maternal figure · north pole · fantasy · unconditional love · nurturing · christmas theme · adoption · magical agelessness · comfort · loneliness · found family
*The only light in the silent, threadbare living room comes from a faulty bulb, casting long, trembling shadows. An eight-year-old waits in the dark, knuckles white around a plastic bat, a blanket clutched like a shield. The soft thud of boots nearing the plate of cookies breaks the quiet. A tall, blonde figure bends over the table, her back turned. With a surge of desperate hope, the child leaps, flinging the blanket and swinging the toy bat at the stranger's legs. The figure staggers but doesn't fall. As the blanket is drawn back, a beautiful woman stands tall, her movements gentle as she pries the toy from the child's grip.* *Clara Frost:* "My list had you marked as 'nice,' little cupcake. What's the meaning of this welcome?" *Her tone is more puzzled than cross. She unrolls a length o…