Phantom: Hello everyone!

Trainer: Been a while!

Phantom: Maybe a very long while…

Trainer: Too long in fact…

Phantom: …

Trainer: …

Phantom/Trainer: WE'RE SO SORRY!

Phantom: We didn't mean to let this story wait for so long.

Trainer: By 'we' she means 'her' since she's the actual writer of this story.

Phantom: HEY! Way to throw me under the bus!

Trainer: But it's true! Your story, you write it!

Phantom: Fine. Yes, I have kept you all waiting for a chapter. I'm not even sure how many of you actually read these intros and outros (I know some of you do since you comment on them), but I am sorry for the unintended break.

I actually started this chapter back in 2015 – which would have put me just before my third year of college. I took an unintentional break because of school always taking up my time, but got back to it around December of 2016. Took an even longer break to finish with school. And then once I had graduated, I just didn't seem to have time or motivation to write. I was busy looking for a job, improving my portfolio, life was busy. And to be honest, it still is.

I enjoy writing for all of you. I really do. I also have a life to live though.

I won't be stopping my stories. If anything, I have another 10-15 more stories circling inside my head since I'm an avid fangirl and daydreamer! Both of which I am proud of. Just don't be surprised if you see me start two more stories or something on top of this one. And hey, if any of you are Marvel fans, One Piece fans, or Bleach fans, I have a bunch of stories lined up.

Trainer: It's true. She's told me she has some of them completely planned out with sequels and everything. Kinda weird how she can keep all those stories separate.

Phantom: Thanks, I think. Anyway, my life is still busy, but it is settling down a bit now. I am getting out more on weekends and I do have a job that takes up a large portion of my days. This also means it tends to take my energy with it as I get home tired (waking up at 6am and then working from 8-4:30 will do that to you). I know you guys love this story and have been wondering what happened to it, so I hope this chapter was well worth the wait.

Trainer: So without further ado, on with the chapter!

Phantom: Special thanks to more recent reviews will be at the end of the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Rise of the Guardians; the plot is mine as well as some characters.

Chapter 7: Let It Snow

For when looking at the memories:

Italic – Memories/normal thoughts

Bold Italic – Thoughts in Memories

Regular – Everyone else

Jack looked at the Winter King – no, his father – with wide eyes while holding back tears. A side glance at the wind spirit showed that she wasn't doing much better than Jack was himself. Her hands were covering her mouth and unshed tears were in her eyes as she stared at the man in front of her.

"They were alive," Jack thought as he took in every detail of the man before him. Sure, the clothing was different and his appearance had changed but Jack knew that this was his father; the one he though he lost over 300 years ago. "They were ALL ALIVE!"

The Winter King, Old Man Winter, the man associated with deadly blizzards and avalanches was his father 'reborn' as the freaking KING of his season! The king – Christopher – spread his arms wide open inviting the two teens into his embrace, a wide smile on his face showing off snow white teeth.

Christopher looked at the shell-shocked teens who had tears in their eyes. He figured that they were tears of joy at finding out that their little village and all who had been in it where now back together again in the Winter Kingdom. He watched as Jack took the first step towards him as he waited with open arms. What he didn't expect was for Jack to start running and then hit him straight in the jaw.

It had been a quick but powerful hit. Jack had swung his whole weight into the punch, with his jaw clenched and icy fire burning behind his equally icy eyes, tear of anger filling them to the brim until they overflowed.

Elisa, not wanting to be outdone or left out, also attacked the downed king. A torrent of wind swirling around her in her rage as she had similar thoughts to her winter companion. Her dress and hair floating with the wind as tears ran down her face, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to scream something but could never find the words to say it.

Christopher ended up sprawled on the floor holding his bruising cheek. He looked up at the kids before him, but he wasn't too shocked. To be honest, he sort of expected this as his wife had warned him that Jack and Elisa 'might not be happy about being plucked off the streets to be with the family again' after having been with only one another – believing that they only had each other – after 300 plus years of being alone; forgotten.

"I probably deserved that," the Winter King groaned as he sat up off the floor.

Jack wasn't amused by his father's attempt to defuse the tension. Jack could tell that Elisa wasn't fooled by it either. "You bastard," Jack whispered and all eyes turned to him. He was looking down, unable to look at anyone without breaking something. His fists were clenched, jaw set in a firm scowl and his body was shaking with anger radiating off of him in waves. Jack was pissed. "You were here," he whispered again, practically hissing it out through his teeth. Frost started to spread from where Jack was standing; angry jagged swirls looking more like spiked weapons rather than the delicate ferns frost was known for.

Christopher didn't say anything and just stared straight at his son waiting for him to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long as Jack practically pounced on him, leaving his staff behind, as he used one hand to grip his father's clothing and used the other to punch at the downed man as he yelled. After each question or proclamation, Jack sent a punch to his father's face or chest.

"YOU WERE HERE?!" Jack yelled out. "ALL THESE YEARS I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JUST ME AND ELISA BUT EVERYONE WAS HERE?! WHAT THE HELL, OLD MAN?! I THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE DEAD. LIKE, FULLY, NOT COMING BACK, DEAD! I SAW YOU DIE WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD! TEN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF HELL WE WENT THROUGH?!" Jack's punches were weaker by now and Christopher easily caught the limp fist that had been banging on his chest. That was when he felt something drip onto his face and the king looked up at his son's face only to find the boy crying. "Did you even...did you even care?" Jack whimpered as he tried futilely to pull his arm out of the strong hold his father had on him.

Christopher's eyes softened and he pulled his son closer into his embrace. "Oh Jack, I have been wanting to approach you for years, but I never got the chance and you didn't have your past memories – neither of you did," he said as he looked over to the equally distraught girl who had fallen to her knees crying, her wind forgotten.

Christopher opened his arm wide for Elisa who happily rushed forward to hug a man she thought she'd never see again, let alone hold. "Don't you ever do something like that again, you bastard," Elisa said, her voice muffled by Christopher's shirt.

"Hey, I'll have you know that my parents were happily married when I was born," he retorted. "And when did you two get such foul mouths?" He wasn't mad about the bad language though. They had every right to be mad. He didn't get a reply to his question as Jack and Elisa shared a look before laughing, leaving a very amused and confused father battered and bruised on the floor holding two lost members of his kingdom. Christopher had joined in their laughter for a few seconds before he said in a stern tone, "No, I'm serious."

The group of memory watchers soon found the scenery around them changing and all chatter about Jack's soon-to-be little brother or sister stopped. Jamie had returned to his sister's side and Pitch was still musing about what the boy had last said to him.

"It's not possible," Pitch thought. "The chances of them being the same person…then again, they do look and act similar. No, no, no, no, no, Pitch. Stop thinking like that, you'll only get your hopes up for nothing. But the resemblance…" Pitch's mind was in a frenzy as he started making comparisons; his body on autopilot as he followed the group through the snow covered ground towards the sound of voices.

