You guys got it! You get your stinkin' lemon!

And, since you guys had to wait so long for it, I give you a sneak peak of the sequel at the end of the chapter. You'll see it at the end.

I own nothing.

Jack Frost stared at the blank page of his notebook, an artist's pencil in one hand, his other clutching the top of the sketch book. It was as empty and bare as the front side of the moon, save for little ridges that would give personality and style when written upon it. But for now, it was blank. Not for long, Jack thought. Biting his lips, he lifted his pencil, then squeezed his eyes shut as he conjured a picture in his mind. He made sure he memorized each and every detail.

Let the memory, the sense and feel, run through your arms and legs. Remember.

When he had the picture imprinted on the back of his eyelids, he opened his eyes, lowered the pencil, and began to draw. As his pencil started to skate across the paper, he reflected on the past events of the last month or so.

Deciding he would skip over his return from the land of the dead, he thought about Tooth. He recalled very clearly when Tooth had finally taken the serum to turn her back into a human. He let himself float back into the memory as he sketched across the page. Jack had told North to drop the two off at his home, assuring the others that she would take the drink. They had been in that same room, in the same spot where he was now, on the bed.

"You ready?" Jack asked, noticing her biting her lip worriedly, her fingers playing with the fringes on her white petticoat. When she didn't reply, he reached over and tenderly pushed her long black hair bangs out of her face, and gave her an encouraging smile. She returned the smile hesitantly, and nodded, a look of determination forming on her face. Jack silently handed her the tube, reading her emotions as they rolled across her face as she twirled the tube in between her fingers. Repulsion. Regret. Hope. Fear. "Hey," he whispered. She turned her head to him hesitantly. He cupped her cheek with one hand, running his thumb across the skin as he met her gaze. "It's gonna be okay," he assured her, smiling. When she didn't reply, he reached over and kissed her softly. She leaned into him, her palm pressing into his hip. Jack gently pulled away, still holding her cheek, and pressed their foreheads and cheeks together. Their breaths mixed together in an icy and warm cloud. He could feel her shivering where their skin touched, his body feeling flushed when they touched. Which reminded him...

He abruptly pulled away, his free hand curling around the one that held the potion. "You need to take it," he reminded her.

"I know," she sighed, leaning into his palm. Her eyes flickered up to his. "But I think I'm ready."

"Good." He grinned broadly as he leaned away from her, his hand sliding away from her hand. "Because I want my tooth fairy back."

She laughed, lifting her face away from his palm. The sound was like sleigh bells on Christmas. "Okay. Here I go." She twisted open the lid and raised the glass vial to her lips. The pink, sparkly fluid slid down the vial and disappeared down her throat. Her body shuddered, and she coughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Jack hesitated, then reached over and patted her back as she continued to cough violently. Without a warning, she burst into a flurry of feathers.

Jack yelped as multicolored feather flew around him, a couple hitting him in the face. He swatted at the air, trying to bat the feathers out of the way as he attempted to look at Tooth. She was still sitting on the bed, her eyes wide with amazement as she gazed at her feathered arms and legs that kicked out adorably from under her white dress. The tips of her translucent wings peeked out from the back of her shirt. The golden feather that he had begun to sorely miss adorned the top of her headdress. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, he grinned broadly. "There's my favorite Guardian," he teased.

She laughed. "I have to admit, I missed this. But, um, could you help me with-?" she gestured to the back of her dress and shirt. He quickly moved behind her to undo the buttons and zipper. As soon as he helped her shed the unwanted clothing off, she shrieked in happiness, propelling herself into the air, and began to zoom around the room. He laughed as she practically bounced off of the walls, the smile on her face so wide he thought her face would split.

He chuckled as he flipped the pencil over and erased a mistake. He had rarely seen her on that level of happiness. He didn't know why, but it just made him want to do special things like that for her all the time, if he was going to get a reaction like that out of her. Good thing he lived forever. He would have plenty of time to figure out what made her the happiest person in the world.

Speaking of happiest person in the world...

Jack set down the sketch book and pencil in his lap, and stretched his torso over his bed, reaching for something on the dresser. Let's see how Hiccup's doing. His fingers quickly found what he was looking, and pulled the folded-up letter sheet into his lap. The Terrible Terror had delivered it last night, but he had been too tired to read then. He nimbly unfolded it, and held the letter in one hand up to eye-level.

Dear Jack,

I know, I know, I haven't written to you in forever. But it's been really busy over here and I haven't had time to write. You must be ready to freeze me into an icicle by now. So, to appeal to your better nature and to not end up as an ice statue, let's start with you.

How are you and your new job going? When I got your last letter, I have to say that I was really surprised that you became a Guardian. I thought you hated them! Well, not hated. Maybe strongly disliked? Then again, you are good with kids. I remember the last time you came to visit the village - which, I might add, was almost a year ago - and all of the children just loved you. They really did like that sledding trip that you took them on, though Agatha's mom wasn't very happy when she found out she lost a tooth. But they had a lot of fun. But I guess with being a Guardian, it's a bit different. I mean, you can't just have fun with them, you have to protect them, too.

Speaking of which, has Pitch come back? I know it's only been eight or nine months, but the way you put him in your last letter makes him sound really determined to come back to power. I know, I know, you're pretty sure you took care of him, that the Nightmares practically dragged him back to his underground hole screaming(which seems pretty harsh)and that he probably won't come back out for another couple hundred years or something, but I'm just saying you never know.

What else, what else? Oh, yeah! That new kid you met, Jamie, what's he like? You weren't really specific when you mentioned him in your letter. All you said was, "He's a really bright kid and still believes in the Guardians!" Yeah, REAL detailed. And if you're trying to make me jealous, it's not gonna work.

How are things going with you and the tooth fairy? This was the second time you surprised me during your last letter. First, you join the Guardians. I could have sworn you always said that they were a bunch of old guys hiding out and bribing kids so that they would still believe in them. Then you say that you've fallen in love with the tooth fairy! Well, I guess I can understand that, after sending me a picture of her. Was that really necessary? But I can see why you like her. That, and the long list of all of her physical and emotional traits that took up, might I add, THREE whole pages. And was the breakdown of her feather texture and the way her arms and hands feel on you really necessary? I swear, when you fall in love, it's worse than Astrid's yaknog.

In response to your questions from last time, I'm doing fine. There was a bout of whooping cough in the village, but I didn't get it, thank the gods. Unfortunately, my dad did. So I had to take care of him AND Globber! It only lasted a week, but they can get REALLY demanding when it comes down to it. Wait, why am I telling you this? You should know from experience. Remember that time they found out you could freeze water and they had you freeze every pond in Berk so that we could go ice-skating? By the way, I'm still angry at you for not letting me go. I mean, what's the big deal with me going ice-skating? I'm not gonna fall in or anything.

My "fiery lizard with wings", as you seem determined to call him, is doing great. We're still looking for other Nightfuries, but so far, he's the only one. You should see his face, whenever mating season comes and all the dragons leave and he has to stay behind. I just thought it was because he couldn't fly on his own, so I tried to make him a new tail for Snoggletog so that he could fly whenever he wanted to. Needless to say, he broke it. Turn out that he would rather fly with me. He's just amazing sometimes. You know that you two are my best friends, right? Well, you guys and Merida and Rapunzel.

