That morning, Hope didn’t go to the bakery. She was too embarrassed about what had happened the night before…but she was more embarrassed about how she’d expressed her feelings than anything else.

After all, how she felt was true.

There was no frikkin’ way Hope was Eamonn’s fated mate.

She wasn’t the baker.

Seven previous lumberjacks had ended up with seven bakers

Why would the eighth lumberjack have a different fate?

Hope decided she was going to stay home from what Jerry had dubbed the ‘Regency Yuletide Ball.’ She’d done her part by helping set up the event. There was no reason for her to go to the actual event.

Hope spent the day with her nose in her books, putting the finishing touches on her research. In the end, she didn’t have a sense of satisfaction, not at all. All she could think about was how the project was rather, well, mean-spirited, and made her a humbug, by any definition of the word — Regency or contemporary.

Hope put her things away. She had the cabin rental for a few more weeks, but, she didn’t want to stay on The Wreath any longer. The lake, the town, even the woods, all named The Wreath, just served to remind her of a time ill-spent and a love well-lost.

Hope had just finished packing up the last of her clothes when she realized there were three items still left in the living room.

There were the two cases of Regency clothing, lent to her by Avery. Hope hadn’t opened the suitcases.

And, on the coffee table, there was a book.

Northanger Abbey.

Other than opening it up to verify that it was the genuine article, Hope hadn’t touched the thing. She hadn’t had time to, working hard on her Regency analysis project.

Hope looked at the clock. It was too late in the day for her to start the drive back to her ‘hometown,’ so she decided that she might as well stay in and read, get to bed early, and then, first thing in the morning, head back home.

Hope snuggled into an armchair and cracked open the book. As she tried to follow Austen’s story, she got lost in thought. The pages turned, but Hope wasn’t reading them. She was reflecting on the events of what had happened on The Wreath — from Krampus giving her the book and asking her to give Eamonn a shot to Hope actually getting to know Eamonn and letting Eamonn get to know her. She closed the book and lay back, playing the memories back in her head like a zoetrope.

Hope’s daydreaming was broken by a knock at her door.

Hope went to see who it was.

At first, she thought she must be dreaming, because, on her doorstep, there was a man who was dressed in Regency garb — and he didn’t look the part of a prince.

With messy, wild hair, stubble on his chin, mud on the front of his jodhpurs and on his boots, the shifter in front of her looked like a total rake.

“Y-you showed up,” said Hope.

“Of course I did,” said Eamonn.

“After what I said yesterday…” started Hope.

“You may have said something you regret, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do something I regret,” said Eamonn, offering Hope his arm. “Now…may I have this dance?”

“Yes,” said Hope with a smile, taking Eamonn’s arm. “But, you know, that’s what you say when you’re about to dance with a woman.”

“Who said I wasn’t about to dance with you?” asked Eamonn, quirking a brow, before carefully twirling Hope.

“Oh!” said Hope, who was caught by Eamonn just as quickly as he’d spun her around.

“Now…are we going to this dance, or what?” asked Eamonn.

“I…I’m not changed,” said Hope lamely.

“Then I’ll wait for you,” said Eamonn. “Hurry up. I want to get there before all the wassail is gone.”

“And how exactly are we going to get there?” asked Hope, quirking a brow, looking around to see if there was some horse-drawn carriage to take them to the dance…or a regular taxi, which would totally do.

“Just get changed,” ordered Eamonn. “I’ll…wait out here.”

“Fine, fine,” said Hope.

Hope closed the door. She went over to the suitcases and hauled them into the bedroom. She opened them up. In one bag, there was the main outfit. There was a festive crimson red dress with a pine green ribbon sash, with a match crimson cape lined with what Hope was sure was real white ermine. There were the typical Regency undergarments, sans corset. Hope put on a pair of white stockings and then, put on the petticoat, before slipping the red dress over her head.

Hope opened the second suitcase. Inside, there were shoes, a pouch-style purse, and a hairpin. The shoes were pine green and satin — but they were of modern construction. Hope’s feet thanked Avery for making that anachronistic styling decision. Hope slipped the shoes on. She attached the pouch style purse to the green ribbon sash. It was empty — more of a decoration than a functional item, for Hope’s costume. Then, she looked at the hair pin. It was jeweled, with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds that Hope was sure must be fake, and the piece looked to be contemporary. Hope went to the mirror, quickly put her hair up in a messy bun, and sealed the bun with her hair pin. She accidentally pricked her finger with the pin!

