Meet Nick

❄ Sweet Sugar Cookies ❄

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"Dash, please scoot over just a little," Nick grunted, pushing the reindeer an inch over. I'm, you know, just trying not to fall to my death while doing my job here. He thinks to look down at the perfect layer of snow on the ground, just asking for him to slip and land onto. Nick lets out an uneasy breath as he maneuvers past Comet, sighing in relief as he finally arrives at the chimney. "Oh, sweet sugar cookies, I made it." Hitching his bright red bag closer to his back, Nick begins the careful climb down. Luckily, it's a relatively large chimney. Not that he's big on the stomach, like his father, but he prefers not to have to use magic at every stop to shimmy comfortably down the shoot. He lands on his feet, as he has house after house, country after country.

Nick goes to the tree to begin placing the perfectly wrapped gifts under it. In his head, he recites Disney Animator Doll for Darcy, Skateboard for Dustin--, but suddenly Nick hears something. "Hello?" Someone asks into the dark. The voice sounds an awful lot like a girl. Should I answer? No, definitely not. Nick decides to drop to the ground and slowly creeps behind the tree to hide from the person approaching. "Is someone there?" The person asks again, and Nick can make out the shadow of something strangely familiar. Holly Jolly, it's got a gun! I'm going to die, and not from falling off a roof like I thought. He hears a soft click, and the three small lamps flicker to life. Nick no longer heard the pitter patter of footsteps and was contemplating making a run for it, but just then the voice came back. "I k-know you're behind there. J-just come out with your hands on your head, and I promise not to shoot," the voice stuttered, but it was strong with authority.

The oldest kept family secret and I'm about to blow it. Nick let out a steadying breath and slowly crawled out from his hiding spot. He placed his hands on his head and got up on his knees. When he looked to the person he became face to face with eyes the color of mistletoe. Her cheeks were a nice rosy coloring, and her nose was the perfect button one would expect on such a sweet face, but in her hand held a deadly weapon. Her other hand clutching a phone. "Please don't shoot. I mean you no harm, Daisy," Nick tried, thinking about the last name.

"H-how do you know my name?" The girl asked stepping back, her hand shaking violently.

"It's okay. Can you put the gun down?" Nick asked, acting as he would with a wild deer.

"The what?" The girl appeared confused and started laughing. She's gone crazy, Nick concluded. "That's not a real gun. It's chocolate," she smiled. As though to prove it, Daisy brought the weapon to her mouth and bit down.

"No," Nick called, reaching out to her, but he saw her chewing. "Uh, how? Why?" Nick took the chocolate molded into a gun and was shocked.

"Now, how do you know my name?" Daisy asked him. Her arms folded, but her phone still firm in her hand. "And don't think just because you tried to save me I trust you. I have the police just one button away, mister," she threatened.

Should I tell her? Nick contemplated the consequences of telling this human girl the truth. "No one outside of my family knows," he whispered out loud.

"Are you a stalker?" Daisy decided.

"What? No. I just-It's my job to know," Nick tried, thinking maybe he could tell her without telling her.

"It's your job to know my name?" She questioned.

Nick nodded, pointing to his red coat, his mother carefully lined with white, and his red pants that matched. He picked up each foot covered in black boots, and lastly, he took off his father trademark hat to reveal his snow-white hair. Nick looked hopeful that she got it, but then she said. "Oh, please don't tell me you think your Santa Clause."

Nick rubbed his hand down his face. "Fruit Cake, this is going to be harder than I thought. Daisy, I know this is hard to believe, but if you want to know you must."

"What's your name?" She asked, cocking a brow up.

"Nick," he stated, suddenly shy. He never really talked to a human girl before. "It's nice to meet you."

"Is it really you?"

"Well, my father is most likely the one you're thinking of. This is my first year, wearing the hat," he smiled.

Daisy's eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth dropping her phone in the process. Nick was thankfully able to catch it before the delicate phone shattered. "I'm so sorry. You were just doing your job. I'm so stupid," she rambled.

"No your not. If someone had come into my house dressed like me, well actually almost everyone is dressed like me," Nick chuckled at his own joke.

"Aren't you a little young?" She asked.

"No, I'm the same age my father was when he started, and his father before him," Nick stated.

"Are you born with white hair?" Nick saw has Daisy's hands moved forward, but they stopped midair.

Nick removed the hat and leaned closer to her. "Yes, expect my brows, at one point I hated the color of my hair, but it won't dye, so I accepted it," Nick told her, as she ran her fingers through his hair. It's a relaxing feeling, he decided.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"You have a lot of questions," Nick said, stepping back, from her touch.

"What is it?" Nick could hear the light hurt in her voice.

"I-I have to get back to work before I become too off track, but I'll-um- see you next year," Nick told her, but before he left. Nick placed Daisy's gift under the tree.

"Til' next year, Nick," Daisy whispered, trying not to wake anyone. Nick grabbed a few cookies and went up the chimney, tote in hand.

All night Nick delivered gifts to children and all night Nick couldn't get the face of Daisy out of his head.

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