Close to lunch time, Santa's phone rang.
"Ho ho ho, hello."
There was a slight pause, then, "No, Nutcracker, she left earlier this morning, but she'll be back some time this afternoon."
Pause.
""Oh, you don't have to do that, but I really appreciate the offer - "
Pause.
"I understand. There are no threats to Candyland, then?"
Pause.
"Ho ho ho, I can imagine. Well, just remind them both to try staying off the naughty list. That goes for Pirlipat's parents as well. So when will you be coming?"
Pause.
"I see. Good. See you very soon then. Bye."
Santa hung up the phone. "Nutcracker is coming to join our battle." he announced.
"I thought he might." said Jessica. "So who over there is close to getting on the naughty list?"
"Princess Perlipat and her father the king, and the fairy, Carma Davis - do not get along well."
"Oh, dear." said Jessica.
Soon, there was a knock at the door.
Santa answered it, and let Nutcracker in.
He introduced Nutcracker to everyone and invited him to join in the meal.
"Thanks for having me, Santa, and I'm pleased to meet you all." Nutcracker said.
"Likewise," Pippi replied.
"There's just one thing." said Nutcracker. "If Diane finds I've basically followed her here, - I don't want her thinking I did, as if I was just checking on her."
"Considering you've been in battle before, and now you're joining us to help Santa, maybe she won't take it that way." said Gretel.
"We could suit you up, and she might not recognize you." Jessica suggested.
"I wouldn't count on that." said Cosima.
"Then, when she returns, I'll just have to explain myself and hope she isn't too put out." said Nutcracker.
"I would've loved to freak that mouse king out but good after all the stuff he pulled." said NT.
Nutcracker looked at her and smiled. "And I'd like to pitch that Miranda after what she did to you."
NT started slightly. "Huh? You know she's after Santa, right?"
"Yes. But I also found out at least some of her deplorable history." Nutcracker replied.
"The ironic thing is," Cosima piped up, "Miranda and the Mouse King would've been scared stupid of each other if they were ever to meet."
Several people laughed.
Santa got another phone call. He picked up.
"Hello? Ah, Diane! We've been waiting for a call... Company? What sort of company? ...I see... Well, if you're sure...yes, bring them. We'll be ready."
Santa hung up his phone and looked up at the others. "We have company."
"What sort of company?" Pippi asked warily.
"Diane found a couple of Miranda's deserters out there, who say they want to help us against her."
"Wha - " Cosima narrowly avoided choking on her tea and set her cup down, her eyes went wide.
"Two young men," Santa said, "She says their names are Keller and Shaw."
Cosima nodded. "If you'll excuse me," She stood up, "I should go get into my disguise." She left the room abruptly.
"I hope they really are deserting and this is not just some plant set up by Miranda." said Pippi.
"I wouldn't put that past her," said Gretel, "though I can't imagine who in their right mind would - oh," she snapped her finger and smiled sarcastically, "that's just the point, isn't it?"
Ameh snickered.
"I wonder - if they really have turned on her," Bethan mused curiously, "what did it for them."
"Meow," a fluffy black and white kitten wandered into the room.
Jessica laughed. "She's back."
The kitten looked up at Jessica and let out a combination purr/meow, then wandered about.
"We can't call her Cosima, though," Jessica said. "Does she have any other names?"
"How about something Christmas-y? Like, Noelle?"? Iris suggested.
"You okay with that, Cosima - I mean, Noelle?" Santa asked.
The kitten responded with a nod, and continued to explore things.
Gretel, Pippi and Ameh helped clear and clean up after the meal, and NT disappeared off somewhere again. Elsa brushed Noelle's fur, putting her nearly to sleep.
The doorbell rang.
Santa got it. "Ah, Diane, welcome back!"
"thank you." Diane stepped in and removed her coat and shoes.
She was followed by two young men.
They came sheepishly in, then the door shut.
Diane looked surprised at Nutcracker, who smiled sheepishly back, but neither one got the chance to start up a conversation.
"You!" Elsa suddenly jumped up from her place on the front room floor where she had been sitting beside the kitten, Her full attention was on Keller and Shaw. "You murderers!" she glowered at the unfortunate young men. "You killed my friends! And you nearly killed me!"
"We're terribly sorry about the harm we helped Miranda cause!" Keller blurted out. It might or might not have been Keller and Shaw specifically who helped Miranda endanger Elsa or her friends at any time, Miranda had a sloo of young men working for her, and to Elsa, they were all guilty.
