Author's Note:

Before you decide to read ahead at the stories I have posted, a warning: I am a very self-indulgent, self-insert author. In fact, 99.9% of my fics include my self-insert and I'm proud of it. So, if you feel like you can endure it, please proceed!

But please remember: this and every other story that I have written was produced out of pure boredom/fun/crack or just because I felt like it. Therefore, it is NOT perfect. I am not a professional. I cannot guarantee that the grammar is spot on or that you'll enjoy it. But if you decide to stick around for the ride? I appreciate it. But I am, (repeat I am) an amateur writer.

I do hope however; I can entertain you for a couple of hours and maybe get a laugh or two outta ya? I really appreciate all the support you all have given me over the years and I'll continue to try and update when I can.

So, thanks! Thanks a bundle!

ALSO

I do not own any part of Rise of the Guardians. Just the characters, Heather and Rye Matthews.

Another MORE IMPORTANT side note: I actually wrote this story back in 2013 and it is a tad embarrassing. Why you may ask, why? Well, you'll read on why. I included another fandom just for reference and bad jokes later on but it's not really important. AND none of those characters nor the fandom will be named by their canon names. It's a small detail I felt needed to be added to more THIS story further along so try not to be distracted by it? Please be nice, okay? Thanks!

Much love guys and have fun!

"I remember the look in your eyes when I told you that this was good bye. You were begging me not tonight, not here, not now. Were lookin' up at the same night sky, keep pretending the sun will not rise. We'll be together for one more night somewhere, somehow."- Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard.

Love Emulsion

Chapter One

How could one kid tell such amazing stories? No scratch that, how could a single kid make up that kind of story? Hell, she'd just turned eighteen and she couldn't make up a story like that, not to mention he told it with such vigor and passion! Where did he get this all from? Maybe a dream? She'd had some pretty crazy dreams in the past but she couldn't ever recite a story like this with so many details and dialogue without making up a few tidbits here and there! Jamie had serious talent.

Even here in the school library, no one had ever heard a story so amazing. All the books on the shelves combined couldn't measure up to what he was saying. And listening to it all, while he jerked his arms in the air and smiled so wide she could see the gap in his teeth, only added to the wonder of it all, the most she could do was sit with a warm smile and a set of wide eyes. Seated at one of the larger tables in the library, Heather sat beside Jamie with her right elbow pressed against the table's surface. The side of her face rested in her open palm while the smile on her face grew wider.

How long had she known this kid? Since he was born! She was ten or eleven at the time. He always seemed to have a wild and active imagination but this took the cake! Ah, he'd be a wonderful writer if he kept up the great work. Shit, she was sure if she wrote down everything he was saying, she'd make a fortune on the books made afterward. Eh, but she could never describe the characters in his story the way he did. Best leave the work to the professionals!

Characters like the ones he talked about seemed so lively, he had to have based them off of someone or some people he really knew, maybe some relatives? Ah well, Santa Claus, or 'North' as he called him, never sounded cooler. It was a complete flip from the old man on the coke cans they put on during the winter.

"It was so cool!" Again, the younger boy threw his arms in the air, like he'd won some kind of victory, while he grinned from ear to ear.

"That's a great story, you know." Heather felt her own smile widen. "Every time you tell it, it gets better."

"You should have been there!" He went on, "They were like super heroes!"

Like super heroes? What was that supposed to mean, after all they were his characters, weren't they? "Well by the way you describe them, they were super heroes. You can make them anything you want, it's your story."

Jamie's large smile dropped the moment her lips came to a close. His arms fell back to the table and his bottom lip poked out. "It's not a story, it really happened!"

Her brow lifted. "Is that right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay," Heather removed her cheek from her palm sat back in her seat. "If that's what you believe, that's fine."

"You never believe me, it happened!" He protested with the same cute pout. "Jack Frost was there, I talked to him! You can ask Cupcake, she was there too!"