Oh, and Rapunzel wants to know why you didn't come to her wedding back in August. I don't think she believed me when I told her that it was probably too hot. That is the reason, right? Or were you too busy swooning over the tooth fairy to come to one of your best friends' wedding? You know how long it was for her and Eugene to put it together! She almost postponed it, but we managed to convince her in the end. Jack, you should have been there. When she walked down the aisle, she looked so...beautiful. Okay, I said it. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair still hasn't begun to grow back yet, but they smoothed it back so that it didn't look so spiky anymore. And the dress she had on was perfect for her, all white and silky. Everyone in the room was gawking at her. Except Merida. You know how she is. But she looked beautiful. You would have loved to see her in it.

Merida's been visiting me a lot lately. She SAYS it's because we should all stay in touch, in case an enemy decides to strike at us. But I don't believe her. Well, not really. For one, she hasn't visited you(though that's probably because she hates your guts), or Rapunzel besides her wedding day. Only me. And besides, Gothel, Mor'du, Alvin, and now Pitch aren't a threat to us anymore. So I don't know why she comes. All we ever do is go out for riding, or exploring Berk and Dunbroch. And she's even been forcing me to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow. I can hit an apple off of Toothless's head from half a mile away, thanks to her. I mean, she's fun and all, and it's really nice spending time with her- by the way, did you know she can read and speak Latin?-but I just don't understand why she's doing it. But it's a pretty welcoming distraction, from the dragon training and the Outcast and...Astrid.

Astrid and I broke up. Yeah, I know. Big surprise, right? I think you said once that you couldn't wait for the wedding invitation. I don't know what happened. We were all fine, then one day, I just...that spark that we had was gone. I tried to get it back. Kept it up for about a month, but...we just fell apart. We started arguing more, I was avoiding the village more and more, and then one day, we just called it off. I think she's dating Snoutlout now. We're still friends, though.

Don't feel bad, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Beside, I don't have time for a serious relationship. For some reason, a bunch of our ships are disappearing at sea. My dad sent out a couple people on dragons to go check it out. Only one dragon came back. And he didn't have his rider. There was blood on his back and half of his tail was bitten off. It was amazing that he made it back at all. I checked out the tooth marks, and the only thing I can tell is that they aren't dragon teeth. At least, none that I've ever seen before. My dad put up a ban that says we aren't allowed to go past the coast of Hopeless for fishing or trading, but he's given me the task of trying to figure out what's happening.

After a couple months, what I've found is small, but very, very crucial:

-Raw fish meat that seems to have been partially digested

-A few scales, but not a dragon's. The texture is way different, made more for the ocean than the sky.

-A ripped-off chunk of flesh that the dragon who came back from the attack brought. Looks like part of a tail.

The only thing that I can come up with is that there is something else out there, something that Vikings haven't discovered yet. Or maybe we have, and we just haven't realized it. Maybe it's one of those sea-serpent, Atlantean things that Globber goes on about. But whatever it is, it's definitely reptilian, with curved teeth about half as long as an oar. It has tough scales, perfect for the harshness of the sea, and is about as big as one of our largest ships, if not bigger. My dad's going to send another search party with ships for bait tomorrow. This time, I'm going with them. I don't know whether to be scared or excited. I could be killed! But we'll finally figure out what's attacking us, and maybe even put a stop to it. I don't know.

Well, I better get ready for bed. It's already late, and I'll need my strength for whatever happens tomorrow. Would it be too girly for me to say I miss you? Because I do. I hate to admit it, but I really miss you. If I'm still alive after tomorrow, can you try and visit? That would be great. It really would. Well, like I said before, it's getting late. I have to go to sleep. I bid thee goodnight!

Your Friend,
Hiccup Haddock Horrendous III

Jack exhaled loudly, shaking his head, a smile teasing at the corners of his lips. "I miss you, too, buddy." He remembered all the things that Hiccup had mentioned in the letter as if they had happened yesterday. Tartar, the little girl who lost a tooth, had hair as fair as his own, and eyes the color of spring grass. He still wasn't sure how he let Stoick talk him into freezing the all the lakes- he had almost collapsed in exhaustion afterwards- but it was well worth it. He figured that he should probably tell Hiccup the real reason for why he didn't let him ice-skating, and decided that he would tell him on his next visit.

He fingered the edge of the paper thoughtfully, trying to figure out what to make about Hiccup's situation. He agreed that it was probably a sea serpent that they hadn't discovered yet. But an Atlantean? He doubt they were that bloodthirsty- he suspected that that girl had been the exception- but then again, what did he know? He had met one, but that didn't make him an expert. And it had only been for a brief amount of time.

As he set the letter back on the dresser and began to sketch again, he thought about the girl. After he had came back from...wherever the heck he had been(Jack was still very much confused about the exact location where his spirit had been), there had been no sign of the Atlantean since. His necklace hadn't glowed in weeks, even when he tried to reach out and "feel her", as she had done to him. When he did, he felt a sort of wall blocking him, like a barricade. After a week of trying, he had finally given up, and accepted the fact that she had stayed in the Fields of Asphodel, giving up her life for his for the third and final time. When he did, he had fallen into a deep depression that was still lingering with him. When nobody had heard from him in three days, everybody had immediately rushed over to his house to find him laying on his bed, his arm and leg dangling off the side as he stared aimlessly at the wall.

He supposed that he shouldn't have reacted so strongly, but it seemed like the reasonable thing to do at the time. Tooth and Sandy stayed with him for a few days, coaxing him into doing the simple tasks that he couldn't seem to manage to do himself, like eating and talking. North and Bunny were supposed to stay, too, but North had to stay at the North Pole to celebrate his wedding anniversary with Mrs. Claus- or Mrs. North, Jack was still confused on which one to call her by, since people called her by both. And Bunny was still irritated with him for not telling them how he came back from the dead, though Jack suspected it was more than that.

He knew that Bunnymund had a crush on Tooth, though he was with Cassandra, and that one of the main reasons why he acted the way he did around Jack was because of Tooth's affection for him. Dying- and giving his permission to make a move on his girlfriend- must have made him feel like a kid who found out Christmas coming back. Probably him coming back- no matter how much Bunny cared for him- must have been a really powerful blow. Jack had sat him down a day or two after everything returned to normal and tried to talk to him about it.

Boy, was that awkward, he thought, shuddered. When his body trembled, he accidentally made a mistake on the drawing. Rolling his eyes and sighing, he flipped the pencil in between his fingers and tried to erase it without smudging the pencil mark. He knew that he had the attitude of an experienced artist with his drawing(everything must be perfect!)but he couldn't help it. Besides, it was supposed to be a mental exercise suggested by Sandy when he had learned of his depressive state, to draw out his pains in a series of drawings. Well, he could easily summarize it into one, and he had told Sandy that. The Sandman, when he found out what it was, decided that he would just write out a couple of false drawings, as decoys for the other Guardians, and save the real one for last. He remembered when he had confronted the Sandman about why he had to keep the Atlantean a secret, the guilt that had been gnawing at him finally pushing him to the edge.

