Disclaimer: I had an epiphany a short moment ago. This site is called FAN FICTION. That is an overall disclaimer all on its own and I've just wasted time for nothing to type out something. Stopping now.

Fourth Snowfall

She had run up to the house just in time to see the kids heading out for school. The teenager smiled lightly and sped up a little, about to raise an arm to grab their attention. But then little Susie was yelling at the teenagers only real friend and pulling away.

"I don't want to go to school! I don't want new parents! I want mommy!" Susie yelled as loud as her little lungs could manage.

"Oh Susie," the teenager called out, kneeling before the crying child. "It's okay, mommy's here now. You don't have to worry anymo-"

The middle of the three female children didn't notice the teenager and turned around to run back into the house, passing right through the teenager in the process.

The brunette sucked in a shuddering gasp. It was like her very soul had been pulled out along with the child, leaving her breathless and empty. The girl collapsed onto her rear, her hands pressed over where the child had run through her, as if she was trying to hold whatever was left of her in place. Her shock mixed with horror, for all to see…If they could see her that was.

Tears rolled past unnoticed as the teenager continued to watch numbly as her children finally left the house. She didn't even notice the previously white clouds above her turn a surly stormy gray, a deep and troubled rumble of thunder rolling though the folds. She barely registered the soft padding of someone approaching her from behind, and even then she didn't budge.

"You know," she started suddenly in a soft tone just above a whisper, "there comes a point in some people's lives where they learn so much that when they need to get help, they can't because they know too much about the subject to get the help they really need. How do you answer questions to let someone know what's troubling you, when you already know the answers a normal person would make? Do you admit that there is something wrong with you, that you are flawed, unclean, and can't be repaired?"

"I don't think that's it at all," Jack replied gently. "You don't ask each other questions, you just tell them about yourself."

The teenager didn't say anything to that, just staring blankly at nothing. Her thoughts slipping around her mind like oil and water. Finally she managed to pull herself back enough to speak again. "Did you know that would happen?"

"I was praying that I was wrong," the winter spirit admitted.

"Me too." Her lips quirked into a smile for a fraction of a second. "Thank you for not telling me. I'd rather not have guilt eating me away as well since I wouldn't have believed you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything," Jack mumbled.

The brunette shook her head minutely. "Things happen and not everything can turn out alright. I'm actually very grateful that I have someone to talk to and see me… Are you dead too?"

"In a matter of speaking…"

"Can…can anyone else see us?" A distressed frown flitted across the girl's face for a moment.

"I think it depends."

The teenager nodded slowly and the two fell into silence. Jack wasn't sure if it was just for a few moments or a few hours, but eventually the sight of the Northern Lights caught his attention. Jack glanced between the girl and the obvious calling. He knew that whatever meeting he had run out on had been important, but it just didn't feel right to leave the girl as she was.

"You have to go, right?" The brunette cut into and reading his thoughts without even looking at him.

"I…" Jack trailed off, still unwilling to leave just yet.

The girl finally moved, turning to give the boy a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. I've taken care of myself for a long time anyways."

To this, Jack looked unsure. That hadn't been a very good argument and only made him want to stay more.

The teenagers smile pulled up a little more. "I'll really be okay, and if you really feel like you need to check up on me, then you can come back. I doubt I'll be moving anywhere else anytime soon."

Jack sighed, but nodded in agreement. He took one last glance of the girl, who had returned her attention back to the general direction of her house, he took to the sky and disappeared behind the clouds.

xXx

"Jack! Where did you go?" Too demanded the moment the boy had landed. "We tried to follow you, but for some reason, we couldn't locate where you went."

The spirit ground his teeth together for a moment, casting his gaze to the floor. "Someone died and I couldn't save them."

"Oh, Jack… I'm so sorry," Tooth said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Were-…Were you two close?"

Jack smiled at the fairy in thanks before frowning a little at her second question. "Not…Really. But…there was something, I'm not sure what, that told me she'll be important."

The other four frown a little as well, but not because their newest member was upset and a life was lost, but because of the way he worded it. Still, there were other matters they had to attend to right now. They could question him in more detail later.

Jack realized this as well, and with a shake of his head, he returned to the topic at hand. "So what problem is there this time? Why are Bunny's flowers dying?"

"That's what we're still trying confirm mate," Bunny informed the youngest one. "We have out suspicions, but something isn't quite adding up right."

"Yes," North took over. "While you were away, Manny sent us a message. There is someone he needs us to look after who should be able to fix whatever went wrong."