"Brr," Bunny shivered again as they walked. "Why does it always 'afta be so bloody cold!?" He said as he shook his fuzzy foot out of the cold wet snow.

"I don't know vhy you complaining so much, Bunny," North said as he easily traversed the frozen lands as if they were his own backyard. "Dis veather is beautiful! Freshly fallen snow, frosty breath, ice everyvhere!" he exclaimed as he raised his arms out wide as if to take in everything.

"Yeah, not to mention cold, uninhabitable, and freezing my fur off!" the Pooka exclaimed back.

"As amusing as that would be, try to refrain from doing so. I would prefer not to see a naked rodent today," Pitch said absentmindedly as he walked past the two bickering Guardians.

Bunny grit his teeth and was about to make a biting remark until Tooth and Sandy butted in and tried to defuse the rising tension. "Alright, no need to fight boys. It just happens to be winter right now, it'll pass before we know it. Good? Great!" Tooth said, fluttering about. Sandy tried to help too, but his sand symbols weren't of much use considering that Pitch wasn't even looking at the golden man.

"Come on, Elisa! Help me push!"

The sound of Jack's voice made everyone turn in the direction of where it was heard and quickly move towards it. When they got there, they found Jack trying to push a rather tiny, but still very heavy, evergreen tree that Christopher seemed to have chopped down – if the axe in his hands was any clue.

Christopher watched in amusement as his son tried to push the fallen tree from its cut trunk, only managing to bury himself slowly in the fresh snow. Elisa was off to the side watching as well and laughing as Jack once more fell over.

"Come on, Frost. You can do better than that!" She called between laughs.

Jack got up and brushed the snow off himself once more and tried to push the tree, this time using his back to move it. However, considering that the tree was more than three times his height and weighed more that the three people in the area, there was very little hope of Jack ever being able to move it.

"Um, Jack doesn't really believe that he'll be able to move that tree, right?" Monty asked as he readjusted his glasses.

Pippa shrugged.

"Who knows," Cupcake added, seeing as the thought in itself along with Jack's current progress made the whole thing questionable.

"Come on, Snowflake. That tree is not going to move by your power. Why do you keep trying? It's impossible." Elisa continued, finding it funny that Jack kept try.

"It would work," Jack grunted, "If you got up and helped me!" He gave one last push before he fell to the ground, the tree having moved enough to make him lose his balance.

Elisa shook her head. "It doesn't matter if I helped. It's impossible to get the tree back to your place at the rate you're going. I'll admit, the tree has moved a very itty bitty tiny bit, but it'll take years at this rate. We won't make it home before Christmas if we continue like this."

Jack huffed and crossed his arms. "Nothing is impossible, just unlikely. And like I said, it would go faster if you helped!"

Before the two kids could get into a fight, Christopher intervened. "Alright you two, that's enough. Jack, you probably can move the tree, but not to where we need it till you're older," he said as he started tying ropes around the branches. Elisa stuck her tongue out to show her victory over Jack. "And Elisa, Jack isn't wrong to think it would have gone faster had you given him a hand." Jack returned the favour in full as he stuck his tongue out. "Alright you two, let's get this home before Mary starts to worry."

"Yeah, because it's not good for her right now!" Jack added as he raced ahead.

"Mr. Frost?" Elisa asked as they walked.

"Yes?" he responded. "Also, I told you, you can just call me 'Cristopher' or 'Chris' for short."

"Right, Mr. Frost," she said again, not missing how the title seemed to annoy the man to no end.

The children were laughing as were most of the Guardians. The man's face was priceless.

"Mr. Frost, is Mrs. Frost going to be alright?" Elisa asked, concern colouring her voice.

Cristopher blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that some of the ladies in town were saying how it's getting pretty late in Mrs. Frost's pregnancy and how they not sure if-"

"Don't worry about it," the man interrupted.

"BUT-!"

Cristopher shook his head. "You don't need to worry. Mary is a strong woman, and she's only a month overdue. It's no one's fault that fate has taken this course for us. Heck, maybe the baby just wants to be born on some sort of special occasion!"

"Hmm," Elisa didn't sound too sure about that, but let it slide.

"Besides," Christopher said, gaining her attention again. "Wouldn't this just be the ultimate Christmas gift for our little family? Christmas is just a few nights away now, it would be wonderful to welcome him or her into the world not too far after," he said in a wistful tone.

Said thought process was then ruined when Jack called out, "THEY'RE GOING TO BE A GIRL!" Looking up, said boy was several meters ahead of the two; hands cupping his mouth to help his voice travel. Oh, and he was smirking.

Christopher's eye visibly twitched and he shouted back, "HOW CAN YOU EVEN POSSIBLY KNOW THAT FOR SURE!?"

Jack's only reply was to stick his tongue out again and then he turned around to continue back to his home. "Jack! Get back here!" the boy's father called as he ran after the boy – a tree following behind him.

"Here we go again," Elisa sighed and then ran to catch up to the two Frost males.

As the watchers made to follow them, Sophie tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Jamie, Jamie! What does 'overdue' mean?" she asked, curiosity in her eyes.

Caught off guard by the question, Jamie scratched his head trying to figure out the best way to answer this. He looked at some of his friends but they just shook their head or looked away. Clearly, they weren't going to be of any help. "Traitors," Jamie thought as he turned back to his sister.

"Well, you see…when a baby is born – I mean when they are supposed to be born, the…um…doctors give an estimate on what day or month they are expected to arrive. When that date passes and the baby hasn't arrived, then they are called overdue since they missed their date…" Jamie tried to explain and drifted off, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain anything further.

Sophie tilted her head as if she was trying to make sense of her brother's ramblings before she asked, "So, they're late? Like, missed their birthday day?"

Jamie sighed in relief. "Yeah, exactly. They missed their first birthday day, and so whenever they are born after becomes their new birthday date."

Sophie smiled, happy she got something right and nodded her head. "OK!"

No one noticed Pitch chuckling to himself over the short interaction between the siblings. It was amusing how one simple question could lead to the more fearful question of 'where do babies come from?'

As the group arrived back inside the Frost home, they found it decorated from the floor to the ceiling. It only took a few second before North shouted in glee about how the home was being readied for Christmas. "Ha Ha! Christmas IS coming; and vhere there is Christmas, there is ME!"

Bunny and Sandy rolled their eyes and shared a look of utter amusement. "Well I guess we know what the tree is for now," Tooth supplied as they looked around.

Jack was in the door first and ran to his mother, who was sitting in a rocking chair knitting some small blankets. Moments later, Elisa and Christopher came in with the tree. While Elisa joined the two by the fire, Christopher set to work putting the tree in place.

"Oooh, is that for the baby?" Elisa asked as she saw the blanket.

Mary nodded. "It's pretty cold out so they'll need the extra warmth," she explained as she rubbed her rather large stomach, a fond expression on her face.