"It's too late now, you can't bring my friends back, can you!?"
"I would if I could, please, believe us!" Shaw said. "We had our minds robbed by that disgusting brat and I know we can't undo what's done."
"You - got - them - KILLED!"
The kitten hid around a corner, growling.
Santa didn't interfere, at least, not immediately. He watched the two newcomers reactions to such an intensely personal and fierce confrontation.
They just stood there with their mouths open as Elsa ranted at them.
It was not funny or cute, but unnerving to them.
Elsa listed the names of those who had died because of Miranda. Along with this, she gave brief summaries of what she knew about them and their lives.
The last one was particularly disturbing.
"My best friend, Norma, dead from complications from labor, which she went into early because THAT VAMPIRE killed her husband! Now we have to work out who is going to take care of their baby,,but with so many families decimated by your precious Miranda, who can give this little girl a home? What kind of life will she have?" Elsa lowered her voice to say, "It's lucky for this little girl that Miranda told you to let me go. Not lucky for Cosima, though…! If running you through with this letter opener," she snatched it off a nearby shelf, "would bring back norma, and everyone else Miranda killed, I'd have your necks skewered in a second! … But, nothing will bring them back, nothing…" She flung the letter opener back on the shelf, fixed both Shaw and Keller with a withering scowl, then turned her back and stalked off.
Keller and Shaw looked nervously at each other, and then at the others. Elsa's rant had left them shaken, and they were starting to understand just how difficult it would be for them to ever be trusted members of Santa's team.
"Look, before anyone else tears into us," Shaw began. "Can we offer some help?"
Diane pulled the nullified orb she had found in the office building from her pocket, and showed it to the others. "According to these two, Miranda has loads more, and all of them set to do nasty things."
Nutcracker gaped for a moment, looking horrified.
"Don't worry, this one's been neutralized." Diane reassured. "But there's more. She's planning to attack us, tonight."
"And they're here." Ameh said skeptically.
"Better they're with us than with her, mate." Diane said matter-of-factly.
"We're not with her anymore!" Keller exclaimed desperately. "I don't know what we have to do to convince you!"
"Not meaning to be rude,," said Diane, "but since we only just met, under less than ideal circumstances, and you were once on her side, it's going to take a little to remove all doubt."
She turned to Nutcracker with a grin. So, you're joining us, eh, mate?"
He nodded. "I've had some battle experience as you know, and couldn't just send someone, not without going myself...Not when it's a vampire, and Santa's life and so many others at risk."
The Sugarplum Fairy nodded. "You're a good friend and an honourable man. Santa knows that." she said.
Nutcracker appeared to be moved by this, but Diane didn't give him much chance to react.
"Don't be surprised when you find another war zone when you get back home." she quipped.
Nutcracker chuckled. "Our friend will shake things up for those royals, I'm sure. I'm glad she gets along with Clara Marie and myself though."
That's because you two are reasonable and down to earth." said Diane. "I shudder to think how it would be if Miranda and Pirlipat got together."
Nutcracker shuddered. "Ugh. Let's not go there."
Ameh nodded. "Miranda always was a sick brat, but now that she's had a taste of power, she's gotten even worse."
"What's going on in here?"NT peered in to the room and frowned. "Who're these two?"
Keller and Shaw grimaced. They weren't looking forward to another introduction.
NT came in. "What's going on and who are they?"
Ameh shrugged. "Probably better if you didn't know." she muttered.
"They have fled from Miranda," said Santa. "This is Mr. Keller, and this is Mr. Shaw." He introduced them. "And this is NT," he said to them. "I think she's the only one besides all of the elves who you haven't yet met - and - " Santa added hesitantly, "She is Miranda's half-sister."
NT flushed. "No - I'm nothing to her except her worst enemy!" She checked herself and looked apologetically at Santa, "Sorry, Santa, I hope you didn't take that for me yelling at you. I don't want to be thought of, or referred to as anything sister to that girl."
"Understandable, considering all she's done. No offence taken." Santa said.
In a few more moments, Jessica came in, followed by Pippi.
"Good. Now that we're all here, let's work out some plans." said Santa. "First, what have you to managed to learn about Miranda's characteristics - as a vampire?" Santa addressed Shaw and Keller.
"She's unstoppable in a feeding frenzy." Shaw said, a look of revulsion passing over his face.
"Yes, I'm sure," said Santa, "but what I'm really going for are details about her that can help us fight against her. Any weakness, any vulnerability she has."