For some reason, an uneasy feeling started to settle in the pit of Jack's stomach. "Who?"

Suddenly a portal opened up off to the side.

"Ah!" North laughed jovially. "Here they come now!"

"Oh no," Jack muttered. Not a moment later, screaming was heard followed with a loud curse when a familiar red bag crashed and rolled across the floor.

"WHY is it that everything concerning emerging from somewhere dark includes so much pain!" A familiar, albeit muffled, voice shouted. After much unneeded kicking (evidently due to her frustration), the girl emerged from the bag. She gave the offending object a good stomp and pointed accusingly at it. "You, spiteful evil bag of doom, I would smite thee if I had the power. And OW! Why did I have to land on the same spot as before! In fact, why am I going through all this crap! I demand a refund dang it!"

Once again, Jack found himself stifling his laughter. It was quite obvious that the girl hadn't noticed their group yet, but he was actually glad since it gave him a show and got her out of the depressed state she had been when he left, all at the same time.

The teenager heaved a heavy sigh and pressed a hand to her temple. "I really need to get my priorities straightened out, that or a CAT scan. Nah, can't afford it. Priorities first."

North finally broke out of his initial shock with a loud hearty laugh, not noticing how the girl froze in place. "She is even funnier than I thought!"

The brunette looked around slowly, eyes wide and growing wider when she spotted everyone.

"I suppose you're wondering what we have called you here for my dear," North called out to the girl with a smile, waving toward their group.

It was then that Jack noticed the look of horror spreading across her face, and at the last second, he covered his ears. He was just in time to block out the shrill scream of the teenager. The girl backed away from the group, hitting the railing and reaching around blindly, assumedly to find something to defend herself with. At least, that's what they thought…until she slammed the grabbed toy against her own head.

The teenager swore loudly. "Why did that hurt so much more than I wanted it to! Aah! And why didn't I pass out! No wait. Is it because I'm already unconscious and I can't wake up?" The girl gasped. "Am I in a coma! Nooooooooo! I have a sick, twisted, warped mind! I'm already stuck with it when I don't have something to occupy myself with, don't leave me here 24/7! I'll never survive! At least make me insane. I can deal with insanity!"

Jack couldn't help it anymore and broke out laughing at the combination of the girl's rants and the looks the other guardians were sporting.

The brunette twisted around at the sound and a look of intense relief flitted across the panicking girl's face when she recognized the person laughing at her expense. She immediately ran over to hide behind Jack, clutching his clothes and thanking whatever deity out there. "Thank god, there's someone here! Wait a second!" Realization crashed down on her and the next second she was backing away, this time looking pissed. "Are you with them? Because if you are, I'll open up the biggest can of nonexistent ass whooping skills you've ever seen!"

"Wait, you just admitted that you can't fight?" Jack pointed out with an amused half grin.

The girl froze for only a moment before replying. "Aha! You have already fallen for my underestimate the enemy tactic! Before you even realize it, I'd be like hya! Hiya! Hiiiyyya!" The teenager demonstrated with ridiculously dramatic chops.

Jack ended up snorting when he tried to cover his laughter (again) and failing.

The girl huffed and crossed her arms. "Shut up. It's been a long day and my brain clearly fell out somewhere between the time I was stuffed in a freaking back and tossed who knows where."

A yeti stepped forward and said something in its garbled language. However, this sent the girl back into screaming hysterics and out of the room, yelling something about monsters and little demons with bells.

"Well that could have gone over better," Bunny grumbled.

Jack laughed. "But this was more fun!" He flew after the girl, knowing that the others were coming as well.

The girl wouldn't be too difficult to track. All he had to do was follow the screaming mixed with jumbled nonsense of her location. He did pick up the pace a little bit when the screaming went a pitch higher before turning to just yelling. He stopped by an open platform and crouched down, gazing at the still frantic teenager.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" She yelled, hanging onto the edge, where she had clearly slipped off. "I'm gonna fall and die! Somebody help me up!"

The winter spirit was about to offer his assistance, maybe tease her a little bit as well, when a gust of air rushed from below and threw the brunette up into the air.

The girl screamed again. "I'm gonna fall and die! Getmedown! Getmedown! Getmedown!" With yet another shriek, the girl started to plummet. "I take it back! Pickmeup! Pickmeup! Pickmeup! Why is this happening! I don't know which is worse! And at this rate I'm going to have a heart attack and die anyway!"

Jack called to the wind and flew up into the air with a laugh. He knew he should feel sympathetic for the girl and help her out, but this way was so much more entertaining. He hadn't met anyone this funny in a while. He reached forward and grabbed the girl, pulling her closer so that he could help her down. "Easy there, I'll get us down nice and safe!"