"I don't get it," Jack said, staring out into the ocean from the cliff that they were on. The sun was beginning to set, the sky tinged pink and orange. He drew in his knees and tucked them under his chin. His staff laid motionless beside him. "Why do I have to keep her a secret? She saved us, she saved Tooth. She saved me." Sandy, who was standing beside him, hands behind his back, sighed silently, shaking his head. He flashed a series of sand signs above his head so fast that Jack was just barely able to catch them all. "The Guardians...would be in danger if they found out that Atlantis didn't really sink?" he tried. The Sandman shook his head again, and redid the signs, this time a bit slower. "Wait, Atlantis would be in danger if the other Guardians found out? Why?" This time, when he spoke, he spoke in Jack's mind, something he had been doing recently when he wanted to say something in private.

Atlantis is a very old continent. Old and powerful. The force that your friend talks about has been here since the dawn before time. Before Man in the Moon, before Pitch and I were even thought of. It is the source of all energy in the universe, and many have tried to steal it for their own selfish reasons. But as time passed on, the energy soon grew a conscience of its own. When Atlantis sunk, it was because the Source had realized its subjects and itself would not be safe unless it was thought to be lost, gone to another dimension or place in the universe. And it worked. There have been few times that outsiders have found of its existence. But they were quickly taken care of. No one above water, unless they are an Atlantean themselves, knows that Atlantis lives on.

"But then how did you?" Jack asked, turning to him.

I didn't. I suspected it, for over eight thousand years. A large supply of my sand was going somewhere, on no continent that I could see. But I wasn't sure. But when Toothiana gave you the necklace that you are wearing now, I saw it glow. And that is how I knew.

They were silent for a while, listening to sound of the wind and the gentle crashing of the waves against the sandy shore below them. Jack finally broke the silence. "The Atlantean- she told me that her mother knew Pitch. That means that Pitch knew it still existed."

The sandman frowned. Did she say that?

"Yeah. Pitch recognized her- or, at least, her mother. They're apparently looked exactly alike."

This worries me greatly. If Pitch knows about the Source, then, given enough power, he could take over Atlantis, and destroy the world with its energy, and all the other realms along with it.

Jack glanced at him. "But...isn't he dead? The Atlantean pushed him over the edge of the castle, dragged him into the fire. Tooth and I- we saw it with our own eyes." When he didn't reply, he turned back to the ocean. "Pitch is dead," he repeated. She killed him."

Sandy shook his head sadly. You can't kill fear, Jack.

You can't kill fear, Jack. The words had been so eerily exact to what Pitch had said almost year ago. They had raised the hairs on the back of his neck, and as he remembered them now, they did once again. Lost in the memory, Jack didn't realize his fingers were clenching the pencil tighter and tighter until suddenly- crack! He glanced down to see the broken halves of the pencil in between his fingers.

"Great," he sighed, tossing the fragments into the bin beside him, and grabbed another pencil from the packet. "Just did the exact opposite of what I was supposed to do. Nice job, Frost."

Well, at least he was done with the drawing. He set the pencil back down in the pack and blew the excess lead and eraser shavings off of the page, then, carefully pinching the crease of the top of the paper, ripped it out of the notebook. He studied it, his eyes narrowed critically.

I think the cavalry's here!

He seemed to have gotten most of the details, including the curve of her lips and the anime-cartoon shape of her eyes, which he had expected to be harder. They squinted back playfully at him, a twinkle in her eyes.

Now, can you see me?

He had made her forehead a little too large, but he could easily cover that up by making more of her hair sweep into her face, but for some reason, he didn't want to. He preferred to see her face. He could have done a better job on the ears, he supposed, but having only seen them once or twice, they would have to suffice.

There's no time to waste! Go!

The broadness of her shoulders and power in the muscles came out better than he had hoped, the dress taking none of the toughness she held. Her sword was slung over her shoulder casually, her other Roman weapons hanging from her belt in their sheaths, something he had made up. But he could easily imagine her wearing it.

Bleh. Puppy love. Well, while you two sit here and cuddle, I'll be out there fighting.

He drew his finger across her cheek, imagining that he could feel each freckle on her skin. Her eyebrows were raised in mild surprise, the left corner of her mouth turned up into a hesitant, but true smile.

If we get out of this alive, I promise I'll explain everything.

If we get out of this alive-

Alive.

Something inside of him broke; the pain of having shattered glass shot into his chest would not be enough to describe the ache in he felt in his heart. The only thing comparable in pain was when he had been tortured, but now, he wondered if it was possible to compare such different pains. It was ridiculous, he knew, to have grown so attached to someone he had just met, but he couldn't help it. The reminder that he was the cause of her death was a punch in the gut with every breath he took. With a hoarse cry, he dropped the paper and covered his face with his hands, trying to stop the oncoming flood of tears. But they never came. Was it possible that, maybe, after these past few months, he had no tears left to go on?

I cannot go on the boat with you. I must stay here.

His body shuddered as each sob tore itself from his chest, each one louder than the last. The pain in his chest grew, spreading through all of his body. It stung and ached like the sun was pressing its very hardest, trying to destroy him, piece by piece. He tried to open his mouth, but something kept it firmly shut. He swallowed hard, and tried again. "'Tell this soul," he gasped, "'with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore. Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.'"

"'Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."'" Jack looked up in surprise at the sound of the voice, and blinked through the thick haze of tears to see Tooth hovering the doorway, looking uncertain if she should be there or not. He felt another dull pang in his chest when he remained another young girl with that very expression. "The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe."

"Tooth," he said dully. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I wouldn't have expected you to." She hesitated, then inquired, "May I come in?"

He nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

She flew slowly- well, slowly for Tooth- into the room. She placed something on his desk, then flittered over to him, sitting next to him on his bed. She reached over and drew her hand along his cheek, her fingers softer than snow. Without saying anything, he leaned his face into her palm, and closed his eyes. She gently stroked his skin with her fingers. "Jack, what's wrong?" she whispered. When he didn't answer, she glanced down, and saw the picture. She picked it up with her other hand, her eyebrows furrowing as she studied it. "Jack, who is this?" she demanded. He still didn't reply. She glanced down at the drawing, then, with a shock, recognized the girl in the drawing. "Wait, a second, this was the girl who saved us at Hohenzollern Castle! Jack, do you know who she is?"

He only shook his head, squeezing his eyes tighter. "I can't."

"You can't what, Jack?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because of what might happen. If I do." He drew in a shuddering breath, his body trembling with him. If she continued to persist, he would have give in to her one way or another. "Please don't make me, Tooth," he begged.

"I won't," she promised, setting down the sheet of paper on the dresser, and clasped his face in both hands pressed her lips against his forehead in a tender kiss.