“Ouch,” said Hope. She quickly got a bandage from the first aid kit in the bathroom and sealed the wound up. She grabbed her keys and ID, put them in the pouch, and left the house.

“What’s wrong?” asked Eamonn. Hope was gingerly keeping her pricked finger away from her body, like a zombie holding out its arm, while she locked up the house.

“I pricked my finger,” said Hope. “It’s nothing.”

“Good — wouldn’t want some Sleeping Beauty situation on our hands,” said Eamonn, half-jokingly. “Now…shall we?”

“Yeah,” said Hope, turning to face Eamonn. “How are we getting to the ball? You call a car or something?”

“You could say that,” said Eamonn, turning Hope to face the street.

If Hope had thought she was dreaming when she’d seen Eamonn dressed up like a rake, standing on her doorstep, then she really thought she was dreaming when she saw what was waiting to take her to the ball.

She’d joked about a horse-drawn carriage.

She never thought she’d see a reindeer-drawn sleigh.

“Come on, you two!” growled the man sitting in the front of the sleigh, wielding a whip. “Don’t make me use this thing on you!” With that, he cracked the whip right into the air.

“Coming,” said Eamonn, and he lifted Hope right up, to carry her to the sleigh.

“Oh, my!” said Hope, looking at Eamonn and then, looking over the sleigh. Seven reindeer were drawing the sleigh! In the front of the sleigh, there was a familiar couple — Krampus and Avery, dressed up in Regency garb. Eamonn gently put Hope down inside the carriage.

“Where to?” joked Avery, as Hope adjusted herself so she could sit comfortably on the red velvet lined seats.

“To the ball, of course,” said Eamonn with a wink.

“Hope, you look just darling,” said Avery. “What happened to your hand?”

“Oh, I cut my hand on the hair pin,” said Hope. “For costume jewelry, it’s very sharp.”

“You know, costume jewelry is usually only used to refer to jewelry that has fake gemstones,” teased Avery.

“Yeah…like the hairpin,” said Hope

Avery raised an eyebrow.

“Wait…Avery, it’s real?” squeaked Hope. “I can’t wear this!”

“Well, I don’t have anywhere to put it, so you’re gonna have to wear it,” said Avery with a smile. “Try not to lose it!”

“Not that it matters if she does,” grumbled Krampus.

“Why not?” asked Avery, quirking a brow.

“That thing’s got a homing enchantment on it, like all your jewelry,” explained Krampus. “How do you think all your cocktail rings find their way back into your jewelry box after cocktail hour, woman?”

“Damn it, Krampus — what did I tell you about cursing my things?” asked Avery.

“Curse, enchantment, potat-oh, potat-ah,” said Krampus. “Now…we need to get these kids to the ball before Santana realizes that I committed Grand Theft Sleigh again.”

“How did you get past the anti-Naughtiness wards?” asked Avery.

“I’m a demon,” said Krampus. “I don’t care about the laws — human, physical, or magical. Now…hold on. I’ve always wanted to do this. Hy-ahh!” Krampus cracked his whip in the air, and the reindeer were off.

“On Dasher! On Dancer! On Prancer! On Vixen!” roared Krampus. “On Comet, Cupid, Donner, and…well, I guess Blitzen’s in the back, so he ain’t much help tonight.”

“Okay, so…last night, we kinda rushed through the whole ‘Christmas magic’ thing,” said Hope, looking at Eamonn. “Can you give me a run-down again?”

“Oh, oh, pick me, teacher, pick me!” said Avery, raising her hand.

Hope quirked a brow. “Yes, Avery?”

“Alright, so…here’s the cheat sheet,” said Avery. “I’m a Christmas elf. That means I work for Santana Claus — who you know as Santa Claus. I’m his eyes and pointy ears here on The Wreath.” Avery pushed back her hair and tapped her ears. Her ears became pointed like, well, a Christmas elf! She touched them again, and the ears became rounded again, like Hope’s ears.

“Why does Santa — sorry, Santana — need a spy down here?” asked Hope.

