Cosima, Pippi and NT packed light, taking only what was necessary, warm clothing, their PDAs for communication and taking down important information. Cosima brought the microcom, she never let it out of her sight except for times when she entrusted it to Pippi. NT was allowed to bring her Ipod and its charger
They piled into Cosima's car and headed out.
"Oh, hang on a second!" Cosima suddenly exclaimed. "Somebody should contact Gretel and let her know where we are off to. If she can join us, I'll bet she'd know a thing or two about fighting vampires!"
"Oh, I should've thought of that!" Pippi agreed. She got her Iphone out and texted Gretel.
It wasn't long before she received a text back:
""The North Pole!? Count me in!"
A few more texts back and fourth, then Cosima drove into an area where she could park and then do the transport.
They waited a while until Gretel texted again, saying she was ready to be transported.
Cosima got out of the car and stood a moment or two.
Soon, she was joined by Gretel, who was all packed and ready to go.
It was a happy chattering group driving along, so that before anyone knew it, they had made it right across town.
When the car was finally out of town, on some highway where no one else was about, Cosima stopped and turned to Pippi. "Now's as good a time to make the transport as any."
Pippi took out her handheld magic transport device and pressed a few buttons.
In a few more moments, the scene surrounding the women in the car, changed.
"Ooooh, cool!" Gretel exulted.
It was a beautiful, glistening snowy and warmly lit place, town lights shone up ahead, and the snow in this area was like nothing they'd ever seen before.
Everyday fresh-fallen snow in any regular town or city, or rural area makes the landscape and structures so beautiful with a glisteny white covering. But this landscape went even beyond that.
There didn't appear to be much in the way of wind, but snowflakes softly swirled and fell all around, seeming to give off their own light as they did so. They fell like tiny Christmas lights shimmering like shooting stars until hitting the ground. There, they joined the mass of glittering white, which, unlike common snow, did not seem hard on the eyes, even though it seemed to be brighter somehow.
The small trees were alight with the snow as well as Christmas decorations.
"Oh, my," Pippi sighed in wonder as she looked out the car window at the glorious scene. "I knew it would be pretty, but this is breath-taking!"
"Now," said Cosima dreamily, "This is so beautiful I'm almost afraid to drive in it. Do you think we could get out and walk the rest of the way, or make another magic transport?"
"I'm for walking until we either get there or it's necessary I use my transporter again. We're not all that far from Santa's if those lights are what this place actually is, and we can just keep our car here, out of the way, stoing our stuff out of sight until we need it."
Cosima drove the car into a place that was sheltered all around by a cluster of trees, and parked it. Then everyone got out and started walking into town.
It was only about 10 minutes or so when they reached Santa's residence. It looked exactly as most people might imagine.
"Unbelievable," Cosima breathed, her eyes misting over, "Look at that."
Gretel sighed blissfully and looked around. "Wow, I can't believe it." she murmured, her face flushed with excitement.
"Which one of us is going to go in and make an introduction?" Pippi asked.
"Well, shouldn't we first let Ameh know we got here?" asked Cosima.
Pippi nodded.
Cosima took off her mittens so she could get the com out of her pocket. She turned it on. "Destination reached! We are now just outside Santa's residence, and oh my gosh, is it beautiful!"
"Great, you lucky ducks!" Ameh replied.
Just then, a snowball flew from behind everyone and decked Cosima on the back of the head. It was followed by a mischievous laugh.
Meredith Iris Munn!" Cosima exclaimed. "I'll get you for that!"
"Somebody's being naughty," Pippi grinned, bending to pick up some snowballs for a retaliation.
"Oh, you are so asking for it!" Gretel laughed, bending down to pick up handfuls of beautiful glowing Christmas snow.
Iris stepped out from her hiding place behind a tree. "Bring it!" she said with a grin.
It was Gretel who nailed Iris on the forehead with a large snowball she had formed out of the few she picked up.
"Ack!" the blonde fairy exclaimed.
Cosima clapped.
"Hey, you're in trouble!" Cosima shouted, trying to dislodge Pippi's snowball from the hood of her jacket, where it fell after hitting her head.
"Oh, I'm so scared," Pippi laughed, picking up another large snowball with both hands.
Squelch! She took one in the back of her left shoulder.
Cosima laughed.
Pippi turned around to see another fairy had joined them, and judging by her stance and expression, it had been she who dealt the hit. "Bethan, you rascal!"
"Hehehehehe! I'm just getting warmed up!" The brunette fairy replied, and launched another at Cosima. It hit her on the back of her shoulder.
"Oh, you're so dead!" said Cosima, giving Bethan the evil eye.
"Eek!" Bethan began to run from her friends.
Too late, Cosima had picked up a snowball and pelted her firmly in the back of the head with it.
Pippi laughed.
Bethan came running back in a gale of giggles.
"So, who's gonna get tstuff besides snowballs rolling?" Cosima asked.
Iris chuckled. "Well, " she turned to Cosima," Since you were the one called, shouldn't you be first out of all of us to greet him?"
Cosima shrugged. There was running about Santa's place in her Christmas daydreams, and then there was this. Suddenly faced with the reality of it made her feel strangely bashful.
Pippi grinned in bemusement at Cosima's uncharacteristic behavior.
"Anyone else want to substitute for me?" Cosima asked. "How about you, Iris?"
"Oh no, not me."
Bethan shook her head before she could be asked.
"Oh all right, here goes." Cosima said, and walked to the entrance, company in tow.
"Ho, ho, ho! They have arrived!" Santa exulted from inside at the sound of the doorbell. He hurried to let them in.
"Gosh! It's Santa!" Gretel exclaimed, grinning at him.
"Yes!" Pippi added, all smiles.
"Ho, ho, ho! Welcome one and all! Please come in!" Santa said happily, smiling warmly at the group.
Iris giggled and was making a concerted effort not to jump up and down.
Cosima burst out laughing, and hid her face behind her hand a moment, trying to get her excitement under control. This mixed with the shyness was overwhelming her with an odd inner conflict that she didn't know how to handle.
"He sounds exactly like on my favorite Christmas specials!" Bethan said with a big smile.
"Yes!" Pippi replied, smiling at Bethan, then looking at Santa to smile at him. She nodded her head in greeting.
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