."

"It's okay! We're alright, Mom." I reassured.

As Mom gently stroked my hair, she suddenly gasped. "(Yn)? What happened to your ears?"

Anxiety bubbled up inside me. I nervously fidgeted with my hands. "I...uh...you see..."

Dad slowly approached us to try and help me explain. "Laura, when I turned into Santa Claus, the Christmas magic somehow turned (Yn) into an elf."

Mom looked at me with bewilderment. "An elf?"

I nervously nodded, my ears bending down flat with worry. "Please don't hate me."

Mom and Neal were speechless for a moment, and I prepared myself for the worst. But to my surprise, the worst didn't happen. Mom gently placed her hand on my shoulder. "Sweetheart, we could never hate you. Elf or not. We love you just the way you are."

My eyes filled with tears, and I hugged both of them. "Thank you..."

As the hug-fest continued, I noticed Dad hovering by the window, peeking out at the police cars that were still surrounding the house. "I don't have much time..."

Charlie managed to wiggle out of Mom's hug. "Did you leave the gifts I made under the tree?" He checked.

Dad ruffled his hair. "You bet I did."

As I joined the two, Charlie was already headed for the chimney. "We'd better go."

Mom was at his side in an instant. "No! No, Charlie!"

"Charlie wait for a second," I spoke.

Dad looked at mom. "It's okay, Laura." He slowly got down on one knee and looked at my little brother. "Actually, I...I think it's a much better idea that you stay here with your mom and Neal."

Mom stared at him as though she couldn't believe what he was saying. "Really?"

"But, Dad..."

Dad shook his head. "No 'buts' Charlie. I can't be selfish. I can't be with you all the time. We're a family. You, me, your mom, (Yn)...and Neal. And they need to be with you, too."