“To keep track of this guy,” said Avery, thumbing toward Krampus.

“Why does Krampus need to be watched?” asked Hope.

“Uh, hello? He just committed Grand Theft Sleigh?” suggested Avery. “Anyway. Krampus here…he’s a Christmas demon.”

“I’m not just a Christmas demon, I’m the Christmas demon, and it’s Mister Christmas demon to you!” said Krampus. “Or, Krampus. That works.”

“Anyway, Krampus here is Santana’s best friend, his right-hand man,” said Avery.

“His right-hand de-man,” joked Krampus. “Get it? Man? Demon?”

“Whatever,” said Avery, rolling her eyes. “Anyway. As I was saying, without interruptions. Krampus does a lot of odd jobs for Santana…including training bad boy bear shifters like Eamonn over there.”

“Because…Eamonn was in danger of getting mate madness, needed to relearn his values,” said Hope.

“Yes, but that’s not all,” said Avery. “He’s also got to work on The Ride, on Christmas Eve — tomorrow night. This is his one night of fun before he gets to bring joy to the rest of the world — in what’s going to be the hardest night of work of his life.”

“But I’m ready, thanks to Krampus,” said Eamonn.

“Is that…a tear in your eye, Krampus?” asked Avery.

“No, it’s a snowflake,” lied Krampus. “You all are wrong about one thing, though. You can’t ‘get’ mate madness.”

“You can’t?” asked Hope.

“No,” said Krampus. “It’s not contagious. There’s no virus or bacteria that causes it. You can’t get it from not eating enough limes. In my opinion…every shifter is in danger of falling into mate madness because it’s a thing we’re born with. It’s a thing we can succumb to.”

“You say ‘we’ as if…” started Hope.

“He is a shifter,” said Avery. “It’s complicated.”

Eamonn reached over and took Hope’s hand. Hope wrapped her fingers around Eamonn’s fingers and squeezed his hand back. She was nice and warm in her cape, but Eamonn made her feel warm inside her chest, even as the snow fell around them, turning The Wreath into a snow globe.

“Hup! We’re here!” said Krampus, pulling into the community center. The outside of the community center had a giant Christmas tree as well as wreaths, garlands, and lights. There were carolers outside, raising money for charity.

Eamonn helped Hope out of the carriage.

“Aren’t you two coming inside?” asked Hope.

“Well…remember how I have to keep an eye on Krampus?” asked Avery. “I better make sure he gets this sleigh back up to The North Pole.”

“Well, how are you going to do that?” asked Hope.

“How do you think?” asked Krampus. “You don’t think these seven ice elementals need training too?”

“Those reindeer…they’re…” started Hope. “Sorry, what?”

“It’s a long story, but, just as Eamonn has the power of Blitzen this season, the other seven reindeer, well, they’re inside seven tiny penguins,” said Krampus. “Ask Jack and Pandora about it.”

Krampus cracked his whip and Hope watched in awe as the reindeer took off into the sky! She looked around — nobody else had noticed Krampus and Avery flying away in Santana Claus’ sleigh, except for a few kids, who pointed up in the air, while their parents tried to pull them into the community center.

“Does nobody see this?” asked Hope, as the sleigh became a tiny dot in the sky. Hope didn’t have a compass on her, but she knew that sleigh was headed North, as North as it could possibly go. It was just like it was described in the folktales…except for the straw. For some reason, a ton of straw had been left in the wake of the sleigh, bales of the stuff. It must’ve been reindeer feed.

“People see what they want to see, and they believe what they want to believe,” said Eamonn. “Now…are we going to have a Regency Christmas or what?”

“We are,” said Hope. “Come on.”

The event was free to the public so anyone could just walk in. Most folks were dressed in fancy Christmas dresses and suits. Some were in historical costumes from all periods — not only Regency, but Georgian, Victorian, and even Medieval — and it took a bit of willpower, but Hope held her tongue about it.

Inside the community center, a bevy of food and drink was available, as well as introductory dance lessons. Hope and Eamonn made a bee-line to the wassail and then, hit the bar for some spiced rum to add to the wassail.

“Is this Regency accurate?” asked Eamonn, clinking plastic cups with Hope.

“You know what? I don’t frikkin’ care,” said Hope with a grin, looking around. “I’m just glad everything came together.”