"Thank you, Tooth," he whispered as she pulled away, her hands slipping from his face. She gave him a soft smile, though her skin around her eyes were still crinkled with worry. He felt a sudden urge to wipe away those lines; without thinking, he leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth, hard, his eyes fluttering close as he lost himself in her. She made a muffled sound, but didn't protest. His hands slid up her feathered body, lingering on her hips and the space just above the ribs. Tooth sighed into his mouth as he pulled her into him, her fists balling up in his sweater. Not hesitating in the least, he flicked his tongue in between her lips, and she parted them, granting him entrance. Their tongues met together in the caverns of their mouths, and they danced the most ancient and primitive of dances. She moaned, rubbing her pelvis against his own.

A burning flash of hot desire coursed through his body all of the blood in his veins shooting straight down to his groin. He had a sudden flash of their sweaty bodies tangled together, his body buried into hers, pleasure shooting through him as she cried out his name. He imagined pinning her down, kissing her, fondling her, making her whisper dirty things in his ear. The thought startled him so much he yanked his head away from her, breathing heavily through his nose. "I shouldn't have done that," he panted.

"But you did." By the sound of her voice, she was out of breath, too. She was looking at him expectantly, as if waiting him to make a decision.

"I know, I know." He lifted his eyes to meet hers, and something happened. That same desire that he had just felt flashed in her own eyes. That same hot, passionate, carnal desire. Their lips crashed together, their mouths moving hungrily in sync, pressing against each other so hard it was more like eating each other's face than kissing. Their bodies pressed and rubbed against each other, the friction between them set ablaze, the space between them too far away, each inch between them suddenly sinful.

The small fire in the pit in of his stomach was beginning burn, and only she could put it out. His hands gripped her arms tightly, trying to pull her into that nonexistent space between them as he scooted them to the edge of the bed. She clung to him, her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved her so that she was sitting on the edge, him in front of her. He slid his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck as he placed his hands on her hips and experimentally rubbed his hips against hers. The reply he got was a guttural moan as she threw her head and arms back to steady herself, only barely keeping her up. He lifted his head from her neck and put his face close to hers, his lips ghosting across her own, but not quite kissing her yet. Each breath she took that he inhaled was coal to the flames inside him.

Her small fingers were suddenly wounded in his sweater, and she pulled him down with her as she fell against his bed so that he was bending over her. It suddenly became too hot; he fumbled for the bottom of his sweatshirt and ripped it off, feeling that if he had kept it on a moment longer he would have caught on fire. He welcomed the cool air that slid across his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. He felt cool fingertips rest upon his pectorals, and looked down to see Tooth running her fingers across his skin in fascination, studying the thin layer of cord and muscle. The look on her face was simply magical, the way her eyes widened in delight when focused upon his chest. It prompted him to speak up.

"Tooth?"

"Hmm?"

He took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready."

Her gaze snapped away from his body to his eyes, her own widened in disbelief. "Jack, are you sure?"

He nodded. That want for her- no, that need for her, was so strong and powerful, he could barely keep himself from taking her right there. How could it be doubted? All he wanted to do was to lie her down, to take her, to pleasure her. He probably wouldn't do as good of a job as the men in romance novels did, but the fierce longing in him, to see the look of completion and utter bliss on her face, would drive him close enough to home. And the look she was giving was pretty damn close.

Tooth bit her lip. "Do you know what to do?"

"Well, when a tooth fairy and an ice spirit love each other very much-"

"Jack!"

"Not really," he admitted. He had a very scattered idea, but he doubt that would suffice. The books weren't really all that detailed with how it was actually done.

"Well, then this is where I take over." Before he knew it, she had yanked him on to the bed with her, and rolled them over, setting herself above him. He struggled to sit up, but she pressed her hand against her chest and pushed him back down. Her fingers spread themselves across his skin, each one pressing lightly into him. She leaned down and kissed the side of his cheek, her lips like satin. "For your first lesson," she whispered in his ear, her voice husky and provocative, "you need to memorize the layout of a woman's body." As she spoke, he noticed the feathers along her sides and down her front rippling, like waves on the water.

He squinted(yeah, I'm gonna have to go the optometrist soon, he thought), then his eyes widened as they began to melt into one another, before they slid away from the front, receding all the way up to her knees and elbows and neck and back, so that her body, the slightly lighter tan skin, was visible to him. He bit his tongue as he suppressed a gasp. Tooth was packed. Each breast she had was almost the size of a large grapefruit, the brown areolas as big as half-dimes, her nipples pert erect, standing proudly at attention. How the hell did those feathers keep that held up? Her tawny breasts swayed ever so tauntingly as she moved, and he forced himself to look away, to stare at something else. Look down! He cast his eyes downward, and accidentally landed on to her hairless crotch. Not that far down! He settled on looking at her abdomen, afraid that if he caught another look at her breasts, he could never turn back.

She snaked her body above him, her wings fluttering gently as they retracted into her back, and settled in the space between his legs. He stared at her body in awe and wonder, the taut muscles of her smooth abdomen pushing and contracting as she positioned herself above him, forcing himself not to stare at her breasts and seem like a perv. She noticed him keeping his eyes concentrated on anything but her chest, and chuckled. "It's okay, Jack, you can look," she said soothingly, taking his hand in one of hers and lifting it up to her body. His eyes widened when he realized what she was doing. "It's okay," she assured him, and placed his hand upon her right breast.

He gasped when his skin came in contact with it, surprised at its warmth, and watched as little goosebumps prickled around her skin. She gasped quietly at his cold touch, but didn't move. They laid there for a while, motionless as statues. Finally, Jack propped himself back up on his elbow and sat upright, not taking his hand off of her chest. He hesitated, then glanced at Tooth, silently asking for permission. She nodded. He took a deep breath, then gave it a gentle squeeze. She closed her eyes, a low hiss escaping from in between her lips. Encouraged by her reaction, he slid his hand around the breast before cupping it from underneath, marveling at the tender feel of it, and ran his thumb along her nipple. He was rewarded with a small gasp, then a low groan.

Gaining confidence, he leaned forward until his nose was almost touching her chest. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of rain and the soft scent of- he didn't know how else to describe it- feathers greeted him. Now let's see what it tastes like, he thought deviously. His tongue slipped from between his lips and flicked boldly at her breasts, just below the nipple. Tooth groaned, her hand suddenly flying to the back of his head. He repeated the action, once, twice, all of them making her groan and squirm, before finally developing the anxious bud in his mouth, and sucked.

Huh. Honeydew, he thought with a surprise. He didn't know what he had been expecting her to taste like, but honeydew probably wouldn't have been on the list. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant flavor on her skin, and he nursed the taste on his tongue.

Tooth arched her back as she cried out, her fingers digging into his scalp. He suckled gently, his tongue snaking around the teat, making sure not to even brush against it. "Jack," she gasped, clutching at his hair. He cupped her other breast, teasing the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. "Jack, please!" He smirked, then swirled his cool tongue around and across it. She gasped again, though this time much louder, her fingers tightening on his curls. He switched to the neglected nipple, suckling and stroking it with his tongue. The groans and gasps that escaped from her mouth was pure music, making his blood burn hotter than fire and rush straight down his groin.