Cupcake too? Geez, this story was getting contagious, every kid in the second grade was talking up a storm about this tale Jamie conjured up. How many times did she hear the name 'Jack Frost' in the past few days? Not to mention all the kids bringing in the toys supposedly left by the Toothfairy.

Eh, didn't make much difference anyway, it was just a clever story. There was no thing as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Parents, good parents, always left their kids gifts on the holidays, there was nothing magical about it at all! Christmas was just a huge shopping day and excuse for mothers to bury themselves in credit card debt. Then again, if that's what the children wanted to believe, why ruin their good time? She believed in those things once too, right?

"Fine." Regardless of her inner Grinch she continued, "You believed it happened."

"It did happ-"

The loud chime of the school bell caught both male and female off guard. While she flinched, he stiffened but both looked up at the large clock that hung above the library door. Ah, lunchtime had crept up on them faster than expected. The sound the shifting clothes, boots and shuffling backpacks echoed through the chilly room, forcing the teacher's assistant to look left, at her favorite student.

"Come on, let's get back to the classroom and eat lunch!"

"Okay." He nodded once before turning to his open knapsack and placed his books inside.

"Your mom told me that she's gonna be late, so I'm going to start dinner before she comes by to pick you and your sis up," She said as she lifted her tired, cold body out of the metallic chair.

"Uh huh."

There was a benefit from babysitting an older kid! Watching Jamie and Sophie since they were tots was always fun, since their mother was such a close friend of her own plus, it was only a matter of time until Jamie was old enough to enter the grade she assist taught in. Sophie wasn't far behind either; soon she'd be looking after her when she was a second grader! Time flew by way too fast now that she was an 'old lady'.

"What are we having?"

The sound of his voice made her look down in his direction. "Hamburger Helper," She felt another smile tug at her lips. "It's gonna be good!"

After zipping up his bag, he threw it around his bag, allowing the shoulder straps to sit along his upper arms with ease. "Again?" He glanced up at her with a single brow lifted and dissatisfied frown.

"Hey," Heather placed her arms to her hips, her smile flipping. "It's the only thing I had on hand at such short notice. It's good, you like it!"

Jamie stepped away from his chair and pushed it back against the table. "Not every time I come over its not."

She pouted. "I'll be more prepared next time." The teacher's aide moved away from the table, mirroring the younger boy's actions and pushed the chair against the desk. "How about enchiladas tomorrow?" Best to give him an option, right?

"Sure," He nodded, smile finally returning to his face. "Chicken is good."

"And most importantly?" She tilted her head to the right and waited for her babysit-ee to respond.

"Dessert!" He chimed in for her.

"Of course!" Heather lifted her hand and index finger into the air. "Cookies?"

"Yeah!" Jamie balled his fists.

"I think I can do that."

Damn, this kid was too much fun. He was more like a cousin than anything, since their mothers were so close when they were young. Hell, she didn't even know half of her real blood cousins but as long as she had her sisters, Jamie and Sophie, she didn't need anyone else! This was all the family she needed.

XoXoX

Why did holding hands always result in sweaty palms? Ugh, was it just her or did everyone deal with this kinda thing? Ah well, it wasn't like Sophie was going to judge her because her hands got a little wet. Home wasn't that far off anyways.

It's freezing out here, why am I sweating? Gah.

"Did you have fun at daycare today?" Jamie bent down to his younger sibling with a smile.

"Yeah!" The small female nearly bounced at the sound of her brother's voice.

Aw, why did they have to be so cute together? Hell, even as children she and Rye didn't get along as well as they did. Then again, she had been there when the brother and sister duo decided to disagree. Not a pretty sight but siblings aren't perfect; they were cool most of the time anyway.

Jamie, himself, never seemed to get angry a whole lot. Even when kids would pick on him or start a fight with him, he never really fell into the whole argument trap. The kid was laid back, understanding and very optimistic. The future was nothing but bright for the twerp! Good thing too, he deserved it. He had given a lot of kids hope with that fantastic story of his. What more could anyone ask for?

