Kris sat on his recliner in his living room, his heart racing as he hung up the phone. Looking over at Bernard who was now piecing things together as his face changed with concern. The other two elves stood by silently waiting.. their faces nervous as they looked at each other and at Kris. He stroked his white beard a moment with his hand and let out a long sigh. His mind flashing back to the nightmare that was the relationship with the now EX Mrs. Claus. The flashes of blood and the cries of the elves ringing in his ears as he sat with Bernard and the others staring at him. They too remembered the night, even Bernard as they expressed fear in their faces. 

"Is everyone accounted for? Are all the reindeer in their pens in the barn? Bernard get that done please, then make sure to get everyone inside. At least until I get this sorted out."

Kris ordered as Bernard nodded and he scurried off with the other two elves to enact the new emergency orders, leaving Kris to think. He knew he had to do something. To protect those around him more than himself, and he knew he had to do it fast since it was apparent SHE already knew where he was, which was an advantage he did not like. He never expected her to get free. Either way, he had to do something so he sighed one more time and grabbed the phone once again. 

He decided to place a call to the only person who possibly could help him. He wasn't too familiar with this world or these streets, but his new boss was. She would know the ins and outs of the city and would surely be able to find out if anyone had spotted someone that would stand out as much as Kris's ex wife. He lifted the handset to the side of his head and hesitated before lifting his other hand to dial the number to his boss's direct line.. 

"Hello? Miss Maggie? It's Kris.."

He tried to sound as normal and as close to his jolly old self as he could but his voice almost trembled. He noticed himself and cleared his throat and tried to focus on the now. He didn't know how his fairly new boss would react to the news he would deliver. Knowing it had NOTHING to do with her, he wasn't sure if she'd even be willing to help. 

Maggie chuckled at the sound of her right hand calling her 'Miss' as if she were someone proper. 

"Kris, really, how many times do you reckon that I'm gonna have to ask you to call me Maggie... just Maggie or Cat if you must?"  She leaned up against her kitchen wall where the telephone hung, realizing that Kris' voice wasn't quite right and he hadn't laughed with her when she play-scolded him, which was NOTHING like the jolly man at all.  

"Is something wrong, Kris?  Has something happened?"

Kris hesitated hearing his boss's sweet charming voice. He tried to chuckle at her tone but he couldn't relax, not right now. He cleared his throat and tried his best to explain the situation to Maggie. 

"Well thank you Maggie. The truth is.. yes.. I've come across a bit of a.. a problem I suppose." 

He bit his lip realizing he was understating things as the situation could prove rather dangerous.

"Actually it's a bit of an emergency.. perhaps? The truth is that I feel something from my past may very soon put those around me in danger."

Kris declared with a worried but solid tone. He was curious as to how Maggie would take the news he was about to tell her. 

"You see, remember when you asked jokingly that time we met, about where Mrs. Claus was? And I avoided the question? Well.. there was a reason, as I'm sure you've surmised. Though now that reason has to come clear because I'd hate for something to happen to those around me. I won't let that happen again."

Kris sat nervously with the phone against his head as Maggie processed his words. Knowing she would most likely have questions and he would divulge anything if it would help protect herself and those around him. 

Maggie had always assumed Kris was a widower, just unwilling to talk about his late wife.  To hear that she lived was something of a shock, to find that Kris feared her... well, that was something altogether different.

"Dangerous?  You're afraid of something happening?  Goodness Kris you make her sound like..." She stopped herself from saying 'some sort of animal' because that would have been cruel.  "Look, why don't you come by my place and you can catch me up to speed.  Is one of your guys able to bring you or should I send some of my men?"

Kris gulped as he tried to explain and realized Maggie was right. It would better to explain this in person. He nodded to himself as he answered, the sounds of Bernard and his elves scurrying about behind him through the house. 

"No no, I.. I can have Bernard bring me. I'll be there soon, and Maggie... Thank you." 

Kris said before hanging up and calling out for Bernard, who came back promptly to his boss. 

"Yes sir?" 

He answered as he watched Kris stand from his chair and grab his coat. 

"Get the car will you? We need to get to Marie's. Make sure to remind everyone to stay indoors until I return."

He ordered firmly and Bernard acknowledged the orders, disappearing for a moment as Kris headed back outside to the car where magically somehow Bernard already was. 

"Good, let's go." 

Kris said as he closed the door after climbing back into the back seat of his limousine. The engine turning over once more as Bernard drove away from the cottage, which started to look more like a compound as elves scurried about outside. 

--- A Short Drive Later... ---

Kris stared out the window as the limousine pulled up in front of Marie's place, Bernard speedily rushing around to open his door. Kris stepped out, clearly nervous as he left his purple overcoat in the car. Step after step up the path to Marie's door, Bernard followed right behind. Kris stopped a foot from the door, cleared his throat then proceeded to knock. 

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Boss, you sure we're at the right place?"

Bernard asked from the front, recognizing the place as the place of his boss's previous boss. Kris looked up and around realizing just where he was..

"Damnit.. see, this damn woman is at it again! Bernard, you know where we need to go. Please, just take me to MAGGIE's will you? I'll have to let Marie know as well.." 

Kris said to himself but knew the more pressing matter was to bring it to his boss's attention. He didn't want Maggie finding out before it was too late. He peered around and noticed there was no car in the driveway and assumed he was lucky enough to not catch her at home.

"Let's go, we need to get to MAGGIE'S!"  

He sat back into the backseat and tried to close to his eyes to relax but flashes kept coming to him of the horrible night that had everyone so frightened. The sounds of the screaming elves sounding so real in his ear though he knew he was alone in the car, save Bernard. He tried to shake it off but the flashes of the blood made him open his eyes. Just in time to realize they were already arriving at Maggie's. 