Jack reached up and kissed the soft flesh of her skin, starting at her collarbone, making his way slowly- ever so tantalizingly- up her neck, then stopped at the crevice where her neck and jaw line met, and began to suck softly on the skin there. Tooth bit her lip, trying not to moan, her hands cupping the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. As their bare bodies brushed against each other, skin sliding against skin, Jack felt each patch of skin light up like the Fourth of July setting his skin ablaze. The heat...he had never felt so hot in years. Never felt that trickle of warmth down his back and spread into the rest of his body. Never felt his skin feel as hot as the sun, as tight as a stretched out set of jeans. Never felt that overwhelming urge to simply let the primitive instincts that mankind had been attempting to keep hidden for ages simply release. The thought sent shivers down his back. And he liked it.

His hands slid down from her breasts up to her headdress, running his fingers through the soft feathers, then down her waist, and held her by the hips as he continued to leave a trail of cool, open-mouthed kisses up her neck, alongside her jaw, pecking at both of her cheeks before claiming her mouth. His tongue ran across her lips once, twice before she finally parted her lips and teeth, allowing him to delve into her mouth. Their lips clashed together hungrily, often leaving trails of saliva from their mouths when they grabbed quick refills of air. Each kiss was hurried and messy, but neither had the time or patience to make proper kisses.

He slid his mouth away from her own and traced her jugular tauntingly with his tongue, before reaching back up and kissing her in the spot behind her ear. "You're so beautiful," he murmured, rubbing the side of his head subtly against her cheek. "So beautiful," he breathed, his breathe ghosting her skin, making her shiver. He ran his thumb in the curve beneath her eye, kissing her cheek gently.

Tooth closed her eyes, trying to believe what he said. It had been so long, so long since someone had called her beautiful. "Even with the feathers?" she whispered, voicing one of her deepest fears.

To her surprise, he chuckled. It was light and full of an airy carefree. As if he found it ridiculous that she would ask that question. He leaned back, his knees bent underneath him, as he cupped her face between cool fingers. He met her eyes for a split second, then reached down, touching his lips to her forehead, right between her eyebrows. Instinctively, she laid her fingertips against his chest, closing her eyes. For a while, they didn't move. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he had forgotten that she had asked him a question. Just then, he tilted his head, their foreheads pressing against each other, so that he could look her in the eye. Her breath caught when she saw flecks of brown in the blue irises, and thought how lovely the mixture looked.

"I love you," he breathed. "I love you no matter what. And that means that I accept- no, I love each and every part of you, no matter what you look like. Even if you sprout a beak and grow claws, I will love you till the end of time." He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss against her lips before continuing. "So to answer your question, yes, you are beautiful with your feathers. And you're just as beautiful without them. But-"

"But what?" she interrupted, her fear returning.

He smirked. "I just can't help but prefer you with them." Jack reached down and kissed her passionately on her gaping mouth. It took a while for her to respond, but finally she began to kiss back, at first hesitantly, then powerfully, her arms going around his neck. He slid his hands down to her hips, and rubbed the small of her back comfortingly. These kisses were nothing like the ones they had been made before, so rushed and hurried. Each kiss was a lazy drag across each other's lips, feeling every crevice and dip on their love's mouth. Silent messages were passed through each gentle touch-I love you-, each soft press of the lips- I want you-, each fondle of the tongue- I need you.

Jack finally broke away, tracing kisses across the side of her face. "How am I doing?" he whispered in her ear, caressing her sides lovingly.

"Wonderful," she gasped. "You-You have done this before, haven't you?" she accused as he munched on the nape of her neck.

"Nope. Only in books. You're my first," he assured her as he leaned back, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Now, you, on the other hand..."

Her cheeks tinged pink, and she tried to brush it off with a roll of her eyes. "Well, I couldn't wait for you for almost eight millenniums. And besides, if I stayed a lonely old virgin like you did-" He growled warningly. She ignored him and continued, "how would I know how to make you feel this?" As she spoke, her hands were, unknown to him, undoing his fly. When she uttered the last word, her hand slid down into the crack and cupped the part where his genitals were. He gasped at the touch, his muscles instantly tensing. When he looked at her, though, she was frowning.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly anxious that she had found him to be too small.

"It's just- shouldn't you be hard by now?"

He blinked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, you should have gotten an erection by now," she explained, leaning back on her calves, furrowing her nonexistent eyebrows at his crotch.

"Wait, slow down- an erection?" It was like she was speaking a foreign language.

"Yeah, you know, when your thing get's long and straight like, uh, like..." she looked around for an example, then reached over to the dresser behind her and grabbed one of the lamps shaped like miniature old-fashioned streetlight. "Like this." He stared. "You've honestly never had an erection before?" she said in amazement.

He shrugged, shaking his head 'no'. To be truthful, he wasn't even sure if he got them when he was a human. Back then, all he had cared about was making sure that Emma was safe, that his family was well and happy. Sex had never been on his interests lists. And when he became Jack Frost, he had to relearn it, after learning how to read(which he finally began to try after a century, and took five years to finish). And then the novels he had read had only barely mentioned it, seeing as most of them were from the perspective of women, and didn't go into detail about it. Now that he thought about it, they rarely when into physical detail about anything.

"Maybe because winter spirits don't get aroused easily," he suggested. "I mean, nothing grows or reproduces during the winter. Why should we mimic it?"

"Well, even if that is the answer, this complicates things a bit," she sighed, setting the lamp down on the dresser. "But let's see what we can do." Without giving a single warning, she yanked off his pants, throwing them on to the floor, and gripped his penis firmly. Stars flashed before his eyes the warmth developed his member, squeezing it tightly. He didn't even realize he was crying out until he heard it die in his throat.

"Now that wasn't so hard," Tooth said happily, releasing him. "Wow, you're a big boy, aren't you?" He glanced down, then stiffened in shock to see his cock longer and harder than he thought possible, almost as thick as his wrist, curving a little bit at the end. Probably nine inches, nine-and-a-half at the most. The head was brushing gently against the top of his abdomen, and a little clear liquid was gathering in the slit. Pre-cum, he thought faintly. Slightly curious, he poked at the tip of it hesitantly with his index finger.

Tooth giggled. He glared up at her, and she stared back without any bashfulness. "Oh, it's funny, now? Well guess what?" He grabbed her by the waist and- as gently as he could- pinned her down beneath him, his hands curling around her wrists. He leaned down and breathed in her ear, "Now it's your turn." His cold air danced across the side of her face, making her shiver beneath him. He rubbed his body seductively against hers, making her moan. His newly-freed cock was tickling against her skin, sending cold shivers up her spine.

Jack leaned back and flashed her a mischievous look. "Jack, what are you-?" His fingers suddenly began to dance along her sides as he tickled her, making her cut off with a shriek, then, inevitably, began to laugh. "Jack! Jack! Ngh! What are you-? Stop! Jack, this is-ah!" she shrieked, trying squirm, her way out of his hands, but his body weight- no matter how skinny he was- pinned her down firmly beneath him. So wrapped up in the tickling sensations that she didn't notice him going lower, lower, until she felt cold air on her clitoris. What the-?

She immediately lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows to see Jack looking at her hesitantly, his lips just a few inches away from her vagina. "Jack, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"That doesn't look like nothing."

