Holiday Heroes

Chase walked up the mall steps blowing on his hands, his body shivering due to the dropping temperatures that seemed to just keep dropping. The snow sticking to the bottom of his shoes opening the double doors to the mall. He wiped his shoes off on the carpet he looked up at all the Christmas lights that lined the ceilings , the big golden lights that looked very similar to ornaments that hung low but bright. Christmas was always chases favorite season it always reminded him of a happy time and he always loved to give back during the Christmas season which why he volunteered at the "Santa's workshop" every year, he loved to see how the parents who took there overjoyed children to see Santa. Thats a feeling you can never forget as a kid sometimes he would wish Santa was real which may sound strange coming from a guy in his early twenty but he always had a weak spot for Christmas. Chase walked down the stairs to the "workshop" Christmas music playing in the distance. As he got to the booth area where Santa and all the props were set up he went into the back area setting his coat on a hanger and putting on a Christmas hat. About an hour into his work he looked over towards the gate of the entrance to the workshop and noticed a small little girl couldn't be much older than 4 crying her eyes out looking around, he kept watching to see if her mother or father would come to her aid but as a few minutes passed he noticed no one was even paying attention to her everyone just walking by probably assuming a child having a tantrum, "Hey Sarah can you take over for a bit?" he said to the blonde that was handing out reindeer ears she nodded and Chase stepped about from the camera grabbing a candy cane from the basket. He walked over to the small girl getting down to her level"hey..." he smiled genuinely to her " are you lost?" he asked and the girl just nodded shyly, he handed her a candy cane "How about we go find your mommy" He stood up and held out his hand as she slipped her tiny palm in his and he walked over to the mall speaker they had at the workshop. Chase set the little girl on the desk next to him "whats your name ?" he asked the girl she stopped licking on the candy cane to answer "Isabella" she said and went back to the candy cane, he smiled the girl had reminded him of his niece "Attention will the mother of Isabella come to the workshop please, I think I have a gift for you" he set the speaker down "Your mommy should be here any minute" as they waited for her mother. Chase picked up the little girl and put reindeer ears on her.

Laney was having a difficult time spoiling her little girl this year. She had been laid off from her last job and her newest one isn't paying anywhere near what the other was. It didn't help that her grandmother had moved in with her to help out with the bills but still needed care of her own. One thing was for sure, Laney would never recommend being a single parent to anyone. She loved Isabella with all her heart but occasionally regret the time she spent with her ex. That was a dark time in Laney's life and she was so glad she was done with it.

Isabella had been begging Laney and her grandmother for weeks to go see Santa but they just hadn't had time. Tired of the asking, Laney took off work early one after noon to pick Isabella up from day care and take her to the mall. The excitement on her daughter's face made is so worth the lost pay. As expected, the mall was bustling. After all there was only four weeks to Christmas. Laney did her best to make sure that Isabella kept up and never strayed too far from her side; like most four-year-olds, Isabella refused to old anyone's hand while she was walking. With the excess traffic, it didn't take much for Laney to lose track of her daughter. She went sprinting back through the way they have come in, her head turning as she frantically searched for her baby, horrific scenarios of how she got lost playing through Laney's head. A sigh of relief passed through her when she heard a man over the loudspeaker announce that Isabella had found her way to the workshop. She made her way through the crowds, pushing people out of her way until she say the back of Isabella's head. She ran over, scooping her daughter up into her arms,not even paying attention to the candy cane she had just gotten tangled in both of their hair. Still cradling Isabella, Laney turned to the man that she assumed had found Isabella. "Thank you so much!" She said, tears filling her eyes. "I have no idea what I would have done without her." She pressed a kiss to Isabella's temple and wiped a tear from her own eye. "How could I ever thank you?" She asked.

@ Enchanting

Chase looked over at the young woman who ran over to them tears in her eyes. He knew of course that was the little girls mother he smiled as the two were reunited together. He felt happy that he brought a little girl back to her mother "oh no its not a problem, I wouldn't want anything to happen to her so I thought keep her safe until you came." He smiled and his breathe caught as he drank in her beauty. And she was a dime alright she had the face of a model the most gorgeous girl he had seen today maybe even ever been close to. He was always awkward around pretty girls so he was really careful to think through whatever he was saying he didnt want to mess it up and he didnt want the girl to leave too soon "so if youre here with this little cutie im assuming you were taking her to see santa" he smiled as he poked the little girl in the side who happily giggled. "I bet shes been a good girl why dont you let me take her picture no charge I promise" He said to her mother "I'm chase by the way " He laughed awkwardly thinking he was just babbling on and probably freaking her out. He cursed at himself in his mind noticing the way he was dressed maybe not the causal jeans and elf shirt he had on he could deal with that but i'm sure the Santa hat and elf ears didnt exactly help him look "cool" rolling his eyes at himself.

Laney was almost tempted to not let Isabella out of her arms but she knew even that was a little extreme, even for her. She set Isabella back on her feet, smoothing down her hair. Straightening, she focused her attention on the adorable man in the elf 'costume.' "Well, nonetheless, I'm grateful." She said and placed a hand on Isabella's head as the little girl wrapped her arms around Laney's leg. She nodded. "Isabella has been begging all week to come and visit Santa. She's got quite the list for him." Laney was a little taken aback from the offer. "Oh, no. You don't have to do that. You've already saved me from a heart attack today." She said and offered a smile. "I'm Laney." She took a moment to look over their rescuer. He was sure she was being fooled. There was no way that a man this attractive could possibly be this nice without some other motives. She mentally shook her head, not wanting to think ill of a stranger that had done nothing other than help her since they met.

@ Enchanting