"Remembering what it's like to be so big?" Christopher joked from the other side of the room. "After all, the last time you were like that was when we were having Jack."

Mary threw a ball of yarn, but missed and just huffed in exasperation. Although, the smile playing at her lips told how she was really feeling. Jack covered his ears and was blushing furiously. "Gah! Don't say those things when I'm around. It's weird!" he yelled.

Mary and Christopher just laughed while Jack continued to shake his head to rid himself of those thoughts. Elisa just sighed and turned her attention back to the blanket. Mary caught her staring and asked, "Do you like it?"

Elisa nodded her head, but didn't say anything and just continued to stare. Mary smiled softly before saying just as softly, "Do you want to learn how to knit?"

The question caught the girl off guard and she whipped her face to the older woman. "I know you don't have a mother around to teach you these things, and your father must not know much on this sort of thing either. I could teach you, if you'd like," Mary said.

Elisa took a moment to respond. In the end, she smiled wide and couldn't stop saying 'thank you'. She then went on saying how there were so many things she had always wanted to learn but couldn't due to her mother being gone. Jack tuned them out eventually and went to help his dad decorate the now standing tree.

"So Jack, you going to stay up all night again? You know you'll never catch him," Christopher said as he put one of the premade strings of popcorn and cranberries around the top of the tree.

"Of course I am," Jack exclaimed proudly. "He may have evaded me last year-"

"And the year before that, and the year before that one, and-," his father interjected, counting on his fingers as he rattled on and on about Jack's failed attempts.

Ignoring the comment, Jack continued. "-but this year will be different. This year, I have backup! With Elisa and her father around this year, I'm sure I can catch Santa Clause in the act!"

Now this caught everyone's attention. Jack was still searching for legends? All the kids minus Sophie and Jamie were laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Jamie asked Pippa who was clutching her stomach.

"The resemblance between you and Jack! You two are so alike! Both have younger siblings, love winter, have a habit of looking for legends and fairy tales," Pippa exclaimed before all the kids started to laugh harder.

Jamie blushed and looked away mumbling, "It's not that funny, you know."

However, even the Guardians were laughing by this point. "Oi, you sure you and Frostbite over there aren't related or somethin'?" Bunny asked as he fell to his back in his own fits of laughter. Jamie just blushed darker and turned away, walking towards Pitch's 'side' of the room. Sophie followd closely, not wanting to lose sight of her big brother. Pitch didn't seem to mind and no one cared to comment as the conversation between the Frost men continued.

Christopher chuckled and ruffled the boy's brown locks. "Oh, and how are you two going to do that? Hiding behind furniture doesn't work, and until recently, you kept falling asleep before midnight!"

"This time I have the best hiding spot. The one place he would never expect it!"

"Oh? And where would that be?"

"Under the tree," Elisa piped up, clearly wanting to be part of the conversation on how to catch the mythical Santa Clause in the act. Jack had tried making a shushing motion like he expected the jolly old man to be listening in.

"Under…the tree," Christopher echoed, sounding stunned at the idea.

Jack sighed. "Great! Now he probably knows and will evade me yet again!" Jack placed a paper snowflake on one of the branches. "Yep. We're hiding under the tree! It's the one place he'll never look because that's where he expects to put the presents. He's probably used to kids hiding around tables and chairs. He'd never expect this!" Jack proclaimed proudly, his previous annoyance forgotten with his excitement over his plan.

"Sure, we'll end up covered in pine needles and presents by morning, but it's our best chance of seeing him!" Elisa added. The two kids then shared a high five, thinking their plan to be brilliant.

Mary chuckled and wished them good luck for the coming nights.

"Alright you two. If you intend to do this then you'll need all the rest you can get," Christopher said and cracked his back. "Time for bed. You have two days to prepare before Christmas Eve."

Both kids nodded and ran towards the ladder. Saying their 'good nights', the two disappeared to Jack's room.

Up in Jack's room, the two crawled into bed and started whispering about their plans on how they were going to catch Santa. Just as it was reaching midnight, Elisa asked, "Do you think it will work?"

Jack yawned and gave a sleeping smirk. "Of course. Nothing will stop us." With that the two fell asleep, neither one seeing the golden sand that started to creep into the room though the window.

The next time the scenery cleared, the small group of watchers found themselves back in the Frost family's house. It looked very festive and ready for the holidays, but one thing was out of place. Jack and Elisa looked to be setting up camp under the tree.

"Tonight's the night that we finally do it!" Jack proclaimed as he smoothed out a blanket under the tree. A look of determination set into his eyes.

Elisa nodded as she through a few pillows down. "There is no way Santa can avoid being seen this year. OW!" she exclaimed as her hair got stuck on one of the branches. As she tried to untangle herself, Jack pulled the pillows towards himself and started to lay those out too.

"Well, don't you two look ready for tonight," a voice said from the doorway. Both children turned and found Cedric Windy standing there. His skin was slightly tanner than when he had first arrived to their town and his black greying hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. His blue eyes smiling as he watched the two making their 'capture' plans.

"Daddy!" Elisa cried and rushed into the man's arms giggling all the while.

Jack stood up and attempted to brush whatever parts of the tree that attached to him off. "Mr. Windy, when did you get in? We didn't hear you." Jack said as he made his way over.

Cedric chuckled and returned his daughter's hug. "Well, you know what they say, 'silent as a whisper on the wind'. Besides, it's a holiday. I believe that even I should have some time off to spend with my family. How goes the planning?"

"Great!" Elisa said as she pulled away. "We've got treats for the long night and the best trap set for Santa."

"Trap? What trap?" the older man asked slightly worried as both kids had shown how good at hunting and trapping they could be within the last year.

"Nothing dangerous, Mr. Windy. Just a plate of cookies and milk," Jack explained.

"Well that's good. It will distract him long enough for you to jump him…maybe." Cedric replied.

"I should hope so," Mary said as she waddled into the room. "I would hate that all my hard work would go to waste." Mary had one hand on the wall as she supported herself and the other was rubbing her large belly.

Cedric looked at her with worry. "Mary, should you really be up and walking? Any day now you could go into labor and then-"

"I'm fine," Mary cut him off and waved her hand. "Really, even if I were to 'pop' I am surrounded by good people who are more than capable of taking care of me."

Suddenly, time seemed to speed up around the group of watchers. "What's happening?!" Monty exclaimed as everyone in the memory looked to be going in fast forward.

Sandy waved is hands in the air to try and get everyone's attention as his golden sand transformed into a clock with the hands rapidly moving forward. As per usual, no one seemed to mind the little golden man and it was only when the Nightmare King spoke did they even realize Sandy was 'talking'.

"I do believe you are right, Sanderson," Pitch remarked as his eyes tried to keep up with the fast moving people. "Seems like we are, for a lack of better terminology, fast forwarding through the night."

