Note: I meant to have this out sooner, but my laptop is not well. Anyway, here's my, late, Christmas gift to my followers. I will be making one more chapter Telling North. I thought it would be best to add one more. I want to have Tessa and North talk things out. Anyway, I don't own the movie rights nor am making money on this fic. I, also, want to ask for help thinking of a new series new. I want to have a name for the reboot series that I'm working on.
"Happy Birthday." Jack whispered into his sleeping girlfriend's ear. She turned to face him and half opened her eyes.
"What time is it?" She asked in a horse voice.
"Midnight." Jack smiled as he kissed her forehand.
"Why did you wake me up?" She cried out as she tried to go back to sleep. "I just got to bed."
"It's your birthday." Jack laughed out. "And I want you to enjoy it."
"Can I enjoy it in the daylight?" Tessa huffed out.
"No, I want you to enjoy it now before the Christmas cheer." Jack replied as he pulled Tessa out of her bed.
"What if daddy sees us? He still doesn't know." Tessa whispered as she tried to claw her way back to bed.
"I haven't been able to spend a birthday with you in a few lifetimes. I haven't shared a birthday with anyone in such a long time..."
"Okay! Don't guilt me anymore!" Tessa yelled out. "It's my birthday. I should feel happy today."
"And you will." Jack stated as he kissed her.
Xxx
"You do know that we both can fly, right?" Tessa questioned after an hours hike through some woods.
"I know. I just want to surprise you."
"This isn't going to be like some Twilight thing, right? I don't care too much for those books and no one seems to understand what real love is in those books. Plus, that baby imprint thing is gross as Pitch is crazy."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jack truly didn't.
"That's even better." Tessa stated in fully honesty. "I would hate to have you put through such a nightmare."
"It can't be that bad."
"It's not as bad as when I dated Ray, that is true." Tessa sighed out.
"Wait! You dated Ray?" Jack restated in shock.
"Oh, that's right. You never were told. Ray is Hallow. That's his Cain name." Tessa felt uncomfortable saying this bit of information. "I didn't know that he was Ray at the time and I didn't know anything about you or him or us."
Jack stopped to stare at his girlfriend. He could not even bring to words the confusion he felt. He wondered how much had happened to make Tessa willing to date Ray, even if she did lose her memory. He thought better than to comment on these thoughts. She seemed too upset already.
"I think one day you need to tell me everything." Jack stated with a sigh. "It would be nice to know everything at once instead of these random moments here and there."
"I could have Flare tell you. She knows everything and, unlike Crush, can tell you the whole story without making a mess." Tessa stated with a blush. "Although, she can go into more details than needed."
"I love you and know that I had the easy path compared to you." Jack said as he reached out for Tessa. "I understand that what every happened... happened because of me..."
"Don't." Tessa smiled sadly. "Don't say that. What happened to me... was a lot of little mistakes that grew and grew into monsters. It was a lot of people that made mistakes. Tooth, maybe, shouldn't have taken my memories. Daddy, maybe, shouldn't have made me feel like I had to hide my problems. Crush shouldn't have done a LOT of things. And I could've handle things better... maybe... even listened to the Man in the Moon." Tessa winced out. "He tried to hint a number of times that you were alive, but he did it so poorly. He could've just said it. But yea... whatever."
"You know that he may be watching..." Jack reminded the cherub.
"If I worried about that, I would never do a lot of the things I did." Tessa beamed. "And I recall you doing a lot of naughty things knowing that he could be watching."
"Not as bad as what you bring out in me." Jack laughed out.
"If you feel that way, I could stop." Tessa teased. "It would be no pain on my part to just drop everything and leave you to do... whatever it is you do." Jack pulled Tessa close to him and kissed her. "Careful. Someone could be watching." Jack kissed the pink haired woman once more.
"I don't want you to stop a thing." Jack's eyes twinkled with a mixture of emotions. "My life is way more fun with you about."
"You may never get another Christmas gift again." Tessa smiled.
"I'd be okay with that." Jack promised. "And I can use my time to focus on you more."
"Shut up!" Tessa yelled pushing her boyfriend away. "You're being all stupid about this. You won't even tell my father about us."
"I am not that stupid." Jack cried out. "Came on. Before Dawn hits." Jack smiled out as he started walking forward.
Xxx
"Okay." Jack smiled out. "I hope your ready." Tessa seemed more than ready
"I am more than ready to see what I had to wake up to see before I could get any real sleep."
"Long day at work?" Jack asked as he eyed his girlfriend.
"The world needs love." Tessa chuckled. "But it's more than that. A lot of people don't believe in love. I have to get them to believe in it before I can get them together. It's hard to melt every other heart."
"I didn't take you for the pun type." Jack stated with a small smile.