Keller and Shaw exchanged looks, and Shaw shrugged. "We've seen her overpower everyone so far."
"Well," Santa said patiently, "We know she doesn't go out and sparkle in sunlight, so she's not a Twilight vampire. What does she do during the day? Is she active under cover of darkness, or does she go dormant and become for the sake of all appearance, dead?"
"No, she's awake during the day, especially now that she wants to wage war." Keller replied.
"That means we have to be especially careful." said Diane.
"Darn, there goes that idea."
"What's that, Elsa?" Santa asked.
"If she went comatose during the day, it would be easy enough to rob her of whatever magic gismos she has and then some."
Keller tried to keep a grin of amusement off his face. Never before had he thought of an elf getting it into their head to rob someone, especially a vampire.
"Where is her base?" Santa asked.
Shaw shook his head, "It's, an unassuming little house that used to belong to a family of elves."
"Used to?" Elsa pressed, a snarling edge crept into her tone.
"Before she - " Shaw trailed off.
"Elsa scowled.
She sometimes spends time in this other little outbuilding just behind that big office we met Diane in. It's under some cover, and there are a bunch of trees and bushes around it."
"Good." said Santa.
"Well, I better get going while there's still time." I still have places to search for bad magic sources, and can skew things when I get to those buildings so Miranda won't detect anything's going on."
"Want some help with that?" Iris volunteered.
"The help would be appreciated, more of us could get the job done faster." Diane agreed.
"Count me in as well." said Bethan.
"Okay, let's get while the getting's good." said Diane.
"Me too." NT volunteered.
"No, NT," Santa said, "We need you and Ameh to remain here in case you're needed."
The fairies got suited up, and they were out the door in jig time.
Elsa's phone dinged. "Message received, all is getting underway."
"Great." said Santa with a smile.
Elsa turned to NT, "I think now's the time."
NT nodded. "Santa," she asked.
"Yes?"
Elsa and I have a plan to get Norma's little baby out of harm's way and with any luck, find her a good home. It means I'll have to leave for a bit."
"Hold on now," said Santa, "I'd first like you and Elsa to help get all the elves who are not to be in the battle, including children and the elderly and disabled, into one of the buildings and seal it off from attack. Then, if there's still time, let's talk about your idea."
"Yes, that, we can do." said Elsa, and she quickly typed another message to the elf community. "Let's go." Elsa said to NT, who nodded and left the room with her.
Back at Miranda's base, a young man who had narrowly escaped becoming a blood meal, fled.
Now, he sat, cowering and shivering behind a couple of large storage bins to conceal himself while trying to think of what he was going to do and where to go next. It would be bad for him no matter what the outcome of the battle. If Miranda was victorious, she'd drain him as a traitor unless he simply bled to death first. There was nothing to treat his wounds and no one to go to for help now.
If Santa won, maybe he wouldn't kill him, but someone else might.
Others were tearing through the base, going in and out of various buildings, and the rooms within. Shelves were roughly dismantled, drawers thrown open, contents rifled through to be looted or tossed. Bins were emptied and upended. Doors were thrown open, closets looked into, also looted as the fairies, Iris, Bethan, and Diane carefully collected every orb and magic device they could find. Some of these were saved as they might be useful, but most were otherwise dealt with appropriately, since they had only one capability, to destroy anyone who was not a vampire..
The fairies met at the last building, the one in which Miranda's ex-minion was hiding.
He watched in disbelief as everything around him was ransacked, and certain things were collected, some of these were destroyed, others simply taken, apparently as a kind of booty.
Ah, hahaha, stupid Miranda," the Sugarplum Fairy said triumphantly, brandishing an orb, "You are so ended."
Then, the bin the minion was hiding behind, was shoved and kicked until it was pushed over. The contents were looted, and then the bin was forcefully shoved away, revealing him.
"Hang on, guys," she said to her companions, "We got somebody.
He got clumsily to his feet and ran for the door, and she was soon after him.
"Stop! You're hurt!" she said.
"What happened?" Bethan asked.
"Iris inspected the place where he had been hiding, and she grimaced. "Let me guess. Miranda."
The young man nodded shakily.
"Hey you two, can you get him to the hospital? I'll see you later, I have a little unfinished business to take care of." said Diane.
The other two fairies agreed, and they set off, having turned one of the orbs into a stretcher. They had the man lie down in it, strapped him in, and went on their way.
"Now," Diane said with a sly grin, "as for you, Miranda, I think you could use some good company. I would hate to think of you being lonely." She set off to find the vampire.
--