“And everyone,” said Eamonn.

“Yeah, it is nice to see the town having fun together,” agreed Hope.

“No — I mean, look at who is giving dancing lessons,” said Eamonn.

Hope followed Eamonn’s gaze. A man in Georgian clothing and a curvy woman in a Georgian dress were teaching the moves to the basic Viennese waltz to the crowd.

“Wait…is that…” started Hope.

“I know that’s Jerry, and I think that’s Melissa,” said Eamonn.

“You think?” asked Hope, raising an eyebrow. “She’s so pretty. How could you forget what she looks like?”

“She’s nothing special to me,” said Eamonn, looking straight into the eyes of the woman that was special to him.

“Well, I give it one night,” said Hope, looking back at her ex and her rival, dancing clumsily. “But who knows? Anything can happen on Christmas.”

“Well, it’s not Christmas yet,” said Eamonn. “It’s just Christmas Eve’s Eve.”

“Are you going to get all technical on me? Is Christmas to you what Regency studies are to me?” asked Hope

“Okay, fair,” admitted Eamonn. “This stuff…it’s kinda baby level. You wanna go into the woods, see how things turned out there? I think you’ll like it.”

“Of course,” said Hope. “Wait. How do you know what the other activities are like?”

“I helped set this all up,” said Eamonn.

“You did?” asked Hope.

“How do you think I got dirt on my pants? Why do you think I’m all sweaty?” asked Eamonn with a laugh. “Come on. I think you’re gonna like this.”

Eamonn led Hope out the other side of the community center. Just as the town of The Wreath formed a ring around the lake known as The Wreath, the forest known as The Wreath encircled the entire town. The community center, on the edge of the village, led right into the woods. Various roads pierced and out of the woods, but near the community center, there were no roads for cars. Instead, there were walking paths. There were two main entrances into the forest, both marked with lanterns for the Christmas party.

“Are…are we going to go in there?” asked Hope.

“Yeah, of course,” said Eamonn.

“It looks kinda dark and scary,” admitted Hope.

“You know…if somebody was okay with non-period accurate lighting…we might just have lit the entire dang forest up like a bunch of Christmas trees,” joked Eamonn. “Come on. Trust me. Those woods are full of people. The only bear you’ll encounter in there is me.”

“Fine,” said Hope. “But…you have to hold my hand. Don’t let me get lost!”

“So the curvy, strong, independent college professor wants a big, strong werebear to hold her hand?” asked Eamonn. “To protect her?”

“Yeah, yeah — I just think that this dress isn’t optimal for running away from wild beasts,” said Hope. “Would you wear this on the frikkin’ football field?”

“No — but that sharp hairpin of yours could probably do some damage,” joked Eamonn. “Now, see? Was that so bad?”

“Was what so bad?” asked Hope.

“While we were talking, you didn’t notice we were already walking into the forest,” said Eamonn.

Hope broke her gaze with Eamonn and looked around. She was in the forest! He’d just been so dang hunky and distracting that she hadn’t realized it!

“Eamonn!” hissed Hope, but then, she looked around, and realized that the forest was more brightly lit on the inside than on the outside. There was a nice paved walking path, clear of snow, and people were walking on the trail — mostly couples, as many of the families had opted to stay inside the warm community center. The track was lined with more lanterns — electric, and not entirely period accurate, but, a nice vintage touch — and tiny lanterns were hanging from the trees. There were even electric candles on red velvet ribbons, and there were various ornaments strung up in the trees.

“Eamonn, it’s…” started Hope.

“It’s what?” asked Eamonn.

“…It’s not historically accurate,” said Hope. “It’s not Regency.”

“Oh,” said Eamonn quietly.

“It’s better than anything I could’ve read, than I could’ve imagined, and that could’ve existed back then,” said Hope. “It’s amazing. All this time…I’ve been living in the past, instead of chasing my future.”

“So…that means you’re going to start covering sci-fi books instead?” joked Eamonn. “Genetic engineering? Aliens? Military sci-fi?”

“You’re a sci-fi nerd?” asked Hope, incredulously.

“What, you think I’m just a goober who can’t read super good?” asked Eamonn. “I love a good sci-fi book!”

“Well, then, you’ll have to give me some recommendations later,” said Hope. “Well…not that much later.”