As she walked alongside the two younger kids, Heather clenched her hand around Sophie's. What would she do without her 'cousins' or her sisters? Life would be pretty dull. Since moving out of her mom and dad's place, things had been pretty lonely. Thank god that she had the small group of friends she had. Her assistant teaching job didn't pay much and didn't give her much of a social life with people her own age but things were just about as perfect as they could get.

"Hey," The older woman looked down to the boy with a smirk. "Have you ever thought of writing your story down? I think your mom would like read it."

He frowned. "It's not a story, it happened! And I have told my mom about it, she just doesn't believe me…"

Her heart cracked. Damn, there he went again with the whole 'this really happened' gig. What was that supposed to mean? Did his imagination really make him believe his story or was he trying to get attention? Then again there were so many details that didn't make sense. How could he remember/tell his story so vividly? Hell, he'd even used some of the same dialogue over and over again, how can a kid his age do that? And there was the fact that all of his close pals said they were witnesses to the whole thing and they did tell the story in the same fashion Jamie did.

"If it doesn't make sense, it's usually not true."

But then again…

"You never believe me, it happened!"

How many times did Jamie hear that his story wasn't real from an older source? Some of the older kids in fourth and fifth grade had been picking on him after all. That didn't count the adult audience either. It had to have been discouraging to hear that everything he experienced wasn't true. If he really believed with all of his little heart that this story took place, who was she to say otherwise? She was an adult but that didn't make her any better or worse than him. How many times was she outcast by her older sister's friends because she was younger?

If he believed hard enough, it made it true for him at least, didn't it? That's what really mattered that he hoped and trusted in his heart enough to believe that this really happened. Who was she to tell him it was 'just a story'.

"Fine, you believed it happened."

Someone had to trust him, someone, older, had to believe him. There was no doubt Rye believed Jamie and Sophie so why couldn't she? Was she secretly becoming the one thing she hated when she was young? A doubtful, superior, controlling adult? No, no way. She couldn't let that happen, she couldn't let him feel the same way she did when she was small.

Heather looked forward to see her apartment door within reach. Had she really been thinking that much in the past few minutes? Ah well, whatever got them through the hard walk home. Winter was wrapping up but it was still cold! The through of warm cheeseburger macaroni sitting in her belly wouldn't be a dream for much longer!

After arriving at the doorstep, she released Sophie's tiny hand and reached down into her pocket. The cool feel of metal against her fingertips made her hands clench. She pulled the small set of keys out into the daylight and she flipped through the various keys until she found the one to unlock the front door. With a quick twist of the wrist, the door clicked and she pulled it open. The warmth from the living room hit her skin and made her shiver. Ah, it was nice to be home.

"Go on in." Heather looked down to the kids with a smile.

Not needing a second command, they ran into the warm space with smiles. No doubt they were hungry, tired and needed to get out of those wet clothes. As they did on every day they came home with her, they skipped into the living area, stripping their wet jackets and boots in the process. Jamie made a beeline for the couch while Sophie took her time fiddling with the buttons on her heavy coat.

"Hey you," Rye rounded the corner from the kitchen and stepped into the living room. "How was work?"

"Long and cold." She replied with a grunt and sigh.

"Sorry about that." The older sibling giggled before returning to the kitchen. "I'll get the snacks for Jamie and Soph, okay?"

"Thanks."

The sound of Sophie giggling made the tired female to look right. Now free from the clenches of her coat, the smaller girl had made her way to the fireplace. There on her knees, she bent down and began to pet and pull on the dog's, who slept on the floor, fur. Ah poor Bug, just how the Pomeranian put up with that kind of attention was beyond her. The cream-colored toy dog lifted her head from her doggy bed and with her eyes half lidded and squinted she looked toward Sophie. The line of black whiskers around her muzzle poked out and stretched as she opened her mouth to yawn. What was she tired from!?

"Be gentle with Bug, Sophie." Heather said as she passed through the living room and entered the hall.

