Page 51 of Run, Run Rudolph (Fairy Godmothers and Other Fiascos #2)

I felt panic welling up, choking my throat, clouding my mind with fear. I’d saved Haden, but now I had to face Mrs. Claus on my own. I needed to speak up for myself, but was scared I’d do it wrong. That I’d make things worse.

I gave myself a shake. If Haden were here, he’d tell me the truth about myself and I’d believe him.

Tamara Madden was no longer the sweet, quiet pushover who waited for others to determine her fate.

That woman had changed. She now spoke up for herself, and for what she wanted.

She was kind, generous, and strong. But most of all, she was a woman who understood Mrs. Claus’s heartbreak, and might be able to reach her beneath the tremendous burden of hurt.

“Mrs. Claus…” My voice came out clear and loud. “If I might speak before you make your final ruling? I know, from speaking to the reindeer and Hugo, that your powers are well-admired. But I’ve also heard that you haven’t had it easy.”

Her expression was stern, jaw unyielding like her gorgeous cheekbones. I blundered on, my words stumbling over each other in my haste, scared she’d dole out her punishment before I could make an argument.

“I understand how important you are to the holiday of Christmas, which is why I asked the crew to bring you to my barn. I had a feeling you were the one working tirelessly behind the scenes, making the holiday work, from creating the magical oats for the reindeer so they can fly, to other things they didn’t disclose to me.

” Okay, so I was fibbing a tiny bit, but I had asked them to bring her into the loop early on, and had since realized just how vital she was to the holiday.

“I can tell that you, like so many of us women here on the non-magical earth, are not recognized. Santa gets all the credit, doesn’t he?

It looks easy because of all the work you put in behind the scenes supporting him.

And I know this holiday can’t happen without you, and your very special powers. ”

I bowed my head. “I tried saving Christmas tonight, and I failed.” I lifted my head again. “I failed because we needed you.”

“Christmas doesn’t matter.” Her finger was still glowing, but it was no longer pointed at me.

“Yes, it does! And it’s so much more than just Santa leaving gifts for children.

The spirit of the holiday starts when we’re children who believe in Santa.

We may stop, but the spirit of your holiday, and the hope it brings us, stays with us.

As adults, we use that spirit to make the world a better place.

Christmas is a time of generosity and caring for one another.

” I thought of my parents, and how their short breakup paralleled the Claus’s own fight. “It’s a time for second chances.

“If you stop what you’re doing, Mrs. Claus, the holiday will die. Generations will lose the holiday spirit, and the hope that comes with it. We will lose that belief in miracles and magic.

“We humans need that, Mrs. Claus. More now than ever. Please don’t abandon us. What you do matters. If you don’t help your husband tonight—today—your holiday will be missed, and by extension, so will you.”

“Mrs. Claus is just a facade,” she growled. “I’m a black witch. Filled with evil.” She waited for me to flinch but, to my credit, I didn’t. “Mrs. Claus is a fake. A ruse. A charade. She isn’t real.”

“I think evil is a choice—something you’ve chosen to leave behind, because you are Mrs. Claus. You are the embodiment of the image we humans have created. That image grew from our feelings toward you, and all that you do for the holiday and for Santa.”

The intensity of the burning scarlet in her eyes wavered.

“We see and feel the way you care,” I continued. “We see and feel your love, and your acceptance and benevolence. We see a sweet, kind woman who accepts and loves us like we’re her own. Please continue to be her for us. Please save Christmas.”

She had lowered her finger; the glowing extinguished. She looked tired, deflated. I soldiered on, my voice wobbling. “My biggest fear is that this holiday will cease to exist today. I could have wished my way out of this mess several times tonight, but I didn’t because Christmas was in danger.”

“Be honest.” Her tone was chilly. “You didn’t want to lose that man you tried to protect.”

“Yes. That’s true. And a bit selfish of me. But beyond that, I couldn’t wish for us out of this night because it meant I’d be giving up on Christmas. The idea that I might be able to help save it… I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d wished my way out of it. Especially if we lost Christmas.”

“What does Christmas matter to an adult? It’s for kids. Christmas is just an excuse for you humans to overspend, over-consume, and act greedy.”

“Some of us do that,” I admitted. “But personally, I love seeing the generosity your holiday instills in others. It warms my heart to see people helping others in need.” I took a deep breath.

“You probably won’t believe how important the traditions I have with my Oma are to me.

I know I won’t have her forever, and our time together at Christmas is irreplaceable.

We started creating holiday rituals when my parents separated when I was thirteen.

They got back together, but it was a scary time for me, and the traditions Oma and I created that year saved Christmas for me.

“Each year, those rituals remind me of that special time with my Oma. Celebrating your holiday brought my grandmother and me closer and gave me something I will always cherish. So, for the sake of Christmas, and all of the people who love your holiday, I want to help. I want to do whatever I can to make sure the children of the world—your children—wake up in the morning with a sense of wonderment, excitement, and joy. I want them to have this because of you.”

“You’re human.” Her tone had lost its fierceness, and I could hear a tremor of defeated, long-standing, unresolved hurt.

“And you have meddled. You have kidnapped and detained my elf, Hugo. You have injured my husband.” The tremor intensified.

“You have held his herd here on earth. Convinced them to perform reckless acts in a storm. You have given Rudolph human drugs for his pain. Pain that you caused with your carelessness. You have interacted with and harmed magical beings.”

Her sentences were coming faster and faster.

I sensed she was battling something, but I wasn’t sure if she’d win or not.

“You have breached the shroud. You have, without a doubt, interfered with a major magical holiday, and put it at great risk with your continued actions. You, Tamara Madden, are someone who needs to be made an example of.”

I cringed, shivering with my eyes screwed shut, waiting for the zap that would end me.

Her decision was made. There was no saving Christmas.

I peeked through my lashes, determined to make one last attempt to change her mind.

“Please, Mrs. Claus. Santa still loves you.”

“Irrelevant!” She clamped her hands over her ears.

“He wants to get back together. He misses you.”

She shut her eyes, her body bending forward as though under a great weight.

“You’re all he talks about. He would even live in the black magic world with you. He loves you so much. He’d give up all of this for you.”

She straightened, her arms at her side, head held high.

“Stop!” Her voice trembled, loud and fierce, as though a storm was ripping her apart from the inside.

Her finger was glowing red, casting a scarlet glow into the cloud of snow swirling around her like a devil-possessed tornado. The finger was aimed at me.

I had one more option. Someone who could protect me.

Even though calling upon her meant losing tonight and losing Haden.

I unfurled the folded handwritten wish from my pocket. I read it to myself, then closed my eyes, hoping I wasn’t too late.