“What do you mean?” asked Eamonn.

“I…ugh, I don’t want to ruin the mood,” said Hope.

“Tell me,” said Eamonn, squeezing Hope’s hand gently.

“I…wasn’t gonna go to this party tonight,” admitted Hope. “I was actually all ready to leave for home, tomorrow morning.”

“On Christmas Eve?” asked Eamonn. “You don’t want to be on the roads on Christmas Eve!”

“I didn’t even think of that,” said Hope. “I just…I didn’t want to be here.”

“Why?” asked Eamonn.

“Because…what I said last night, I said in the wrong way, but those feelings, they’re real,” said Hope. “Eamonn, I’m not meant to —”

“Shh,” said Eamonn. “You don’t have to say it. I know. And you know I disagree. But…tonight, we can have a good time, right?”

“I guess,” said Hope.

“I know we can,” said Eamonn. “Hope…promise me this. You won’t leave until Christmas Day.”

“Why?” asked Hope. “You claimed me, Eamonn. You’re off The Naughty List. You just have to do The Ride, and you can go home, with your shift, like none of this ever happened.”

“I think that’s the difference between you and me, at least right now,” said Eamonn. “You wish this never happened…but nothing has made me happier, in all my life, than the last few weeks I’ve spent with you, my fated mate.” Eamonn kissed the top of Hope’s head, and the tears just came flowing out. They were by themselves, on a side path in the woods. Eamonn held Hope close and patted her on the back.

“There, there, babe,” said Eamonn, giving her another kiss on the head, and then, pushing her back gently. He put a crooked finger underneath her eye and wiped away the tears, before wiping the other eye dry as well.

“I’m sorry, I just…I want to drop the subject,” said Hope.

“Then let’s,” agreed Eamonn. “Come on. We’ve got some dancing to do. We’ll shake it off.”

Eamonn led Hope through the winding woods, along the lit paths, to the clearing in the woods. The clearing was paved like the paths, used for various community events. The inside of the clearing had couples dancing, a table filled with pastries, cider, wassail, and mulled wine, and there was a string quartet playing Classical music.

“Eamonn…” whispered Hope. “How did you put this all together?”

“I asked around, found a group of teens who play in the local high school orchestra who were looking to make a few bucks, and Avery put together the Regency food table,” explained Eamonn. “Come on. Let’s get some food in you.”

Eamonn led Hope over to the table of goodies.

“So?” asked Eamonn. “What do you think?”

“Plum pudding…marzipan animals…fruitcake…it’s all accurate,” said Hope. “This is the same kinda food that people like Jane Austen could’ve eaten during the holidays. Oh! There’s even gingerbread! Do you want a bear or a reindeer?”

“Bear,” said Eamonn, taking a bear from Hope. The gingerbread was snappy and spicy — just perfect. Hope dug into a marzipan animal — a marzipanimal — shaped like a tiny polar bear.

“Look at you, devouring that polar bear,” said Eamonn. “Here I was thinking that I was too brutal on the poor guy!”

“Ha-ha,” said Hope sarcastically, as she watched the dancers.

“So…is this the part where I ask if I may have this dance?” asked Eamonn.

“Okay, so, I may not have been entirely…forthcoming with you,” admitted Hope. “I…don’t exactly know how to dance.”

“I thought you said that the Regency dances were fun, bouncy, that kind of thing,” said Eamonn.

“Theory and praxis are two different beasts — like bears and reindeer,” said Hope.

“Well, you know how some people learn best from reading?” asked Eamonn.

“Yeah?” asked Hope, as Eamonn took her hands.

“I think with dancing, everyone learns best by doing,” said Eamonn, twirling Hope over to the dance floor.

“Eamonn!” hissed Hope. “I didn’t accept your invitation to dance!”

“Well, I’m a rake, so I don’t care,” joked Eamonn. “Nah-nah.”

“Technically, I would need a good reason to refuse your invitation,” admitted Hope. “You got lucky this time, Eamonn.”

“I don’t play by the rules, but I get results,” said Eamonn.

“You’re a football player — doesn’t that mean you have to play by the rules to get the result?” asked Hope. “Also — isn’t that something people say in cheesy cop dramas? Pick a genre and stick to it!”

