Miss Claus and Me

Chapter Twenty-Two ~ Snow

Amelia placed her hands on the kitchen bench as she felt her knees buckle and turn into absolute jelly.

Was was that? She wondered as she tried to take a few calming and deep breaths, but they didn't seam to stop her heart from beating so fast or her legs from shaking mercilessly.

Had Eve been.... Flirting with her? Amelia was wary to call it that, you know, just in case she had actually only been trying to be friendly towards a... well towards a friend. But Amelia couldn't help but to bite her lip to hide the smile that graced them as she thought that it had seamed an awful lot like Eve had meant the things she'd said, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high, not when if they where crushed, she might never be able to get them back again. No, she couldn't hope, to hope would only lead to her doom.

Amelia sighed heavily as she washed up the glasses, dried them and placed them back where they belonged before beginning to make her way back to her room to get changed.

She had already texted her manager explaining that her absence was due to a family emergency and she didn't honestly know when she would be able to make it back to her work.

Thankfully since Amelia hadn't really taken any holidays since she'd started working there, they had allowed her to use all of the leave she'd accumulated since than, so for now, it was ok.

When she got undressed Amelia quickly realised that the closet in her room had been filled with new clothes that she couldn't help but to think that she really did not deserve. She was, however, very grateful for them as she picked out what to wear that day.

She ended up deciding upon some soft pink leggings and her favourite bow-glad boots, a white frilly skirt, a pink singlet top, and for extra warmth a soft pink cropped cardigan with a sweet little Peter Pan collar on the top.

It was just large enough that the sleeves pulled slightly below her hands and Amelia smiled as she scrunched up the ends of the arms into little paws that she knew would help to keep her warmer in the colder climate of the Pole.

After that, she headed out of the room and onto the streets of the little village she had hoped to explore that day. After all, how could she possibly resist exploring a literal fairytale?

To put it simply, she couldn't and Amelia couldn't help but to grin a little at the beautiful sight before her.

The air was fridged that day. It was well and truly winter there as when Amelia had left her little unit behind it had been on the last few days of autumn. But winter was Amelia's favourite season, so she didn't mind the chill in the air.

It was cosy and warm and there was simply nothing better or for that matter, more romantic, than sitting by a warm fire.

Perhaps one day she'd get to do that with Eve?

Amelia sighed as she chided herself for thinking about her friend in that way again, especially when she likely didn't think of Amelia like that at all.

She was walking down one of the fairly empty streets of the village when something interrupted her spiralling thoughts.

It was an elderly woman who was holding her back in pain and crying out, as soon as Amelia realised this she quickly rushed up to her and offered her a hand as she helped the woman get inside of her home and to sit down.

"Are you alright ma'am, should I call for help?" Amelia asked her, but the older lady waved a hand in reply as she caught her breath back.

"I'm fine dear but thank you. I was just trying to shovel the snow on my pathway but these here old bones got the better of me again." She said with a small sigh.

Amelia nodded.

"I can do that for you if that's ok?" She asked hoping she wasn't intruding but at the watery eyed smile she gave her, Amelia smiled back.

"That would be wonderful dear, but you really don't have to." She said as Amelia kindly shook her head.

"I'm more than happy too. I'm Amelia." She introduced as she shook the lady's hand.

"It's nice to meet you Amelia I'm Emily." She introduced herself.

"It's lovely to meet you Emily. Would you like a cup of tea or anything before I finish the driveway?" She kindly asked as the older woman directed her to where she kept her tea bags in the kitchen. Amelia quickly boiled the jug and made her a cup which she brought to her as the woman smiled in gratitude.

"Now do come say goodbye before you leave dear." The kind old woman said as Amelia nodded and got to work outside.

She had often shovelled snow for her neighbours as a child so she was quite good at it and managed to make quick work of the task.

Afterwards the lady had insisted she stay for tea and cookies as they talked and Amelia had gotten to hear some wonderful stories from the older woman's youth.

Before she left she had asked her to come back sometime to see her and Amelia had grinned as she promised that she would before she headed off to continue exploring around the village.

Along her way Amelia looked through the windows of different stores that lined the streets, smiling at just how sweet they where.

One shop had dozens of Snow Globes that lined the windows and reminded Amelia of the necklace she virtually never took off, another had old looking books with ornately gilded covers of every size and colour. Another shop appeared to be a small grocery store that had a bell on the door which would chime every time a customer came out holding little brown paper bags that seamed fitting for such an adorable establishment.

Amelia tried to take it all in as she wandered, but when she noticed other walkways that where covered in snow on the street she was walking on, she couldn't help but to borrow one of the neighbours shovels and get the job done for them. By the time lunchtime rolled around, she'd managed to shovel virtually the whole street as she began to walk back towards Eve's house feeling exhausted but with sense of accomplishment in her heart as she did.

Just as she was walking up the hill that lead back to Eve's house, Amelia's face when pale as she felt herself slip right at the top of it. She barley had time to let out a scream before she felt herself rolling down the snow covered hill, landing all the way at the bottom of it with a great thud.