"Oi! And why would we be needin' to do that?" Bunny demanded rather aggressively, as if he were blaming the shadow man for the current development.

"Suck an egg, rabbit. It's rather obvious that anything currently happening," Pitch gestured to the memory, "has been deemed unimportant by those allowing us to watch these memories in the first place."

Some of the kids nodded their heads in agreement while others continued watching the memory, trying to keep up. The North and Tooth tried to calm Bunny down so that he didn't try anything. Sandy had floated over to Pitch and given a few more sand pictures, a smirk on his face and a challenge in his eyes.

Pitch raised an eyebrow to that and glanced at the images his rival had created. "Care to make a wager?" the images seemed to say. Pitch tapped his chin in thought, paying no mind to the three onlookers watching the interaction between the two dream weavers. "What sort of wager?" Pitch finally asked.

Sandy pointed over to Jack and Elisa, then to North, and then pointed to his eyes. The question was obvious; would the pair of kids see Santa Clause or would they fail? Pitch continued to ponder if he should accept or not. It really depended on what the winner got out of it he supposed. Looking down at his diminutive counterpart, he made his question known. Sandy then made a miniature globe showing only the land masses, then he put 10 pins – also made of sand – into it, each with a child standing over it. Now THIS surprised Pitch. "You would willingly do that?" Pitch asked.

Sandy nodded, a determined look on his face.

Pitch opened his mouth to agree when he felt a tag on his clothing. Sandy and Pitch looked down and finally acknowledged the Bennett siblings. Jamie was the one vying for their attention. With a confused look on his face, Jamie asked, "What's the wager? What are you betting?"

Pitch chuckled rather darkly and it made Sophie flinch, hiding behind he brother, but peeking out to see what the two men had to say. "The bet," Pitch stated, "is whether or not Jack and Elisa will see and/or capture the jolly old fool or not." Pitch paused and pretended to brush dirt off his shoulder. The movement caused Baby Tooth to fall off the man's other shoulder and she had to quickly catch herself. She had started squeaking in annoyance at the shadow man as she fluttered back down onto his shoulder.

Unable to take the suspense, Jamie added, "And what are you betting with?" sounding almost afraid of the answer.

Pitch smirked widely, his sharpened teeth looking more terrifying than before. "Dreams," Pitch stated. "We are betting with ten children's dreams. After all, there isn't really anything the two of us value more than the power we have over dreams. If Sanderson wins," he gestured to the golden man, "then he gets to decide which ten children will get dreams from him, and only him for," Pitch paused, tapping his chin in thought, "hmm, let's say one month." Sandy nodded his agreement to the terms. "However, if I win, then I get to do the same for ten children of my choosing."

Jamie's eyes widened and he quickly looked at Sandy with an almost betrayed look. "You can't actually be thinking of going through with this, can you?" he questioned the Sand Man.

Sandy gave an apologetic look and a shrug of his shoulders. In golden, sandy letters he spelled out "everyone gets a nightmare every now and then. It's a part of nature and can't be destroyed, just like happy dreams."

"True, which makes me even more annoyed that the rest of your little club members believe that I can be destroyed or vanquished," Pitch said, motioning towards the other three Guardians.

"What about Jack-Jack?" Sophie asked timidly.

Pitch huffed and said, "I never had anything against Frost until the so-called Guardians tried to make him one of them. He never believed in such rubbish."

"But Jack is a Guardian!" a voice said angrily. The small group looked over and found Pippa with her arms crossed, glaring at the Nightmare King.

Jamie and Sophie both nodded in agreement to their friend's words and joined in glaring at the tall man. Pitch merely rolled his eyes at their actions. "Keep watching, children. You'll find that Jack Frost is no Guardian of Childhood. Even he doesn't see himself as one." With that, Pitch walked away, but not without calling back, "oh, and Sanderson? The bet is on. I don't think they'll see dear Old Nick."

Sandy huffed, a stream of golden sand flying out of his ears and making Sophie giggle. "Sandy?" Jamie questioned. "Why would you make that bet? Why would Pitch say that? What does he mean?!"

The three kids looked to the Guardian of Dreams for an answer. Sandy shook his head and wrote out "Pitch is right in this case. You need to see to understand". With that, Sandy floated away back to the others as the memory's speed started to slow down. Pippa, Sophie and Jamie returned to the group as well, determined to figure out what the two dream weavers meant.

Just before everyone fell silent again, Pippa leaned over to Jamie and whispered, "I don't know what Pitch Black is up to, but whatever it is, we'll stop him, right?" Jamie nodded and then shushed her, pointing back to the memory.

It looked like it was pretty late now. It was dark outside the home's window, the parents were sitting around the fireplace and the children were getting into comfortable positions under the tree.

"Alright," Christopher said as he stood up. "It's getting pretty late. Those of us not on the hunt tonight, should probably hit the hay." Offering his arm to Mary, the elder Frost male turned to Cedric. "We have a spare room if you'd like Cedric. I highly doubt the couch will be all too pleasant to rest on."

Cedric waved Christopher off. "Thank you for the offer, Christopher. I think I'll take you up on it. This old back of mine is not what it used to be." At this, Cedric made a point of stretching his back which resulted in it cracking back into alignment. "Oh dear, was that me?" he asked in fake astonishment.

Jack and Elisa giggled at the man's antics from their hiding place.

Mary turned to the two and asked in a worried tone, "are you two sure you'll be warm enough under there? We're expecting a blizzard tonight." She glanced out the window, watching as the wind picked up and the snow whip around.

Jack and Elisa shared a worried look. "You don't think this will stop Santa from coming, do you?" Elisa asked.

"No way!" Jack proclaimed. "He'll come." Then as an afterthought he added, "We'll be fine mama."

Mary giggled as she was lead out of the room by her husband, Cedric not too far behind the two. "Happy hunting you two," the two males called back as the exited the main part of the house. After that the only sounds in the room were the crackling fire, the storm outside, and the occasional shifting coming from under the decorated tree.

Time seemed to pass slowly. The only indications that time was moving at all were the storm outside – which seemed to have finally gotten into full swing – and the slowly dying fire.

North looked around with a furrowed brow. "It is getting late," he remarked, taking in how tired the children in the memory were starting to look.

"Yer right there, mate," Bunny added as he hopped a little closer to the tree. Taking a peek underneath he muttered, "These little ankle bitters look just about ready to drop."

"Where's Sandy," Cupcake asked.

"Yeah! Elisa and Jack are still awake," Caleb said.

"I thought Santa only came once the kids were asleep," Claude added.

North ran his hand over his beard in thought. "Is true," he remarked. He turned to the shorter man and asked, "Sandy, vhere vere you zat night?"

"Probably asleep himself," Pitch remarked. Sending a toothy smile his opposite's way, he teased, "After all, his name is Sanderson Mansnoozie," purposefully enunciating the end of the man's last name.

Sandy merely rolled his eyes and mouthed, "whatever you say, Pitchner."