"Noooo!" The girl wailed, clinging to the boy as tightly as she could. "We're going to fall and die! We're gonna diiiiie!"

"Well if you would stop trying to strangle me and take the time to look around, I think you'll find that we aren't in the air anymore," Jack interrupted calmly, trying to keep his face straight.

The girl, who was shaking like a leaf, slowly cracked open an eye just enough to see blurred images through her eyelashes. Then she slowly lowered a leg and felt around for ground, testing out the stability before flinging herself onto the ice. "Land! I'll never leave you again! Hey! Don't laugh!" The girl shouted at the winter spirit, who finally gave into his amusement completely and was practically rolling around on the ground with laughter.

"I can't help it," Jack barely managed. "Your face!…Priceless!"

Red slashed across the girl's face. "Sh-Shut up! You pompous jerk! I'm scared out of my mind and all you do is laugh! And what are you exactly anyways!" The girl demanded, poking the boy. "Where are the wires, magnet, or whatever? How did we get up into the air in the first place? And how can someone have such cold body temperature? Is that actually frost on your clothes? Are you an alien or something?"

Jack, who had just started calming down, snorted and folded back into laughter.

"Hey! I'm being serious!" The girl scolded.

"I'm not!" Jack jibed, half heatedly trying to swat away the girl's prodding and tugging.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay Jack?" Tooth called out, zooming over. She sighed in relief when she realized that the boy was just laughing.

The teenager stared intently, but incredulously at the fluttery fairy. "So…Am I on a movie set or something?"

"Crikey, this one is an odd one."

The girl screamed and backpedalled away from the two other arrivals, the winter spirit only just managed to grab her ankle to keep her going over the edge a second time. "A ginormous rabbit just spoke! Oh my god, is it a demon? Whatislifeanymore!"

Back to the floor and holding his stomach, with Jack.

Bunny on the other hand was completely dumbfounded. Never once had anyone been afraid of him or called him a demon. "Oi, girlie. I'm not a demon. I'm the Easter Bunny."

"Wait, wait, wait." The girl threw up her hands to indicate that she wanted everyone to stop whatever they were doing. "Pause, rewind. Back up and don't play… So let me get this straight. You are the Easter Bunny?"

"You're not quite the full quid*, are ya mate," Bunny joked.

The brunette ignored that jibe and moved onto the others. "Does that mean you're Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and…Jack Frost…?"

The youngest guardian of the group sat up with a wide grin. "That's us!"

"Uh huh…" The girl nodded slowly, turning around to face the rising moon. She then sucked in as much air as she could and, "I make up stories for my kids to enjoy and you throw it back in my face? What did I do to deserve getting stuck in my head with the very characters I made up! What, was I supposed to follow the mainstream Coca Cola Santa Clause? Would that have kept me sane?"

"Why is she yelling at Manny?" North questioned the others, to which many shrugged and Sandy created a little golden question mark over his head.

The girl slumped down onto her knees the sat on the floor with her hands over her face. "Who am I kidding. I know I died back there, so this could very well be what limbo is like. Damn. First my kids, now this…It just isn't fair."

To the others' surprise, Jack was the first one to move and comfort the girl.

"Hey, I'm sure there's a way for them to be able to see you again," the spirit murmured softly. "Don't give up hope just yet."

"So you mean I can give up later?" The brunette joked weakly. "And if you're expecting me to lean over onto your shoulder and cry my eyes out, I may have to slap you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jack replied cheerily.

The girl sighed. "What am I doing here anyways?"

"That is because we called you here," North informed the girl.

The teenager stared wearily. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but could you keep your distance. You and the rabbit scare the ever loving crap out of me. And that doesn't answer why I'm here, just the unasked who brought me here part."

"Well, you see," Tooth chimed in, "Manny said that you needed protection."

"From what?" The teenager pressed a little impatiently.

"You mean, you don't know?" Tooth faltered.

"I think we're starting this all wrong," Jack jumped in. "Let's start with introductions and work our way from there? Since you know all of us, why don't we start with you?"

"I suppose that makes enough sense for me to follow through with your request…I'm…" The girl frowned. "I'm…My name is…" She raised her hands and clutched her head.

"Hey, are you alright?" The winter guardian placed a hand over the girl's back in concern. A lost look crossed her features as she glanced up at Jack.

"I…I don't remember what my name is…"

You're no the full quid means not bright intellectually. (At least that's what a transfer student from Australia told me.)