“Then I pick romance,” said Eamonn, giving Hope another twirl and dipping her as he caught her. Hope looked up into Eamonn’s eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of gingerbread brown that she’d ever seen.

Just then, the string quartet started playing a string cover of a modern dance piece. The crowd cheered and began to bop with the beat. Eamonn brought Hope back up.

“This more your speed?” asked Eamonn.

“I told you — I can’t dance,” said Hope.

“Well, then I got news for you — you’ve been doing it this whole time,” said Eamonn. “At this rate, you’ll be a cheerleader by this time next year.”

“Me? A cheerleader?” asked Hope. “Pssh. When werepigs fly.”

“How about when werebears fly?” asked Eamonn, raising a brow.

“Well, you’ve got me there,” admitted Hope.

Hope and Eamonn danced to the beat. Hope got into it, moving her shoulders and bouncing her knees. She even got some hand motions in. She started to feel a lot better about her situation, but there was still that nagging feeling in the back of her head and in the front of her heart, about Fate’s mistake.

The dance floor started to get more crowded. Even though they were outside in the winter, the air began to get hotter.

“It’s getting a little…busy,” said Eamonn. “You wanna go somewhere quieter?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” said Hope.

Eamonn and Hope went to the snacks table, grabbed some more cookies, and headed back down the path to the community center.

“This has been…surprisingly fun,” admitted Hope.

“I mean, there weren’t any keg stands, but, the night’s still young,” joked Eamonn.

“You? The sci-fi nerd? Liking keg stands?” asked Hope. “Now, I’ve heard everything.”

“People can like multiple things,” said Eamonn. “You can like Regency literature and still have fun at an event like this, can’t you? Besides – nobody parties harder than geeks at a convention, except for maybe romance readers, at least, according to this romance novel model in my Clan.”

“I guess I can,” admitted Hope.

Eamonn spotted a wooden structure by the entrance to the lit path.

“Hey…are bears Regency?” asked Eamonn.

“What do you mean?” asked Hope, furrowing a brow. “I mean, they weren’t exclusive to the Regency period, and I don’t consider them to be particularly associated with that period, but, there were bears back then, and shifters too. Of course, there were. Why?”

“I think you should meet my bear,” said Eamonn. Before Hope could answer, he walked off to the wooden structure.

“Oh,” said Hope to herself, realizing what it was. There were a bunch of these on her college’s campus. They were special small changing rooms with lockers, for shifters, so they could put away their clothing when they shifted, come back, turn back into their human forms in private, and get changed into their clothes. It meant they avoided public nudity and their clothing wouldn’t get destroyed when they shifted.

In a few minutes, a big brown bear came out. It was the biggest bear she’d ever seen in her life. Even by grizzly bear shifter standards, he was big — not as big as the polar bear he’d fought in the bakery, but, still, he was pretty big. He had the same gingerbread brown eyes Eamonn had in his human form.

“I guess you were right,” said Hope. “You are the only bear I’ve seen in these woods.”

Eamonn let out a small roar. Then, he got down on all four paws, laid out like a bear rug.

“What are you doing?” asked Hope with a laugh.

Eamonn poked his head over his shoulders. Hope was confused.

Frustrated, Eamonn shifted back into a human being — totally frikkin’ nude.

“Eamonn, whoa!” said Hope, covering her eyes.

“You’ve seen me naked before,” said Eamonn, crossing his arms. “Anyway. Get on my back, Hope. I wanna show you something.”

“Fine, fine, just…shift,” said Hope.

“That is the plan,” said Eamonn.

Eamonn shifted back into a bear. Hope uncovered her eyes when she felt something furry rubbing against her leg. She looked and saw that Eamonn was back in his bear form.

“Alright…so, do I ride you like a horse?” asked Hope.

Eamonn nodded. Eamonn’s bear was surprised. Eamonn had never let anyone ride on him before! The bear was excited about the new experience – and realized that this woman must be very special to the shifter indeed.

“Alright…well, I guess if we were doing this Regency style, then maybe I’d ride side saddle or something, given the skirts,” said Hope.

Eamonn raised an eyebrow — or rather, raised the fur where his eyebrows would’ve been.