Pitch scowled, but refrained from saying anything else. Everyone else was left confused. After all, not everyone could read lips.

Bunny scoffed and the shadow man's words. "As if, Boogieman. Why don't you go crawl back into that dark hole you call a home."

"Are we talking about my home or yours?" Pitch countered, "And I believe I told you already to go suck an egg."

Tooth was about to split the two up again when a loud shriek interrupted the group.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Pippa exclaimed as she hid behind Jamie, who gave her a 'why are you hiding behind me?' look.

It seemed that the kids in the memory had a very similar standpoint on the sound as well.

"JACK! What was that?!" Elisa exclaimed in fear as she gripped onto Jack's arm.

"I don't know!" Jack exclaimed with just as much fear, one of his hands holding the one Elisa had placed on him. He twisted around under the tree and looked to where the adults had gone. "It sounded like it came from that way." A second shriek came from the hall and had Jack bolting towards it. "MAMA!" he yelled as he realized what the sound was.

"JACK! WAIT!" Elisa yelled after him, abandoning her spot under the tree as well.

The two ran down the short hall to where the Frost parents were only to find Cedric at the door as well. "Mr. Windy!" Jack exclaimed as he came to a stop beside the man. "What's going on?!"

Cedric turned towards Jack and watched as his daughter came to a stop behind him. "Daddy! What's going on? What was that noise?" Elisa asked.

She was about to ask another question when Jack interrupted, "Is mama ok?" That shut Elisa up and the two children looked to Cedric with worry and fear.

Cedric sighed and turned his attention back to the door. "It would seem," he said, "that your mother has finally gone into labor, Jack."

Jack looked confused. "What does that mean?" he asked in an almost annoyed tone. He hadn't asked what had happened to his mother, he asked if she was ok.

Elisa smacked Jack over the back of his head. "You idiot! It means the baby's coming. It wants to be born!"

"Ohhh. Why didn't you say so?" Jack said while rubbing his now sore head. "So, mama's going to be fine, right?" he asked hopefully.

Cedric sighed again and shook his head. "I'm not sure. Your younger sibling couldn't have chosen a worse time to be born," he said in a soft voice. Then in a loader voice he yelled through the door, "Christopher? Mary? I'm going to go get the village's healer! Hold on!"

"Hurry!" Christopher yelled back in a panicked voice.

Cedric ran to the front of the house and proceeded to dress himself. He stared speaking to the pair that had followed him, listing off what each of them should be doing. "I'm going to run out and get the healer. Elisa, Jack, I need you two to set some things up for when I return. We'll need hot water and clean cloths. Grab some of the finished blankets Mary made as well. We'll also need some freshly crushed herbs for pain relief; Elisa, you can do that, I've taught you how. Jack, stay by your parent's room. If they need anything then you need to go get it, and fast. I'll be back as soon as I can!" And with that, Cedric ran out the door into the storm with a lantern.

Jack and Elisa stood there for a moment before they ran off to grab the items the man had listed.

None of the individuals watching could say anything for a minute or two. They just watched as the two eight year olds worked. Elisa seemed to be taking it better than Jack, who looked like he was on the brink of freaking out.

"Um, why did they all look so panicked?" Pippa asked. "I mean, yeah, the baby's being born, and Mary screamed really loud, but…" she trailed off as she watched Jack boil some water on the stove and pour it into a large metal tub, steam floating away from the surface.

The Guardians shared a worried look. "Ah, Shiela, the thing is…" Bunny tried to say, but was quickly overridden by the Tooth Fairy.

"Life was different back then," she explained. "Medicine wasn't as advanced and births were actually very dangerous. It could sometimes be a gamble between whether the baby and the mother made it or not. You probably already noticed how there weren't a lot of children in the village, right?"

"WAIT! You mean the baby or Mary could die?!" Monty yelled in panic.

"Or both of 'em, mate," Bunny sighed, his ears drooping at the thought that they might have to watch, at the thought that Jack may have had to live through this not once, but twice since he got his memories back.

Baby Tooth chirped worriedly from Pitch's shoulder. Pitch, meanwhile, scoffed and rolled his eyes. He knew how it would end. He remembered this happening. "They'll live you idiots," he remarked with little care for their feelings.

Cupcake, in a bout of courage, crossed her arms and said defiantly, "How would you know? This is the first time anyone here is seeing this!" The other children nodded their heads in agreement. The twins even added a 'yeah!' and crossed their arms as if to make their friend's point true.

Pitched smirked and said, "Whoever said this was my first time seeing this birthing happen?" He gestured to the whole area and proclaimed, "With this much fear, paranoia and panic flowing off all these people, do you really think I would appear for even a moment? I. Was. Present!" with that said, he turned back to the memory with a small smile on his face.

Everyone else were gob-smacked. Pitch had been here, in this house? Impossible! The thought, however, was now there in their minds. They would have to keep a keen eye out for the shadow man in the memory, if Pitch was telling the truth. Jamie had even made a point changing his position so that he was closer to Pitch, just so he could tell if the man spotted himself or not.

Mary screamed again and the children winced. Jack stopped what he was doing and looked worriedly over to where his parent were. Elisa, noticing this, stopped grinding the herbs she had found and looked at Jack, then to where his gaze was leading to. She sighed. "Jack, your mother's going to be fine," she said, trying to comfort her friend.

"But what if-"Jack started, but was cut off.

"But nothing. You need to have courage, Jack. You need to believe that both your mother and the baby will be fine. You need to believe that my daddy will make it back in time, with help of course. You need to stay strong, because if you don't, then who will?" She sighed again and went to place a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Look, Jack. Your parents are probably feeling the same things you are right now, but right now, they need you to stay strong and have hope because they can't spare a moment to comfort you right now; not when the scale could all too easily tip."

Jack knew Elisa was right, but he couldn't help the words from falling from his lips. "How can I have hope when there isn't any here right now?" Elisa watched her friend for only a moment before pulling him into a hug. She didn't even comment on how wet Jack's eyes looked.

Most of the watchers had turned to Bunny, only to find that he had become crestfallen. His ears were drooped, his jaw hanging open and his shoulders slumped. "Frostbite…" he murmured, watching the boy who would one day grow up to annoy the living daylights out of him break down at the thought of losing not only his possible sibling, but also his mother.

"He lost hope," Jamie said quietly, watching his hero crumble from just one event. It reminded Jamie of when he had lost hope and faith in the Guardians. Just as he was about to give up, Jack had been there to reignite his belief; but who was going to do that for Jack?

"It'll all work out," Elisa stated with confidence. "Just you wait and see!"

Jack wiped his tears away and gave her a watery smile. Holding up a pinky he said, "Promise?"

Elisa nodded and took the pinky with one of her own. "Promise!" she said.

Just then, the door to the house burst open and Cedric, covered head to toe in snow, marched in. A second person marched in right after. It was the healer. Without waiting to take her winter clothes off she asked, "which way?"