He exited the car and stepped up to the door and repeated the process and knocked. 

Knock Knock Knock..

Maggie's guys let Kris into her apartment.  She greeted the old man with a warm hug.  "I just made some cookies.  I know how much you like them... come on."  She sat down at a small white kitchen table far from her kitchen's only window.  The apartment was sparse, not at all fancy but very homey.

Maggie pushed the cookies over to Santa and smiled warmly at him.  "Now, why don't you start at the beginning?  Take your time and don't leave a thing out.  If you want, I'll put a kettle on for tea and cocoa?"

Kris nodded to Maggie's men who led him inside to her kitchen where she sat and offered Kris some fresh cookies, sliding the plate over to him. Kris sat with a worried look on his face but still he managed to crack a smile and nod as he reached for a cookie. He did love cookies. He sat and looked across the table at her as she offered tea or cocoa, which made Kris smile again. Shaking his head as he swallowed the cookie crumbs down before attempting to explain. 

"Okay. Many years ago, I did indeed have a wife. She was wonderful. A kind, caring, loving and generous woman who adored and looked after the elves whenever I had to leave or wasn't around. She truly was worthy of the title of Mrs. Claus."

Kris went on, almost smiling as was clear he was remembering the good times as relayed the story to Maggie. Then his smile was abruptly cut off.

"Then... well, something happened. To this day I'm still not sure what, but I have my suspicions. Needless to say something inside her.. changed. She became cold and distant. Stopped caring and even at times got aggressive. I sought help from all kinds of magical seers and mystics but nothing worked. It was as if she was possessed."

Kris continued, slowly getting to the incident that had terrified him and so many of his elves. His eyes watching Maggie's for reactions to his tale of woe. He sighed, took a deep breath and continued. 

"I'm ashamed to admit it but with little other options I was forced to... lock her away." 

His head hung down as he looked at the floor between his feet. A soft sniffle before he lifted his head once more. 

"But in the process she managed to break free and.. well.. I had never seen her like that. She was as if her spirit had left her body as she lunged at me and then proceeded to... attack.. my elves who intervened."

Kris almost starts to break down but he composes himself as the flashes of that night cloud his mind. The sight of his ex wife savagely cutting through three of her elves to try and get to him. 

"It was.. horrible."

He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them fixed on Maggies. 

"I vowed I'd never let her hurt another person, but I think I might need some help with this. She's not who she used to be, not anymore." 

Kris added with a tone of regret in his voice as he sat back and looked over at Maggie, who sat with a look of shock and disbelief to his story. He expected as much, he knew how his story sounded. He glanced over at Bernard and nodded and Bernard produced the package that was sent to Kris's cottage. The box with the old blood stained bonnett of Mrs. Claus. 

"We need to stop her.. before someone else suffers for my mistake." 

Kris looked at Maggie with pleading eyes. All sense of joy and jollyness had left his expression. He seemed now, a normal broken man, suffering for his past transgressions. He only hoped that Maggie would understand and help him put an end to this nightmare. 

Maggie got up from her seat and went around the table to hug Kris.  "This... is terrible - and it's not your fault.  I've seen some of the places most folks shove those they care about when they get too tough to handle and I refuse to believe that any jail cooked up by Santa Claus is worse or even like those hell holes!"

She released her friend and gave him a reassuring look in his twinkling eyes.  "We will find her.  You have my word."  Turning from Kris she walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.  She then punched in the digits to ring up her left hand man Elias.  

"Elias, it's Maggie.  Sorry to bug you - I know you're just settling into your new place but I need the crew to meet up and discuss a big problem.  We got a VIP search and retrieval... and I need every tom, dick and harry on our payroll with their eyes open.  Can you come by my apartment so we can go over the particulars?"  She smiled at Kris.  "I've been wanting to introduce you to my Right Hand Man anyway... now's as good a chance as any I suppose."

Elias awoke to hear his phone ringing - he rushed over picked it up and there was his dear friend Maggie on the other end. 'My dear, it's so good to hear from you' said Elias, 'what's that a VIP search? Kris' Mrs Claus!? You've got to be kidding me, i'll come right away!'

And with that Elias set off from his new apartment, it still had a lot of work that needed doing, the walls needed painting, the wooden floorboards were still exposed, and sharp so Elias had to still be careful where he was walking. However - it was home, you make what you sew. He had many ideas of what improvements were needed, but for now more vital things needed to take place as a priority. Elias would always do whatever Maggie asked of him, so he put on his black coat, shined his crisp leather shoes and put on his black coat before setting out for the day and headed straight to Maggie's..

Kris tried to smile as Maggie hung up the phone. He could hear the voice of someone on the other end and was actually looking forward to meeting Maggie's other hand, despite the situation. He finished off his cookie and nodded as he tried to relax. His mind wondering where his deranged homicidal ex wife was this moment as he sat with Maggie awaiting the arrival of her other hand while they discussed further the painful process of capturing, or worse ending the reign of terror that is his ex wife. 

"Thank you Maggie, for everything. To be honest I didn't know how you'd react given the news. She really is a danger to everyone as long as she's free. She's.. she's just not right." 

Kris said firmly as his gloved hand thudded onto the table top while he tried to think up of a plan to lure her out, knowing that it wasn't going to be an easy task to do so, let alone actually capturing her, if that be an option. Kris just didn't want to see anyone else's lives ended by her, though he knew when the time came and he was face to face with her again, anything could happen. 

Maggie and Kris continued to discuss things before she tried to settle him down by changing the subject while they awaited the arrival of Elias to kick things off and decide the next course of action in this impromptu hunt.