"It's just something I wanta try. Please?" His face scrunched up adorably, his lower lip put out and his eyes wide. Inwardly, she groaned. He always knew how to get his way.

"What are you trying to do, exactly?" she asked warily.

"Just trying to give you a kiss." To demonstrate, he leaned forward and kissed her on the folds of her womanhood.

She shrieked, falling back against the bed, her leg involuntarily kicking out. "Jack!"

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, afraid that he had hurt her.

"Yeah," she panted. "I-I think so. Could you, uh, maybe-?"

He grinned, and leaned back down. Trying to make sure she was comfortable, he placed little kisses on the inner part of her thighs, kneading the spots with his hands above him. She sighed appreciatively above him, laying a hand on the top of his head. When he reached his destination, he closed his eyes and drew his lips across her labia. Finally! Now the books come in handy, he thought, still licking that part of her as she cried out, her legs jerking beside his head.

Wow, she's wet, he thought languidly as he flicked his tongue at her insides with a faster pace. It wasn't that she hadn't been wet before, but now she was practically leaking. He accidentally got a drop on his tongue, and almost pulled back when he caught the flavor of it. He washed the taste in his mouth, then smacked his lips, and lapped eagerly at her juices, savoring the taste. Mmm, honeydew. He licked his lips hungrily, before diving into her snatch, his lips clamping down on her labia, and sucked hard, just as he did with her breasts. Tooth moaned, her hips bucking the air; the covers scrunched up as she dug her fingers into the comforter. Not taking his mouth off of her, he grabbed her by the waist, and forced her back on to the bed, hoping not to get an eyeful of pelvis.

Despite him holding her down, she was still somehow managing to roll her hips against his face, moaning and whining for him. "Placet, Jack! Placet!" she cried, fluent Latin pouring out of her moth."Tollite me! Iam iustus tollite mihi!" Jack had no idea what she was saying, but he had a vague idea. He parted her flaps with his tongue, and glided it over her sensitive nub, and felt as her body shuddered and practically melt in his hands. He suddenly forgot about how well she tasted, more concentrated on making her feel this way. Making her feel this pleasure that he was giving her. It's the least I can do after what happened in December, he thought, though, if he was truly honest with himself, he just liked the idea of seeing her squirm because of him.

As he pleasured her, he explored her. Felt the ridges alongside her labia, caressed the slick spot of her opening. He tried to find angles that he would give her more of this apparently wonderful feeling that she was getting, trying fast at one moment, then slow at the next. He gently nibbled at her lips, glancing up at her to see if he was doing okay. Okay, we got body shaking, we got panting, and we got moaning, he thought. Just then, her legs wrapped around his head, her fingers clutching desperately at his hair as she grinded against his face. Yep, I'm doing fine. Holding his breath, he attacked her clit, nibbling and kissing it, making sure every lick made her yell for more. Yell for him.

Tooth suddenly cried out, louder than all the other times, her legs on either side of his head squeezing him tightly. Jack was surprised by the squirt of fluids that flew out of her opening, but lapped them up, catching each precious drop before they fell on to the floor. By the time she had finished orgasming, her legs had fallen from the sides of his head, her body flopping bonelessly on to the bed. Her chest was heaving with every breath.

Jack released his grip on her hips and slid himself up her body, his eyes narrowed worriedly. "You okay?" he whispered, after kissing her gently on her nose.

She nodded. "That...that was pretty new for me. Are-Are you ready?"

Jack felt tingles shoot up his spine. He nodded hesitantly. "I think so."

Tooth put a hand to his cheek and smiled. "Don't worry."

"I'm not," he assured her, putting his own hand over hers. "I have you." And with that, he leaned down, his arms sliding underneath her back as he pulled her close to him, and positioned his hips just below hers. He held in a gasp when the tip of his leaking cock brushed against her wet slit. Whoa, that felt good. Imagine what it feels like all the way, he thought excitedly. His manhood twitch in excitement. Just when he was preparing to slide himself into her, a thought occurred to him. He removed his arms from underneath her and sat upright, making her groan, though this time in irritation. "Are we gonna finish this inside or outside?" he demanded.

"You want kids, don't you?"

"Okay, just making sure. Sheesh," he muttered, reaching back down and wrapping his arms around her. He made sure to keep his penis from brushing against her womanhood again. He wanted to save that feeling for when he was finally entering. Though now, as he thought about it, how would he fit? Remembering the smallness of her opening, how was he going to be able to slide into her without injuring her?

Tooth must have noticed his hesitant behavior, because she asked, "Jack, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled at him, flattered by his concern for her, and raised a hand to cup his cheek. "Don't worry, Jack. You won't be hurting me," she assured him.

"But if I do, will you tell me?"

"Jack, you won't." Tooth reached up and gave him a quick peck on the lips before laying back down. "Just let me feel you inside of me. Please."

He nodded. Without thinking, before he could back out, he pulled his hips back and thrust into her in a single, fluid motion. He slid past her wet lips and buried himself all the way to the hilt in her. He almost screamed when he felt the overwhelming tightness of her insides, clenching down on his cock. Tooth moaned in pleasure, throwing her head back against the pillows as her fingers dug into his shoulders. He bit his lip as he fought the urge to cry out, his own fingers digging into the palms of his hands.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" His voice was strained.

"You okay?"

"I-I'm fine. Just...just give me a moment." Trying to hold down the feeling of explosion in his lower region, he slid his hands down the length of her body, trying to distract himself from the blazing heat enveloping his cock, threatening to plunge him into the depths of that primitive craving that he had been holding in for what had seemed like years. He gripped her hips tightly, then relaxed his fingers and flexed them once, attempting to get a hold on his urge. When he finally trusted himself, he began to move his hips slowly, rolling them against her pelvis. Tooth groaned, arching her back, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Gaining confidence, he leaned down so that his lips brushed against the ridge of her ear. "I'm just gonna assume that I'm doing this right," he whispered in her ear.

"Ass," she gasped.

He smirked, and leaned back, still gripping her waist tightly. He positioned his hips as he remembers something else from the books. Then, without giving warning, he snapped his hips into her roughly. She bucked upwards, crying out, and fell back against the pillows. Found it, he thought, grinning.

Jack began to thrust into her, making sure that he brushed against that spot every single time. In no time, Tooth was writhing and screaming in pleasure underneath him, mewling his name as she clawed at his back. Her nails dug into his skin, leaving long, red scratches. They would probably bleed if she continued raking his back like that, but he didn't care. The pain was pure pleasure adding on to the overwhelming tightness of her heated core. The whole thing was simply wonderful. It was enthralling. It was amazing.

"Jack! Jack!" she cried from underneath him, pressing her face into her chest.

"Oh great snowflakes, you feel so good," he groaned, his hands curling around her arms so that he was practically pinning her down. In retaliation, she reached up and bit into his shoulder savagely. "Ahhh! Tooth!" There was pain where she had bitten him, but it felt good, too.

He buried his face in her breasts, licking the tender valley that ran between the two mountains. She gasped, then groaned, arching her back as she yanked at the feathers on her forearms, desperate to let the feeling out. His hands were spread across her back, seeming to take up the whole length of her torso with his huge palms. She could feel the cold leaking out of his palms and seep into her feathers and into her skin.