Elisa and Jack pointed in the direction of the Frost parent's room and the healer was off. "Bring those items you prepared, both of you!" she called behind her.

Cedric helped Jack with the hot water, as it was too heavy for him to lift now, and the children grabbed the other items. As soon as everything was brought to the healer, she pushed Jack and Elisa out of the room, much to their protest.

"But we want to help," Elisa claimed as she and Jack tried to get back into the room.

"That's all well and good, but I'm afraid there isn't anything else you two can do right now. Just wait out here. Once everything is done we'll come get you," the healer explained before shutting the door behind her. Jack and Elisa stared at the door with mixed expressions of annoyance, confusion, understanding, and acceptance.

Sighing, Jack moved away from the door and back to the main part of the house. He grabbed the blanket he and Elisa had been using earlier and brought it back to the hallway outside his parent's room. He plopped himself down on the floor next to the door and wrapped part of the blanket around him. He then held the other side open. Elisa, understanding the silent request, quickly made herself comfortable next to Jack and pulled the other half of the blanket around her. The only part of them that could be seen were their faces. Even the tops of their heads were covered.

"Now we wait," Elisa said softly.

"Now we wait," Jack repeated in an almost defeated voice.

The atmosphere remained tense after that. Mary's screams got louder and more frequent. The healer could be heard running around and yelling orders to Cedric to help her here and there. Christopher was unusually quiet throughout this time. With every scream or shout, Jack and Elisa would jump and look towards the door or would flinch and hold each other tighter. Occasionally Jack would get up and pace around before crawling under the blankets again. With neither child wanting to leave the hallway in the slightest, they missed when rustling came from the main room. Eventually, silence reigned and the children were growing worried. The two got up and placed their ears to the door hoping that they'd be able to hear something.

"Alright, Mary. One more push. You can do it," the healer urged.

"I'm trying," Mary panted.

"GAH! MARY! MY HAND!" Christopher yelped loudly. Started by the sound, Jack fell over and Elisa jumped away from the door surprised.

Not a second later they could hear the crying of a young and small being. "Ha, ha, ha! Congratulations! It's a healthy baby girl!" Cedric crowed.

"Let me see," Mary panted.

"Let me wash her first," the healer reprimanded. "Cedric, could you clean up the cloths and water please. This isn't something that children should see."

There were more sounds of shuffling from within the room, but neither child was paying attention to it anymore. Elisa was bouncing on her feet in excitement. "Jack! Did you hear that? You have a sister. Isn't this exciting?" When she didn't get a response, she look around and called out, "Jack?" She found him sitting on the floor leaning up against the wall. Elisa approached him, worry clear on her face. "Jack?" she called again, kneeling down in front of him. It was only then that she heard the sniffles coming from him.

"They're ok," Jack muttered. "They're *sniff* they're both ok. They made it. *sniff*"

Elisa sighed in relief and gave a watery smile. She could only nod along to what her friend was saying, the stress and fear from earlier completely gone now that the danger was over. Jack continued to cry out his relief and Elisa had decided to join him by the wall. Both were so preoccupied that neither of them noticed the rather large man peeking around the corner, a smile in his eyes.

"Hey! It's you North!" Toothiana exclaimed. Her wings fluttering a mile a minute as she pointed to the doorway leading to the main part of the house. Sure enough, there stood a somewhat younger North with an elf by his feet watching the two children.

"You know, it's not nice to spy on others," Jamie said jokingly.

North blushed and chuckled in embarrassment at having been caught in the act. The kids laughed loudly at this and even Pitch gave a soft chuckle.

The sudden sound of a bell jingling caught the two children's attention. "You don't think…" Jack remarked as he shared a look with Elisa. At this point, North had looked panics and quickly grabbed the elf before fleeing back towards the chimney.

"It would be the perfect opportunity," Elisa thought out loud. Both kids got up and looked to the doorway leading to the area the tree was placed.

Before either of them could make their way over, however, Cedric opened the door. He looked tired; his hair was slightly messy, he looked out of breath, and his clothes were wrinkled and dirty with blood. Despite his exhaustion, he looked overall happy and relieved. A smile donning his features. He opened the door wide and waved the two in. "Would you like to meet the newest addition to the Frost family?" he asked.

Without another word the two kids ran inside. They only slowed down once they caught sight of Mary in bed with a small bundle in her arms. Christopher sat next to her on a stool shaking his rather red hand. The healer was pulling out some bandages and kept rolling her eyes whenever she looked at the patriarch of the Frost family.

Jack slowly walked over to his parent's bed and crawled up to his mother's side, eyes switching from watching the bundle to his exhausted mother. Elisa wasn't too far behind, taking a seat just behind Jack and looking over his shoulder.

When Elisa saw the state of Christopher's hand, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you hand, Mr. Frost?"

Christopher laughed a little and replied, "Mary happened, that's what."

"She gripped his hand so tight she may have injured Chris' hand," the healer explained. She turned to Jack and said in a joking manner, "Your mother either has a very strong grip, or you father is more of a weakling than I first thought!"

"HEY!" Christopher exclaim, rather affronted by the claim of his strength. Jack and Elisa laughed.

Once they calmed down, Elisa asked, "So what are you going to name her?"

"Well," Christopher started as the healer began to wrap up his hand. "Jack won our little bet, so he gets to give her, her first name."

"Emma Pippa Frost," Pitch said, as if just remembering something rather important.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Her name," the Nightmare King explained. "That's what the baby's name is; Emma Pippa Frost."

No one had anything to say to that, so they all returned their attention to Jack who had started to say something.

"Emma," he stated. "My little sister's name will be Emma."

Mary and Christopher looked to each other occasionally mouthing the name. Eventually, Mary smile and said how wonderful a name it was. Christopher nodded in agreement and smiled as well. The healer finished wrapping the father's hand and he nodded to her in thanks.

Christopher then stood up and left the room. When he got back, he was carrying three classes of wine and three more classes of juice. Handing a glass of juice to the children and Mary, the remaining adults picked up their glasses of wine. "A toast!" Christopher proclaimed, "to the birth of our newest family member; Emma Pippa Frost!"

"And to the survival and health of all involved tonight," the healer added.

"Hear, hear!" everyone else exclaimed. They all drank from their glasses.

Jack put his cup down and looked at his new little sister. "She's so small," he whispered, afraid that he would spook her.

Mary chuckled. "You were this small once too, honey."

"This just means you'll have to do your best to protect her," Christopher said as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. Jack nodded, not doubting a word that was said.

"By the way," Cedric added his own two cents to the conversation, "did you two manage to catch Santa tonight before all this happened?" He had paused in helping the healer put various items away now that the work was done.

Jack and Elisa shared a look before the bolted out the door and to the tree. When they got there they found presents where they had been hiding, stocking were full of goodies, the milk and cookie were gone, and only two pairs of sooty footprints left near the doorway to the hall.

