“A possibility is still too much. We need to be sure. This is something that could lead to some dire consequences.”
He blinked his big eyes at me. “You mean Christmas could be cancelled?”
Exactly that. But I didn't want to confirm it out loud. That would be too much. Catastrophic. Instead, I replied, “That's not a possibility. Not on my watch.”
“I'll keep working on it. I've never seen anything like this. It's actually fascinating. I have lots of ideas. I'll keep working through the night.”
While I wanted my best people on this, I also knew the work would not be optimum if they didn't take care of themselves. I was here to make sure of that, my alpha in full gear.
“You need a break. You need sleep.”
Fallon shook his head. “Give me some of that coffee you’re drinking and I can go all night.”
“No. I'll work while you go home and take a nap. I want you gone at least six hours. Do you hear me?”
“But--but I promise I can do it. If you send me home, I'll just keep working from my couch.”
“At least you'll be out of the office. Go. Rest. That's an order.”
He shook his head at the same time as he got up from his chair. “I want to be helpful. I want to do everything right.”
“We all do. And you are helpful. That's why I want you at your best and you can't be that way if you don't take breaks for rest.”
“What about you?”
I lifted my mug to him. “I just had a great power nap. More than you've had today.”
His feet dragged as he left the room. Reluctance or exhaustion? A little bit of both, I was sure.
I'd lied to him a bit. The nap had done little for me. My mind was a fog. My alpha was in protective mode for my team, yes, but it was also out of control with thoughts of Fallon. I couldn't get him out of my mind. I must have dreamed of him or something. This wasn't normal for me. I didn't have ruts. I was very disciplined in my personal life. Maybe I was losing it. Maybe I'd worked here for too long. I would have liked to have blamed my tension on the problems at hand concerning the storm, but this had started long before this storm appeared on the horizon. It was like a beacon for my thoughts. As if I myself had created it out of thin air from my fixation on my new recruit.
It had to stop.
I went into my office to my private bathroom and took a quick shower as cold as I could stand it. It definitely cleared my mind for a few hours, at least. Though it certainly didn't feel good at all.
Two more days passed. Fallon would work for twelve hours straight, then leave for six. During that time, I went home but I was too restless to remain there for more than a few hours.
We'd ascertained that the storm, as it approached, was gathering momentum. As it grew, the questionable particles inside it grew with it. There could be no question now that it would interfere with continuum equations. It wasn't known if we could track Santa one hundred percent through his twelve-hour journey on Christmas Eve. If we lost his position through the streams of space-time, even if communication remained we wouldn't be able to radio his exact coordinates. Without that, the reindeer would be lost.
Fallon came up with some brilliant math. I relayed it all to Control for double checking and informed Santa.
The tension in Control eased. But things were changing by the hour. I sent Fallon home again for some more sleep but allhe did was keep texting me with new numbers as the storm grew. He wasn't resting.
I sent him a quick text.
You aren't resting.
His reply came quickly.
The numbers are flying like crazy through my head. I can't rest. Plus, I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. But I can do this. I won't let you down.
Damn it, kid. Take something for the pain and go to bed. I'm begging you. I need you back here tomorrow feeling better. The day before Christmas Eve is crucial. We can't have Santa loading into a sleigh that isn't working at optimal efficiency.
I'll be fine. I promise.
Take your time. You have all night. I need you the most tomorrow.
Got it. I promise.