"F-F-Fuck! Tooth!" He suddenly grabbed her by the top part of her thighs and raised her above the bed. She clutched at his back, grabbing his shoulders to keep from falling down. He gripped her tightly, and began to thrust into her with surprising speed and force, slamming her down into his thrusts mercilessly. She made a gurgling sound as she desperately clutched at his back, the screams and moans of pleasure and slight surprise unformed and not properly thought-out yet. He continued to shout her name in her ear, deafening her and sending shivers down her back at the same time.

"Jack, please," she groaned, arching back even further in his arms.

"I-I feel like I'm about to explode!" he gasped, his fingers digging into her hips as he slammed himself into her, his pace increasing rapidly. He wasn't kidding. The burning sensation in his nether regions was to the point where he wondered if his balls were gonna burst. He pulled her close to him, smashing any space between them into nonexistence, their gasping breaths filling the air.

It was hot. It was too hot. The heat seemed to seer his skin, making him imagine flames licking at his arms and legs.

And he loved it.

He loved every second of the painful heat that radiated from both of their bodies, the feeling flaring up with every lift of the hips and spiked whenever he was able to erect a cry from her sweet lips. He moved without thinking, and pushed Tooth back on to the bed without changing pace, his hands curling around her arms tightly, though not to the point where it would hurt.

She let out a long, torturous moan, throwing her head back. He immediately reached up and pulled her head back down, making sure that they were eye-to-eye. "I want to see you," he gasped. "I want to see your face- your eyes, when you-" He broke off with a strangled scream, as Tooth raked her needle-sharp nails down his back, though he didn't stop moving inside her. He threw his head back, gasping, his eyes squeezed shut. Tooth watched pain and pleasure flash across his sweaty face at the same time, his expressions adorable and, at the same time, so incredibly arousing. When he looked up at her, she flashed him a mischievous grin, hoping it would send him into a frenzy. Instead, he simply rolled his eyes and bent his head down to hers. "You're such a tease," he breathed in her ear as he slid out of her.

She gasped at the empty sensation, then began to squirm underneath him, trying to slide him back into her. "Ah ah ah. You need to be patient," he whispered, then thrust into her. Hard. She cried out, her arms flying around his back, ready for him to pound into her. But instead, he slid all the way out again.

"Jack!" she cried in frustration.

"Jack, what?" he whispered, his voice low and husky.

"Jack, please. Please, Jack," she begged.

He grinned, then reached down and placed his lips over hers. Without pulling back, he began to pound into her mercilessly, and drank in every single one of her screams as he pleasured the two of them. She clawed at his back, the marks surely leaving blood, but he didn't care. Let her mark him. He was hers, after all. The burning in his loins suddenly became an inferno; he pulled away from Tooth, panting heavily as he struggled to bring them both to completion. It took him a while to realize that he was babbling sweet nothings to her, little declarations of love, promises of devotion and affection. The hot flood of pleasure had broken down his walls, and he was ready to burst. He was so close, so close-

Tooth suddenly bucked up, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him deep into her as she screamed his name. "Jack!" Her face was a sweaty mixture of pleasure and the look of someone who had achieved nirvana while listening Nirvana. He was about to ask what was wrong with her when he felt her insides suddenly squeezing around his cock, her sweet juices flooding around him.

His reaction was instantaneous; he buried his face into her chest as he screamed with her. He was exploding, he was flying, he was soaring past the Milky Way and into the stars. Sweet, sweet bliss coursed through his veins, setting every nerve on fire. He twisted his fingers into the sheets of the bed as he arched his back, still yelling out his thrilling senses, The feeling sent him down into the deepest parts of the ocean, the pressure pressing down on him. All he could feel was Tooth's nails digging into his back, her tight insides, her soft skin. Her and nothing else.

There was nothing else.

When the feeling finally subsided, he found himself atop of a panting Tooth, whose legs had slid from around his waist, her hands folded on top of his head, her fingers twisting into his hair. They felt wonderful as they slid across his scalp. He sighed as he closed his eyes. He wanted to just lie there and rest on top of her forever. He struggled to think through the hazy cloud in his mind, and realized that he was probably squishing her. He grunted as he rolled off of her, his arms and legs suddenly feeling weighed down, as if he had flown around the world, twice.

Jack glanced over at Tooth, who was looking back at him. "So?" she asked. "What'd you think?"

He grinned as he reached over and pulled her to him, and kissed her nose. "I think," he said, before kissing her lips, "I love you."

"Are you ever gonna tell me who she is?" Tooth asked, picking up the sketch, which had fallen to the floor during their love-making. Jack, who was holding her in his arms, shifted himself over her so that he could see what she was talking about. She lifted it up for him to see. He didn't say anything, just slid one of his arms from underneath her, reached over and silently took it from her. She felt him move behind her, and tilted her head back to see him carefully laying the sketch on the dresser.

"I'll tell you one day," he promised, sliding his arm back under her and pulling her to his chest, before laying a chaste kiss on her forehead. She sighed in content when she felt his cool marble body against the back of her folded wings and feathers, and tilted her head up to meet his kiss. "I will. But now just isn't the best time."

"Why?" she asked, despite herself.

"To protect her."

"And how long will that be?"

"A hundred years or so."

Tooth shook her head, laughing. She knew he was only kidding, and would probably in a year or two. But for now...She rolled over into him, and snuggled into his soft, cool skin. He chuckled, and readjusted his hold on her so that his arms wrapped around her back weren't accidentally crushing her delicate wings. She reached up and kissed the spot below his chin, laying her fingertips on the hard muscle of his chest. Jack rested his chin on top of her head, and for a long while they just laid there, him stroking the soft feathers atop of her head, her breathing in his crisp, icy scent. They didn't say anything. There was simply no need to. Everything that they had needed to say had already been said. What they could do now was just embrace each other and lay in each other's arms and just enjoy the silence.

Words like violence break the silence.

What the hell?

Come crashing in, into my little world.

Jack sat up abruptly, frowning mightily. Tooth glanced up, a faint worried look on her face. "Jack?"

Painful to me, pierce right through me.

"Did you hear that?" he demanded.

Don't you understand-

"Hear what?" Tooth asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

Oh, my little girl?

"That!" he exclaimed, throwing the covers off and leaping out of bed. A slightly deep, feminine voice rang through his head as they sang the next lines.

All I ever wanted-

"Jack, what's going on?" Tooth sat upright.

All I ever needed-

Jack put a hand to his forehead, breathing heavily. "Great, now I'm hearing things!" he exclaimed.

Is here, in my arms.

"What do you hear?"

Words are very-

"Singing."

Unnecessary.

"Singing?" She sounded as if she was trying hard not to laugh.

They can only do harm...

"Yes, singing!" he said angrily, whirling around to face her. "I hear someone singing Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode, except it's not Depeche Mode, it's a girl singing and-" He stopped abruptly. A girl singing. Could it...could it really be...? No, no it couldn't be. Or could it?