"Pun?" Tessa thought her words over. "Oh, I did make one."
"Well, here is something you can't melt away." Jack said as he guided Tessa down the path towards a frozen lake. Tessa felt her heart stop as she stepped on the ice. The frozen lake was covered in carved statues of flowers. It saw like a sea of wooden flowers.
"You did all this?" Tessa asked as she looked over the mass of statues.
"Yea," Jack nodded,
"When? Why? I-" She couldn't even find the words to say.
"I had some time." Jack said as though it was nothing.
"This is more than some time." Tessa stated as she waved her hand over the fake flowers. "This is a lot of work." She felt like crying. She didn't feel worth the endeavor.
"I thought you were worth it." Jack stated as he glanced at her.
"You could have just used your powers." Tessa said. "You didn't need to carve everyone out." She choked out as she started crying. "I'm sorry. I just... I can't stop."
"I recalled that you loved my woodwork." Jack whispered. "I thought that you would like it better this way." He seemed sad.
"I love it." Tessa smiled through tears. "I love it so much that I can't stop crying."
"Oh, so... happy tears?" Jack asked. He felt slightly better, but needed to here her clear the matter.
"Very happy tears." Tessa smiled out as she hugged her lover and best friend. "I love you."
"I love you too." Jack whispered as he looked into her eyes.
"This is the best birthday gift... I've had since I was a girl." Tessa whispered.
"I hoped you would say that." Jack truly had.
"I have no idea how I'm going to bring them back to room." Tessa laughed out. "Maybe I could borrow daddy's-"
"Or we could do trips." Jack cut off Tessa. "That would be good too."
"Jack! It would be shorter if we got help." Tessa reasoned.
"I could ask Sandy." Jack threw back. "And your father is working right now."
"I think Sandy carrying these many wooden figures would make daddy ask questions." Tessa remarked. "Sandy isn't a good lair."
"I will bring them back to your place." Jack stated with a firm nod.
"By yourself?" Tessa asked.
"Yes!" Jack nodded again.
"Okay. I am going to bed. See you after a few hours rest." Tessa stated as she started to hover. "Birthday girl!" She reminded her boyfriend. "I need sleep in order to enjoy my day. If I have enough sleep, maybe you can enjoy my day too." Tessa winked.
"So, no help from you?" Jack asked throwing his hands in the air.
"Should have thought about that before putting all this out here in the middle of the woods." Tessa stated.
"I thought it would be romantic." Jack replied.
"Very much so." Tessa stated with a smug smile. "It reminded me of the times we skated on the ice and all that good stuff. But I need sleep and this would have been just as nice at 10 a.m."
"But than someone could have came alone and seen it." Jack reasoned.
"True. But I work with almost no days off and you set your own hours. Crush is covering for me for most of Christmas day, as a favor to me. I need to use that time to sleep."
"I will remember this the next time I do something nice for you." Jack stated in a huff.
"Please do." Tessa smiled out. She kissed him softly. "I did love it though and if I didn't need any real help I can force a few cherubs to come by."
"You would promise to them in return to do their work, wouldn't you?" Jack know her too well.
"It's how cherubs deal with each other." Tessa tried to seem sweet as pie.
"I can do it by myself." Jack sighed out. "Just get some sleep and when I finish... I will join you in bed." The two kissed.
"Thank you." Tessa beamed as yelled. "Come to bed soon."
"I will." Jack promised.
Xxx
Jack groaned as he fell onto the bed. He hated how long it took him to bring everything in. He should have thought about clean up before he did anything. Tessa snuggled close to him without opening her eyes. Her skin always felt so warm. She was a walking heater and he loved that about her. It helped him recall what it felt like to be human.
"Thank goodness you came." Tessa half whispered. "I was getting to hot. But can't sleep well without sheets." Tessa sounded like a child trying to stay awake.
"Come closer." Jack said as he pulled off his shirt. "I cool you down."
"I sorry." Tessa muttered. Jack laughed.
"For what?" He asked the love of his life, both of his lives.
"I ruined your day." Tessa whispered as she circled her arms around his frame. Her arms couldn't hold him firmly. She was too tired.
"Tessa, you know that it's your day, right?" Jack asked, confused and worried.
"I worked a bit too hard. You planned something nice and I too sleepy to enjoy it all. I should be better and stuff." Jack wasn't sure if Tessa understand what she was saying.
"Hey, rest now and talk later." Jack smiled as he kissed the top of her head. "I want to enjoy holding you while we sleep."
"Kay...kay..."
xxx
Jack sighed out in dismay. It was past 4 P.M. and Tessa was not willing to get up. She wanted to sleep. Jack tried to remind Tessa that it was her birthday. He told her that if she kept sleeping she would miss it. Tessa didn't seem to care.