Jack groaned. "We missed him again," he complained.

"He must have come when we were out of the room," Elisa rationalized. "We were so close!"

Cedric and the healer had followed them and were highly amused by the children. "Well, I think you got the best gift of all," the healer said as she pointed back to the remaining Frost family. "A new member of the family born Christmas morning. I couldn't think of a better gift." With that, the healer said farewell and reminded Cedric that she would be around more often to check on Mary and Emma.

Elisa, meanwhile, had busied herself with looking through the gifts. "Santa must have known we were here. There are gift for me and daddy here as well as a few for Emma."

"Really?! Let me see!" Jack exclaimed and rushed to her side.

Cedric watch on in amusement and walked over to the kitchen to make something for all of them to nibble on. It was still early, but it was Christmas; they deserved something special after the hard night they just went through.

With that, the memory started to fade away.

"Ha! You weren't anywhere to be seen, Pitch!" crowed Bunny. "You were lying all along!"

"Was I?" Pitch said in fake wonder. "Then what, pray tell, is that over there?" he pointed to a shadowed area just outside the main room in the hall. There, in the shadows, stood a man with golden eyes and covered from head to toe in black. It was a younger Pitch Black, and he was smiling at the two children by the tree. His eye would shift to the group down the hall, but would always return to the two by the tree.

Everyone, minus Pitch, was shocked to see that not only was the man telling the truth earlier, but he had been this close to Jack long before Jack had become a spirit of winter. What shocked all of them, however, was that Jack seemed to have felt Pitch, because he looked over and locked eyes with the shadow man.

Neither of them moved for a moment before Jack's eye widened in surprise and opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Pitch who, with equally wide and surprised eyes, made a shushing motion. Jack could only nod his head and Pitch disappeared into the shadows.

The memory finally disappeared and everyone looked at Pitch. Glaring at all of them he growled out, "What?" Everyone turned away and acted like nothing had just happened; well, everyone except Jamie who gave Pitch a curious look.

The scene shifted slightly again and the group found themselves in Jack's bedroom. It was morning outside now, but the group found Elisa asleep in Jack's bed while Jack was at the desk writing in a book they had seen before. It was Jack's book about legends and myths. Once again they heard Jack's thoughts as he wrote away in the book.

"Today has been a busy day. Elisa and I had a whole plan on how to see and catch Santa Clause, but it didn't work out. Instead, we spent the late hours of the night and the earliest hours of the morning preparing for the arrival of my new little sister; Emma Pippa Frost!

Not sure what papa has about giving unusual names, but then again, I guess it must be some tradition he never told me about. That's not the point though and this isn't my daily journal.

Elisa and I have proof that Santa is real! Well, more like as good as we'll get this year. Since everybody was busy in the other parts of the house, Santa had a clear opening to get by us. Our only proof is that the milk and cookies we set out were gone by the time we made it back to the main room and the two sets of foot prints left in soot near the hall door. We know it couldn't have been one of the adults because they were all preoccupied. One of the foot prints had to be Santa 'cause no one in this house has a boot size that large or with that pattern on the bottom. We think the second set was from an elf, because they were really tiny and we also heard a bell jingle earlier – even though we didn't see them.

That's not the craziest part though. When Elisa and I were looking through the presents Santa left us, I could have sworn that we were being watched. I knew it could be my parents since they were still in the bedroom and it couldn't have been Mr. Windy, since his back was turned to us while he made us something to eat. It wasn't until I looked up at the hall door that I saw a shadowy figure hiding there. I won't lie, I was scared for a second. Stranger in the house and all.

I was about to call out, but stopped when he told me to be quiet. I don't know why I listened. He hadn't done anything to me or the others, so I guess I didn't see him as a threat. Thinking about it now though, he didn't feel completely human. He looked human enough, but he just blended into the shadows. I think I may have had my first sighting of the Nightmare King! Maybe he felt all our fear for my mother and the baby and came to see what was going on. Kinda wish he stayed longer; I have so many questions to ask him.

I didn't tell Elisa about this encounter, though, maybe I should have. I didn't want to worry her after everything that had happened. I wonder if I'll ever see him again, that man I mean. Guess I'll just have to wait, and next time, I'll have Elisa and my new sister Emma as backup!"

Finished with his writing, Jack closed the book and hid it away again. With a yawn and a stretch, Jack made his way over to his bed and made himself comfortable under the covers with Elisa snoozing next to him. It didn't take long for the boy to fall asleep and for golden sand to creep into the room through the window. The two's dreams were filled with laughter and joy, showing two older kids – a boy and a girl – playing with a new younger girl. The sleeping duo never knew that a pair of golden eyes were watching from the shadows, nor when they disappeared.

Phantom: And that is the end of that chapter. I hope that was well worth the wait. Again, I am so sorry that it took this long for a chapter to come out. I can only say sorry and hope you all accept it.

Trainer: I've really been no better, but yeah, super sorry guys.

Phantom: Before I get to the reviews and 'thank you-s', I also want to say that I will be going back through the previous chapter and fixing mistakes I made getting to this chapter. I don't have a Beta, and I don't usually have time to proofread thoroughly. It has been so long that I had to reread the last chapter I wrote to know where I was and realized how much my writing was lacking. So there will be updates/changes. Sorry for the future confusion.

Trainer: Now onto the reviews from all you amazing people!

Guest from March 15th, 2015 – Yes! You were right! Good on you for catching on so quickly.

Moonumb – Are you ok?! Are you having an orgasm? Did you win the lottery? Do you need me to call 9-1-1? Blink once for yes and twice for no!

Luckyjinx – First off, love your name. My lucky number tends to be 13, so I totally get it. Second, omg, you are like my favourite kind of person who reads on this site. I'm so sorry it's taken so long for an update and I hope you are still checking for an update! And yes, I saw your review. I see and read every review I get.

Wildchild00 – I did update! See!? Aren't you proud of me?

Cosmickatsu – Did you really scream when Jack said "Papa?"? Oh man, I wish I could have seen that. The cliffhanger is there so that you keep interest in my story. It's supposed to be an asshole! XD Oh, and here is your update! Sorry for the wait!

SoteiraStar – Thank you! And yes, yes it is.

Wubtastical – Um, you don't have to decode the message. It's here in this chapter. But if you did then cookie for you. In case you were wondering, there is a decoder online you can use for it, but basically it's Jack yelling at his father. Thanks for waiting so long. I hope your still here… *looks at pitched tent and wonders if you're still there*

2SexyForMySkirt – THANK YOU FOR LOVING IT TO PIECES! Psst…don't worry about Jack's death and re-birth. You'll see amazing reactions when we get there. Anyway, thank you for telling me I'm awesome. Thank you for saying this story is awesome. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Eplekake – thank you for reading! Glad you like it. Sorry, can't really help with the updates (I think this update just proved it…)

Neryssaguest – Sorry for the super late update. No, I couldn't get it done by the end of the month when you posted you review. Sorry. Glad you like the story though. Hope to hear from you again!

