☆。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*

IX. THE YEAR WITHOUT A
SANTA CLAUS

☆。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*

PURE TERROR FILLED the streets the closer the brothers got. Dozens of cars were backed up one after the other, put in park as there was no way around the accident and they were unable to turn around. Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were still on the way to help those in need, the sirens growing closer as they wailed down the streets. Blaise and Noel weren't sure how they managed to beat the emergency services to the scene, but as soon as they arrived, they hoped it wouldn't be much longer.

There were four cars that had been involved, two still smushed together near the edge of the road where a few people had scurried away from when the cars swirled in that direction. Pained cries echoed throughout the street as those involved reeled in what had just happened while they clutched their injuries or loved ones who were injured or shaken up, horror filling their eyes and their hearts. A few bystanders attempted to help and pull people out of their cars if they were able to or keep people away from being simply nosy or taking unwanted photos and videos of the scene as others kept those injured awake in case they had more severe injuries. Faint smoke rolled into the air from a silver car with a dented roof and was nearly caved in as if it had completely rolled over and managed to flip back onto its crooked wheels. There was another car near the end of the street that was blocking both lanes, groans emitting from beside it where a young couple was kneeled, trying to catch their breaths while another couple stood near them and kept them company until help arrived.

Noel felt his stomach churn at the frightful sight, a pained realization dawning on him and causing him to nervously gulp. "Do you. . ." he let out a shaky breath, looking aside towards Blaise, causing his big brother to frown, "Do you think that this is something we could cause during our fights? Maybe a thousand times worse?"

Blaise momentarily closed his eyes, his heart sinking into the deepest pit of his stomach. He'd had the same thought, but he just didn't want to say it out loud.

Through and through, he and Noel had failed to think of one important thing when they fought and used the worlds to attack each other: who actually had to face the destructive outcomes of their feuds. And sure, they had to face their mother's wrath, but it was nothing compared to those who had to deal with the harsh weather conditions the brothers brought upon them ━━━ which was capable of having grave accidents.

It was a daunting thought, but sadly, it was also a reality they hadn't ever faced. They weren't innocent, but all they could do was try to be and do better than before in hopes that it would somehow make up for their past actions and mistakes. They couldn't take back what they'd done no matter how much they wanted, but that didn't mean they shouldn't try to pick up the pieces.

"We owe it to them to help," Blaise said after a few moments, hearing a woman sobbing a few feet away, cradling a twisted ankle.

"We do," Noel nodded in agreement.

"But where do we start?"

As if the universe sensed their desire to help, a little girl with hints of blue in her hair came rushing towards the brothers. She didn't seem to have been injured as if she'd been in any of the vehicles, but they couldn't have been too sure. "Help!" she desperately shouted, rushing up to the brothers as they were the closest people she saw. "Santa's stuck inside a car!"

Noel bent down, quickly trying to examine her condition. "Are you okay? You really shouldn't━━━"

"Please, he needs help!" she hastily exclaimed, grabbing his arm and tugging him forward.

With a sigh, Noel followed after the girl as Blaise hurried along beside him.

The little girl hastily led them over to the flipped-over car as fast as her little legs would take her, crouching down beside it to get a good look inside the vehicle. Noel and Blaise kneeled down beside her, bending down at an awkward angle to try and see if they could actually spot Santa Claus still stuck in the vehicle.

Much to their surprise, Santa was inside the car.

"Oh my god," Blaise muttered in disbelief.

"We have to get him out!" the little girl shrieked, going to move forward to try and reach inside the broken window. Blaise and Noel knew the man's job was most likely to play the part of Santa, but they weren't about to tell the little girl he wasn't the real Santa Claus.

Blaise instinctively reached out and carefully grabbed her arm to prevent her from getting any closer. "Let us do it," he softly said.

"But I wanna help, too," she frowned.

"And you can," Noel sweetly chimed in, offering the girl a small smile. "How about you go and find your parents or-or your guardian first? Just so they know that you're safe."

The girl reluctantly nodded, stealing a look inside the car. "Okay," she sighed. "Please, you have to save Santa. He's still seeing kids to see what they want and has to bring happiness and presents to the world on Christmas day!"

"And he will," Blaise softly assured her.

The girl timidly smiled in return and stood up just as a voice shouted out the name Phoebe with panic etched in their voice, coming from the opposite direction. Noel let out a shaky breath as the little girl, perhaps named Phoebe, hurried around a corner, leaving Noel and Blaise with Santa Claus.

Noel bent forward so his chest was nearly pressed against the slick road, looking to the man through the shattered window. "Hey, uh, Santa?" he slowly and loudly called out, hoping the man was conscious and could hear him.

The man didn't respond at first, but a few moments later he let out a low groan due to the pain in his lower abdomen. Blaise breathed out in relief; at least he was still alive. If he'd been dead ━━━ Phoebe, didn't need to see that and have her little heart crushed into tiny pieces.

"Sir, uh, can you-can you move at all?" Noel questioned, worry settled in his stomach. The sirens were growing closer, but with the amount of blood that was painted on the leather seats and beneath him didn't give them a very good indication of what shape he might've been in. He needed help, and fast.

Santa groaned again, shifting from where he was laid on the ground, glass, and blood meshed beneath him. He slightly turned his head, eyes falling on the brothers. "You're-you're not. . .paramedics," he breathed out.

"We just want to help, sir," Blaise stated, a small frown evident on his face. "Your condition. . .it might help if we can move you before they get here so they can do what needs to be done before it's too late."

"Well. . .when you put it like that," Santa harshly wheezed, coughing after he spoke. "I can. . . kind of move. . .but I don't have the-the strength to get the door open. . .the windows are too narrow. . ."