"My birthday is a sad day." Tessa sighed out as she opened her eyes. "My daddy ignores me because he thinks it wrong to see me and not give me a gift. I can't get a gift because 'naughty children do not get gift's from Santa on Christmas.'" She mocked. "My own dad gives every child in the world a gift today, but me. He doesn't even stop by because it makes him feel bad." She was in no mood to be up. "In short, I enjoy sleeping through today."
"But what about your work?"
"In honest, I haven't worked a birthday in a hundred years. Crush says she'll cover my workload until whenever and I go along with it. But she does all my work today, and I cover for her on Easter."
"Every year?"
"Yea, she kind of likes to hide." Tessa chuckled. "She's all nerves that day. Scared to meet him and what he would think of her."
"It only works as an inside joke if I know it." Jack stated.
"Hmm," Tessa stood up from her bed and smiled. "I have no idea how to cook anything, but pasta. Since you want me up, I may as well eat."
"I could go for some pasta." Jack smiled.
"Who said I was feeding you?" Tessa asked with a raised brow.
"Aww," Jack frowned. "You would like your amazingly, handsome, sweet, prefect boyfriend starve to death?"
"No, but it's easy to make sure he eats when he isn't real." Tessa stated. Jack frowned harder. "Fine! I'll cook for you too. Next year you cook everything. I shouldn't have to be doing any work today."
xxx
"I'm sorry." Tessa stated as she placed a plate of pasta in front of Jack. He seemed confused.
"For?"
"You wanted me to have a special birthday." Tessa said as she moved to sit beside him. "I'm just not a birthday person."
"I guess... I thought you'd enjoy something. I haven't had any in such a long time..."
"I get it and got it before." Tessa sighed out as she started to eat. "It's just that I'd rather do something on your birthday than mine."
"I'm not-" Jack tried to say.
"You're a November child." Tessa stated. "You were born, like me, at the time when two days meet. Midnight." Tessa said as she stared at the wall. "October 31st or November 1st is your birthday. It's in who you asked. You're mom thought it the 31st and your dad said November."
"That upsets me." Jack stated as he throw down his fork.
"That I recalled how your parents felt?" Tessa was unsure what he meant.
"That you knew all this stuff about me and said nothing. You knew that I was in pain from not having a past and you said nothing." Jack stated. He was trying not to be angry with her.
"I didn't know you when we met again." Tessa answered. She let out a sigh. "I asked Tooth to take away my memories of you." She dared not look at him. "She did so with a heavy heart. I would regain my memories of you slowly over time when I was ready." Tessa paused to let the words sink in. "So, when we met I didn't know you. I could recall a boy that said hello to me and nothing much else. It was years later that bigger pieces came and by than we were friends. I didn't know how to tell you that I may have known you before, but locked it all a way. It would have sounded crazy."
"It does." Jack answered.
"If you don't believe me, ask Tooth than. She would be able to tell you... She still looks at me like a wounded like animal in need of care." Tessa huffed out. "Daddy doesn't know any of this. Please, don't tell him."
"You could have tried to tell me."
"And say what? Jack I think I knew you as a child, but I let you die and now your a spirit. Sorry for that. Let's be friends."
"You didn't let me die." Jack stated as he recalled the day he past on. "I fell through the ice."
"But you went there because of me." Tessa said as she tried not to cry. "I was the reason you were there."
"I think it was best that you didn't tell me." Jack stated. He didn't know how to tell Tessa the truth. It would break her heart to hear that Jack went skating that day for his sister. Jack recalled enough to know how his sister would have tried to get them speaking again. He imagined that was the reason Tessa felt the way she did.
Tessa didn't know what to say back. Instead of talking, she started eating. Jack would tell Tessa on another day. There was no need to make her birthday worse.
Xxx
"I enjoyed today." Tessa whispered as she watched Jack enter the room. "It was nice." She added.
"I made you cry." Jack pointed out.
"I've cried on all my birthdays." Tessa, wearily, smiled out. "You just never saw it happen before."
"Even before?" Jack asked as he went to hold her in his arms.
"Even before." Tessa replied. Yes, Tessa cried on everything birthday even before Jack died.
"I promise that I will make every birthday, from now on, a day you can't cry on."
"I would like that." Tessa said with a kiss. "It would be a nice change."
"I love you."
"And I you." Tessa snuggled into his chest. "But can we leave my birthday alone now?" She whined out. She really didn't want anymore of it.
"Yes, we can leave the matter be." Jack laughed out. "But first, I think I should get a little gift."
"Oh, you want to have your way with me?" Tessa joked. "Well, maybe you can just a little." Tessa smiled out.
"Just a little?"
"Yes," Tessa pulled him into a kiss. "Just a little."