Tooth didn't notice his sudden cut off. "Look, maybe you're just hallucinating a bit. You're probably still upset about missing the Winter Concert, and you're imagining what it would be like if we had gone," she suggested, swinging her legs of off the edge of the bed.

That conclusion made no sense to him, but he decided not to say anything. In fact, he hadn't thought about the Winter Concert in almost a month. He recalled his extreme nervousness and anxiety the weeks following up to it. Thinking back on it now, all of his worries seemed silly and inconvenient compared to what he had been through through the past month. But that didn't mean that they hadn't been real. The fear of getting up on stage and unable to hit that single note in the song still managed to spike a prickle of fear and embarrassment through him.

Hmm...

That voice was not his. He knew that in an instant. He tenderly reached out to the voice in his head. Is...is that you?

Just as quickly as it had come, the presence that he didn't even notice enter his mind vanished, leaving him even more confused. He shook his head, and sat back next to Tooth. She watched him with a concerned look on his face. "Look, Jack, maybe you should lay down for a while. Take a nap," she suggested, placing her small hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe." He sighed and laid down sideways on to the bed, curling his knees up to his chest. Tooth pulled up the quilt and laid it on top of him. He lifted his head up and rested it on her lap. She chuckled, laying her hand on his head, running her fingers lovingly through his hair.

There was a sudden creak outside of the door. Jack and Tooth's head shot up at the sound, both fearing the same thing. Instead of the leering figure of Pitch Black, though, at the doorway was a large, tabby-calico cat, with round emerald eyes, staring at them intently.

"How did the cat get in here?" Jack whispered.

"I don't know," Tooth breathed. After a pause, she added, "I don't like cats."

Jack wasn't particularly found of cats either, but there was something intriguing in the way that it stared at them. Not quite threateningly, or scornfully, as most cats did when they looked at people. It was looking at them curiously, its heart-shaped face tilted to the side questioningly. Jack felt himself relax as he and the cat gazed at each other, the green eyes almost comforting. I wonder...

Moving as slowly and silently as possible, he pushed the covers off of his body, and slid his feet over the edge of bed as he lifted his torso up from Tooth's lap. "Jack-" Tooth started, but he put up a finger to silence her. He slid out of the bed and began to tip-toe towards the cat.

She pricked her ears eagerly, looking at him with an intense gaze as he knelt down in front of her. He hesitantly extended his arm, his palm facing the floor. With a cheerful mew, she got to her paws and padded over, and, before he could move away, she jumped on to her hind-legs and rubbed her head along the underside of his hand, purring. He blinked in surprise as she repeated the motion, getting back on to two legs whenever she fell.

"I've never seen a cat do that," Tooth said in surprise.

"Me, neither," he agreed. "But I guess there is a such thing as social cats, huh?" To the cat, he asked, "So where'd you come from, little guy?" As he spoke, he lowered his hand and rubbed his hand along her spine as he gently pet her.

She mewed in reply, her luminous blue eyes brimming with excitement-

Blue? He frowned. He could have sworn that she had green eyes and that she was a full tabby-calico cat, not half white from the tip of her tail to the middle of her back-

He yanked his hand back with a gasp as, like a ripple on the water, white crept along the cat's body until it tinged the tips of her ears. The white stretched down to the very roots of the hairs, until there was no more left of the brown and black or orange. Her blue eyes glowed as she looked up at him, that same curious, intense gaze. Her long tail waved back and forth three times as she mewled again. Then, without a warning, her fur shone for a split second, then turned back to its original tabby-calico coat.

Jack stared in shock, his head swimming. What had just happened?

"Jack?" Tooth's voice jolted him out of his stupor. "Jack, what was that?"

It took a moment for him to answer her question. "I think," he said slowly, "that we still have a long road ahead of us."

The cat mewed happily, nodding her head.

*Sneak Peak Commence*

"You know that this is all your fault, right?" Enaya's voice sounded louder than usual in the empty dungeon.

Jack sighed as he looked over at her, shackled to the wall in the same manner that he was: arms pinned above head, legs slightly spread, shoulder-length apart. She looked back at him expectantly, her eyes flashing. "Do you really think this is necessary?" he said tiredly.

"Well since you're the one who got us locked up in here in the first place, I just want to make sure that, before we die, this was your fault." Her voice was calm, strong, confident even- as if they weren't chained to the wall in one of Pitch's dungeons and probably would be subjected to torture in the next couple hours.

"Look, I wasn't the one who wanted to go upstairs and grab the violins-"

"But if you had gotten them before we had gotten downstairs, like I had asked," she snapped, her eyes flashing, "then we wouldn't even have been in this mess!"

"I don't even see why we needed the violins! I mean, there's a bunch at your house!" he exclaimed. "Why the heck would we need more?!"

"ENOUGH!" Pitch's yell made the dust on the ceiling fall. The two fell silent as he strode into the room. He groaned as he stood in front of them, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I had to listen to you two bicker all the way, like little schoolchildren. If I have to hear another word out EITHER one of you-"

It was at that precise moment that Enaya must have decided to start her flood of sneezing. Pitch stared at her incredulously as she sneezed over and over again. "Sorry," she gasped. "Please, continue."

He glared at her. "Perhaps, for your cheek, I should start with you."

Jack's heart stopped. He had been in Enaya's mind. He knew all of the weak points, that, despite her strong facade, it was fragile and knew that if Pitch was going to reuse any of the tactics that he had used on her, her mind would snap- again. "Wait, no!" he shouted without thinking.

They both turned to look at him. Enaya's face was expressionless, though he could sense the feelings of mild confusion beneath her well-painted mask; Pitch's, on the other hand, was an expression of pure glee. "Oh, dearest Jack, you wouldn't mind if I played with your toy, too?" he cooed as he stepped towards her.

"No, stop! Don't touch her!" He strained against the chains. "Do whatever you want to me! Don't-!"

"Sorry, Jack!" he said cheerfully as he closed his hand around her neck. Her eyes narrowed at him, but she didn't say anything. "Hmm, let's see...one of your worst fears...is heights." He tilted his head at her as black tendrils began to twine around him. "Am I right?"

She shrugged. "You're not wrong."

Jack couldn't feel any fear from her, not even worry or nervousness; if anything, there was a weird sense of anticipation, an almost eagerness. What are you planning? he wondered.

You'll see.

Jack watched on helplessly as the fear crept up on to her neck, then began to sink into her ears and through her nostrils. She flinched, but only from the cold touch. "Now, you are...on a cliff, one hundred stories high-" Pitch began.

"Above a battlefield," she interrupted.

He blinked in surprise. "Er-"

"I see a friend down there. He's being attacked. He needs my help."

"Um, yeah. Sure, why not."

"Determination fills me-" she continues.

"No, wait, fear fills you," Pitch interrupted.

"No, determination."

"Fear!"

"Determination!"

Pitch turned to look at Jack incredulously. "Is she always like this?"

Jack shrugged. "Worse."

And there is your first glance at my new OC.

*New*The sequel is now finally out! Search for Talent Show, by me, of course, and it should be one of the only ones in the Rise of the Guardian section under Mature. ;)

And I bid thee farewell. Until next time! :D