Ur Fan – HOLY SHIT YOU WRITE A LOT! This is the longest comment made for chapter 6! Thank you for calling this story brilliant, it means a lot to me. Yeah, you'll have to wait for the big reunion. It's going to be epic! Also, you are right about the age. In the story book, Jack is supposed to be a young teenager around 14, but in the movie he is 17-18. Quick fact about boys, puberty can last into young adulthood sometimes. So for the purposes of this story and based on the time period Jack was born into, he'll be 18 by the time he dies. Don't worry about being nitpicky. I love it! I love hearing what you all have to say. Sometimes I'll add aspects of what you say into the story as dialogue or something. After all, someone is bound to point out that Jack still looks fairly young, yeah? Sorry for the long wait for an update, I hope you enjoyed this chapter – if you're still here *looks around, hoping you are* Anyway, yeah, you won't truly get to know the connection between Jack and Pitch till later. Here's a hint, it happens after something rather traumatic and heart breaking…and that kiss will come later too! Thank you for your support. I hope you review again!

19Teardrop94 – yes, all the feels for people like you who read my stories! The whole point of reading these stories is to get so many feels and enjoying every minute of it. Even I get emotional, and I'm writing the damn thing! I'm glad you like this story. I try very hard to keep characters realistic and relatable, but there's only so much I can do since I only have the movie and the shorts introducing characters to work from. I do use the wiki and some information concerning the book, but I've never read them. I hope you continue to enjoy this story, 'cause I know I am in just writing it and hearing from people like yourself. Thanks for the support!

DragonRobotkid676 – Here is your update! I hope you enjoyed it!

Guest from May 27th, 2015 – I wrote more. Enjoy. Hope you're still here somewhere…

Girl-luvs-manga – It's supposed to be…

FreakyFreckledGirl11 – I'm so glad you love this story. Here's a chapter and a cookie!

Booping the snoot – Sorry, you'll have to wait for that death scene. It's a ways off. And the wait was much longer this time. Sorry, I'll try to do better now that my life is a little less hectic.

SerinasHarmony – Yes, big four reference. And you will be seeing them more in the future. Sorry for the wait. I had time to update this weekend!

Taylor Fireheart – I UPDATED! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Wrath of Selene – Thank you! I did continue, I'm just sorry it took so long. I'm disappointed in myself because of the wait.

Okami-Kyuubi-Youkai – Thank you for the amazing comment. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Guest from November 1st, 2015 – I'm sorry for the long wait! I hope you are still checking to see if a new chapter came out to read this!

tokyoghoul234 – Update complete!

Anonymus – Exci from November 19th, 2015 – Glad you like my story and congrats on knowing who Old Man Winter was. I like your enthusiasm.

Jordan from December 24th, 2015 – I did continue and I'm sorry I can't tell you I updated any other way. Your email didn't show up in the review so I hope this gets to you somehow. Through the power of belief!

1 – Sorry for the long wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it!

Guest from April 2nd, 2016 – thank you for the review. I hope you read this chapter and enjoyed it.

FlamingStar1 – Here is an update. Hopefully there will be more of those more frequently now that my life is steadier.

Guest from July 30th, 2016 – This story isn't abandoned and never will be. The reason for no updates is from a combination of college life, school work, graduation, life and finding work after graduation.

ThePaintedHand – Nah, my sister loves Bill. She even has a plushie she made by hand of him…unless you mean me (Phantom), in which case I am never going to be scarred because of Bill. I love that little monster. Definitely on my 'top ten best cartoon villains' list.

Shaylee Swanson from August 6th, 2016 – Glad to know someone does read these ending outro pieces. They're a lot of fun to write. Hey, that's the same video I watched to know those lines. Game Grumps and Gravity Falls. Glad I'm your new favourite person. I hope I didn't lose that with the lack of an update!

Guest from August 28th, 2016 – Yes, I am still updating. It's just been hard to find time to write and to feel inspired to do so. Life can make you bummed out at times.

RoseThornOlympian – Thank you! That means a lot!

Guest from November 1st, 2016 – I never said I wasn't going to continue, but thanks. I hope you read this.

SovietAxelus – glad you love my story. Here's an update and a cookie!

NaruShika-Forever – I know. But chapter writing takes time and effort. Two things I didn't have for a while, while I was in college with my final year in full swing.

Guest from January 20th, 2017 – Tahnk you for the wonderful comments. I've never had someone say they admire my work before. Just keep practicing your writing. I wasn't all that good to begin with, which is why I'll be going back and fixing any mistake I find. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Erica from April 24th, 2017 – Here is an update. I hope this chapter makes up for the stupidly long wait.

Foxchick1 – Ha! There will be more surprises coming!

Moonshadowcuteness1 – I DIDN'T MEAN TO LEAVE IT! It's not unfinished either. It's still a work in progress. Be patient with me please. Thank you. Now here's a cookie and a chapter.

TGYREU8 from November 12th,2017 – Updated!

YokaiAngel – THANK YOU! 3

ImAFanana from January 5th, 2018 – I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I'm sorry for the stupidly long wait. Here's a new chapter (probably the longest written so far). I hope you enjoy!

everyman52 – I'm so happy you are enjoying this story. Makes me even happier that there are still people digging through the pages here to find this story. I hope this chapter meets your expectations and more!

Cindel Mortem – This is what happens next! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Phantom: Ok, that was a lot of people. It took me…almost an hour or more to reply to them all? That was like…1, 2, 3…46 people, including guests and individuals who don't have a page on this site. That took 4 pages in my chapter to get through you all.

Trainer: I hope this proves that yes, we do read comments and reviews. We take them very seriously.

Phantom: We also love hearing from you guys. Even if it's just a few words or a huge rant.

Trainer: This is probably the longest chapter Frosted Memories has ever seen too.

Phantom: Just so you all know, I will likely start replying to reviews at the end of chapters. So I guess that's more incentive for you all to talk to me a little through reviews or comments.

Trainer: But guys, real talk for a moment. We're not sure if this is getting through to a lot of you, but we are young adults now. We have completed college/university and are now either working or looking for work now that school is done. This means that updates depend on our moods after work, how busy we are during the week, and how much time we have to dedicate to writing if we find we are in a good mood.

Phantom: All we're asking is that you be patient with us. Send us a PM if you're worried or curious about something, like an update being late or wanting to speak about a chapter/character. All talk is welcome (even flaming from time to time, but don't push your luck!).

Trainer: Anyway, this chapter has gone on long enough and we've made our apologies.

Phantom: I also have work in the morning, so I need to get ready for tomorrow. Thank you all for sticking with us through this long break. I'll try to update more now that life isn't as hectic as it once was.

Trainer: Until next time!~

Phantom: See ya!~