“Fine, fine,” said Hope, getting on Eamonn in the normal style. “But, if somebody sees my petticoats, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

Eamonn chuckled, which came out as a series of low growls that almost sounded like purrs. He went off plodding down the path, walking quickly for a bear. Eamonn’s inner bear was grilling Eamonn on how the Hell Eamonn had managed to land a woman like Hope and encouraged Eamonn to claim her…

…But when the bear learned the woman had been resistant to the claim, he fell silent and left Eamonn with but low grumbles and roar. The bear knew little of the world of humans and love, and the feelings Eamonn had for Hope were unlike any feelings he’d known Eamonn to feel. He’d never thought Eamonn was capable of handling such a deep devotion for another – something more profound than whatever lust he’d had for random women and stronger than what loyalty he’d had for his teammates. This was adoration, plain and simple.

Hope had just gotten used to riding Eamonn when Eamonn came out the other side of the path’s main loop. Outside, there was a group, caroling, and Eamonn went up to join them. Everyone in the group was wearing period clothing — including four familiar faces. Avery and Krampus were there, as well as Pandora and Jack, the two regulars at the cafe that Hope had seen around but hadn’t had much time to chat with.

“Here,” said Avery, passing Hope a cup of warm wassail.

“What is all this?” asked Hope.

“Well, we’re going caroling, silly!” said Avery. “We’re going to go all around town, spreading joy and cheer!”

“And drinking,” said Krampus, holding up his cup. “They can’t arrest you for public drunkenness if you’re wearing clothing from the past, because that means that the old timey police have jurisdiction over you, and all the old timey police are skeletons, and skeletons cannot catch you because they cannot run because they do not have muscles. That’s a fact.”

“I…don’t think that checks out,” said Hope. “Is he already sloshed?’

“He wishes,” said Avery, rolling her eyes. “He’s just got a tiny bee.”

“A tiny bee?” asked Hope, finishing her red and white speckled enamel and tin mug of ‘holiday cheer’ and passing it back to Avery.

“A little buzz,” said Avery with a wink. “Oh, and here’s a songbook.”

Hope flipped through the book. The book was filled with a mix of modern and Regency Christmas carols. By now, the group had already reached the first set of houses. Hope decided to stand when caroling and rode on Eamonn’s back when they went between neighborhoods.

Hope caroled for hours with her friends. She met the mix of Christmas elves and ice elementals that were in the caroling party — the elves cheery like Avery, the ice elementals rather, well, icy, but good at singing. They caroled through the streets of The Wreath, forming a loop that led back to the community center.

“Hey, kids,” called Krampus. Both Hope and Eamonn turned.

“Hope, I’ll drive you home,” said Avery.

“Eamonn, you can row back to Camp Kringle with me,” said Krampus. “Hey — I saw you roll your eyes!”

Eamonn let out a small roar and walked back into the woods. At first, Hope was confused, but then, she realized that Eamonn’s clothing was still in the tiny wooden bunker. She followed after Eamonn to say her goodbye. Eamonn plodded back into the changing room and came back out fully dressed in his human form.

“So…what did you think of bear-oling?” asked Eamonn. “Get it? Because I’m a bear? And we went caroling?”

“I got it,” said Hope. “You know — those puns are so nerdy, I could swear you have a future in academia.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry — you don’t have to carry me around the next time we go caroling,” joked Eamonn.

The silence between Eamonn and Hope was palpably awkward. Whether or not there would be a next time they went caroling was yet to be determined — and the person in charge of making that choice wasn’t the big, bad, burly football player, who could usually get his way all the time. The person in charge of making the choice was the curvy, soft BBW, whose vulnerability made her decision to make herself even more vulnerable even harder. After all…if Fate had made a mistake, falling harder for Eamonn would just make their inevitable breakup all the more painful for Hope.

“Well…thanks for the ride,” said Hope. “Guess that was an early Christmas gift, huh? I, uh…didn’t exactly get you a Christmas gift yet.”

“I just want one thing for Christmas,” said Eamonn.

“What?” asked Hope.

“I want you to wait until Christmas Day to make a decision about us,” said Eamonn. “Tomorrow, I’m going to The North Pole, for The Ride, and then, I’m coming back to The Wreath. Whatever decision you make, I’ll respect it…but please, give yourself some real time to think this over, Hope.”

“Okay,” promised Hope. “I will.”