"We need to get him out of there, like, right now," Noel briskly said, propping his hand up against the car to face Blaise.

Blaise nodded his head in agreement. "You're right, but how?"

Noel thought for a brief moment, examining the car. "We don't have our powers, but we were born stronger than most," Noel reminded his brother, glancing towards him. "Maybe we can pry the door off?"

"Oh? Is that all?" Blaise sarcastically asked.

"It's worth a shot!" Noel snapped.

Blaise wanted to respond with another idea that might've worked better, but it wouldn't have done them any good. Help was just around the corner, but there were other people who needed help, too. They weren't sure how many people would arrive either, but it couldn't have hurt to have some of the work already done for them. So, without any other option, they stood up to get to work.

"We're gonna try and get the door off, alright? Just-just hold on!" Blaise shouted, taking a small step back. Santa mumbled in response, but neither brother was able to comprehend what the man had said.

Blaise sucked in a deep breath, reaching down to try and see if they'd have any luck with the door handle. Sadly, it didn't work. He gritted his teeth together, doing a double-take when he saw Noel remove his jacket and hold it on the side of the window.

"Here, we're gonna have to do it this way then," he told Blaise. Before he could ask Blaise to do the same, the man was already removing his jacket and copying his brother.

Noel softly smiled, staying crouched as he waited for Blaise to have a good grip on the opposite side of the window. Once he did, they both pulled, gritting their teeth and clenching their jaws as they used all of their strength to try and pry the door off. It didn't seem to be working, but then Noel felt his hands begin to grow hot. He didn't think anything of it at first, but soon the heat got worse and he winced, pulling away due to the pain.

"What are you━━━"

"Blaise." Blaise followed his brother's gaze, eyes nearly tripling in size when seeing the clothes were singed and his fingers were a faint orange color as if he'd been using his powers.

His eyes widened in surprise.

How was that even possible? Their powers were stripped from them by their mother and weren't meant to be returned until they went home.

"But mother said. . ."

"We can worry about that later," Noel quickly said. "He's running out of time."

"Yeah, you're right," Blaise agreed, instantly regretting his words. He quickly shook his head, shooting Noel a dirty glare. "If you ever tell anyone I said that, you're dead."

"Sure thing, Heat Miser."

Blaise slightly bent his knees, deciding to use his newly returned powers to his advantage. He firmly pressed his hands against the door, watching in shock as his hands melted through the metal while the immense heat emitting from his hands didn't harm him in the slightest ━━━ it'd never backfired on him, but there'd been a few close calls throughout the years as had Noel's powers. Once his hands were completely through the metal, he turned his hands to have a better grip on the door. Then he pulled, tugging the door right off of its hinges.

Noel instantly bent down and carefully crawled inside the car, reaching his hand out towards Santa. His face fell when seeing the man's eyes were peacefully closed, but his chest was slowly rising and falling. "Aw, shit," he cursed under his breath, not realizing he sounded just like Jack at that moment. He quickly crawled closer, sitting up as much as he could.

"Is he still alive?" Blaise asked, a hint of panic in his tone.

"Yeah, but barely," Noel breathlessly answered, scooting towards the opposite side of Santa. "I need your help, Blaise. You can take his legs and I'll try and get my hands under him so I won't have to pull on his arms. We should be able to almost carry him out, but we have to be very careful."

"Alright," Blaise murmured, scooting inside as well. He kneeled by Santa's feet, gently slipping his arms under both of the man's legs. He gripped them as carefully as possible, waiting until Noel had his arms under Santa's back before crawling backward towards the shattered window. "You ready?"

Noel cleared his throat, feeling his skin warm from the worry and adrenaline inside him despite the chilly weather spilling into the car. "Yeah, let's move."

Together, the brothers carefully moved Santa out of the wrecked car, hearing frantic shouting nearby. Red and blue lights lit up the street from every angle, faint orders and instructions being given out to the first responders. Noel and Blaise didn't pay any attention to the increasing noise, making getting Santa out safely their number one priority.

"Over here!" A female voice called out, her uniform giving away that she was a paramedic. She rushed over to the brothers just as they got Santa laid down on the ground, brown eyes widened. She quickly kneeled down beside him while the brothers stood back out of the way, anxiously hoping that the woman would find what was wrong with Santa and be able to save him in time. Two men rushed over, carrying a gurney with some medical equipment hooked to the bottom, more placed on top of the thin mattress hooked onto the gurney.

Blaise let out a shaky breath, seeing the woman shining a light in Santa's eyes to check his pupils. "Is he going to be alright?" he couldn't help but ask.

The woman nodded, stepping aside so the men could move him onto a board that would be hooked into the gurney so Santa could be put into an ambulance safely. "You two got him out just in time," she said, gaze falling on the door off to the side where two holes in the shape of hands were blatantly obvious. Her stunned expression didn't go unnoticed, looking at the heroic brothers. "How exactly did you two get him out?"

"It was a Christmas miracle!" Phoebe interjected before they were able to respond, a bright smile adorning her features. A tall man in a thick black coat stood beside her, a timid smile on his face as his lanky arm was wrapped around Phoebe's shoulders. "They saved Santa Claus!"

☆。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*

So, of course I had to name a chapter after the film that introduced me to the original miser brothers! I know it doesn't include anything from the movie, but I hope y'all don't mind!

I'd originally struggled with this chapter when I first wrote it (in 2020), but I went and edited it, I was able to fix up a few things and hopefully, it wasn't super confusing! I've never been in an accident or seen one happen, nor have I actually been in New York, so I'm sorry for any inaccuracies that are most likely in this lmao.

But anyway, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and I hope y'all enjoyed!