Cause there's only so much she'll take…

With a quick turn to the right, she entered her bedroom. Time to get out of these damn clothes! Her sweat pants were just yearning for her at this point. But before she could do any of that, there was one thing she needed to do, urgently.

If Jamie was going to believe his story was real, the least she could do was respect that. Even if she knew it wasn't real, she could give him the benefit of the doubt. If he thought it was true, that much, then maybe it was. As long as he wasn't hurting anyone, believing was just fine. He needed to know this from someone other than the kids who said they experienced it with him; he needed to hear it from his 'cousin'.

After sheading her heavy coat, Heather walked deeper into the room, her destination clear. Once at her bedside, she bent down on a single knee and began to flip through the various papers and books under the bed. With her hands and fingertips stretched out she felt and felt around until a hardcover book caught her interest. She yanked out the older book with ease and pulled it into the light. Ah, exactly what she was looking for. The teacher's aide pushed off of her bent knee until she was on two feet once again. Book secure and in hand, she walked out of the bedroom she shared with Rye and stepped back into the living room.

"Hey," She said just as she turned the corner into the main area, "I've got something I want to show you guys." Heather approached the couch only two find her two audience members staring at her with a set of wide, curious eyes.

"What is it?" Jamie jerked forward, apple slice placed between his fingers.

"Here," She stepped closer to the sibling duo, taking a seat between the younger kids. "I wanted to tell you a story."

"Ohh!" Sophie leaned in.

"This is a story that I read when I was a rat, just like you two," She laughed to herself as she flipped open the older book with care. "It's about were souls are born."

Just as she came to the first page in her book, out of the corner of her eye she saw her older sister step into the room. Rye leaned against the wall closest to the couch and with a warm smile watched. How many times had they heard and read this story over and over? Rye had shown this story to her when she was younger and even now; this had to be one of her favorites. It was something she believed in with all her heart. Even if it didn't make any logical sense.

"In this story, the souls of every person, animal and plant are born from a place in deep space." A smile came to her face as she looked at the first picture in the book. "And from this place a person's star seed is born."

"What's a star seed?" Jamie's head tilted to one side.

"It's kinda like a baby soul," She turned to the next page. "It's the soul after it's just been born. And after the star seed is created, it is sent to earth so it can grow into a person, animal or plant."

"So everyone has a soul seed?" He turned to her with arched brows.

Her inner fan girl cringed. "Star seed. And yes, everyone has one. You, Sophie, Rye and me!" She flipped another page. "And no matter what you do, no matter how you live your life, you will always have your star seed. Then when you're really old and die, your seed goes back to the place where it was created."

"Cool." He leaned against her arm, "Has anyone ever been to the place where star seeds are born?"

"Of course!" Heather felt a wide smirk spread over her features. "But!" With both hands placed on the front and back cover of the book, she snapped it closed. "That's a different story for a later time. But I thought it was important that you two knew about this story."

"Why?" Sophie's bright eyes caught her attention.

"Because to some people, that story is just a story." The teacher turned her eyes away from both kids and turned to the back cover of her beloved book. "But to me, that story is real. It doesn't matter if someone made it up, it happened in my mind. I believe it and because I believe it with all my heart, I think that makes it real."

The room fell silent. What was she supposed to say, no one knew about this, minus Rye. And while she'd rather have no one else know these deep secrets, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. Why did she feel stupid? This was what she believed in; there shouldn't be any shame in it. The characters in the story she loved so much were real to her, the good deeds they did and the lives they saved made them real.

"So," She cleared her throat after the moment of silence. "I wanted you two to know that if you believe in your story about Jack Frost that much, then that's okay. If you believe in it that much then I can respect that. Because I believe in you, I believe in the things you say."

She turned right to see Jamie. His eyes were wide, brows touching the top of his forehead and jaw opened just enough to see his pearly whites. Was he surprised by her story or what she had said afterward? Either way, as long as he knew she believed in him that was all that mattered. He had her faith and because they were 'family' they needed to stick together. Fictional characters or not, this was what he experienced and she couldn't take it away from him.

Chapter End.