"Alright, that is last stop." North sighed as he climbed back into his sleigh. He was just about to crack the reins when he heard screaming down below. Then, as he listened closer, he heard two sets of screams. One from a young woman, and one from a child. He immediately climbed out of his sleigh and peered down from the roof at what was happening. A man was chasing them, and they were both severely frightened. Thankfully, some people came out, and he saw several mortals calling for the police and paramedics, but the paramedics would be too late. The man stabbed the woman, carrying the small child away. North watched with an aching heart as seven adults came out to grab the frightened child, and two other adults along with one teenager rushed to grab the guy with a knife, and they tied his hands with rope until the cops came. "This should not happen on Christmas." North gave a heavy sigh, and was about to climb back into his sleigh when he saw Manny's moon beam shine down on her, knowing that only those who believed and spirits could only see it. "Manny? What are you planning?" Soon, the paramedics got there, and lifted her body into the ambulance, but they only lifted her physical form. Apparently Manny had turned her into a spirit, and North watched in amazement as the children and adults went inside, and the streets were left barren after a few hours. He watched as her hair went from chocolate brown to snow white. He watched her move, and decided that he would help. Perhaps that was Manny's intention anyway.

Once he made it down to the ground and in front of the woman, he made sure no children could see him, and then he heard her make a groaning noise. "Oh...that hurt."

"Hello?" North called out, and she immediately looked up. He noticed that her body was plump but not overly so. It fit her somehow, and her curves graced her features from her shoulders, to her waist, and down her legs. 'What the? Why am I looking!?' He shook his head and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Y-You're...Santa!"

North couldn't help the fond smile that crossed his face every time someone called him that. "That is nickname." He stated as he offered to help her to her feet. Once she took his hand, he noticed how her's weren't soft. They were the hands of an artist that worked hard in their craft. "Friends call me North."

"A-And you're Russian!" She blinked at him a few times once she was fully standing.

"Always have been." He chuckled warmly. "What is your name?"

"My name is Aurora...um..."

"Aurora what?" He questioned curiously.

"No way, it's too awkward! Especially since..." She looked down and found her feet fascinating at the moment, and noticed that North was still holding her hand. She slowly let go and started patting down her red dress that reached just above her ankles.

"Go on, you can tell me." He told her and instantly berated himself, because he knew names were important, but he supposed as long as she didn't give a middle name it should be alright.

She looked up at the large man with her emerald green eyes, and felt a sense of safety, but what kind, she had no clue. "M-My name is...Aurora...Clause."

"My, that's some name." North breathed out with curiosity bubbling in his belly, but also other things that he couldn't name. However, he would worry about that later. This woman was just made a spirit, and there was no telling what her powers were, and as it stood, she had no where to go after risking her life to save the child she was holding.

"Just...don't make fun of me." She groaned out as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I will not make fun. Now, I am not sure you are aware of what just happened, and I must ask...has that always been your name or did Manny give you that name?"

"Y-You mean the Man in the Moon? No, he didn't give me the name. He just told me what happened, and that I was made a spirit. To do what...I don't know."

"Hmm...well, you can come with me if you want. I can take you to North Pole. I have room for you. You can learn about your powers and what you're meant to do there, while being able to stay warm and you will have plenty of food."

"R-Really!? I can go to the North Pole?" She questioned with a light in her eyes that North recognized immediately and he felt it in his center. She had pure childlike wonder at being able to go to the North Pole. "You don't mind?"

North smiled as he shook his head. "I do not mind at all. On the way there, you tell me what happened." North picked her up bridal style and made his way back up to the roof, and climbed into his sleigh, carefully putting her down in one of the seats.

"The sleigh! This is the sleigh!?" She squeaked out in delight.

"Ha! Everyone loves the sleigh." He cracked the reins with a hearty laugh, and they took off.

Aurora couldn't believe it. She was really in the sleigh. She had been told all her life that she was childish for still believing in Santa and the others. Her Father seemed to enjoy the fact she believed, but everyone else made fun of her, and right now, she just couldn't believe she was actually riding in Santa's sleigh. She carefully looked from side to side as the sleigh flew through the air. "Way better than a plane ride." She whispered out as they continued to fly steadily through the air. She closed her eyes to enjoy the wind that met her on their flight, but she was soon interrupted out of her daze when North cleared his throat.

"So, I know this may be...sensitive subject...but what happened?"

She let out a heavy sigh as she walked over towards North so she could talk next to him rather than literally behind his back. "The man that was chasing me, as I'm sure you saw...he was my sister's ex-husband. He's a grade-A ass, and they got into a fight. Soon, it turned extremely violent. I was there to make sure her child didn't get hurt, but in front of both of us, the crazy lunatic killed my sister. He was going to go after the kid too, but I picked him up and ran out of the house. I didn't get very far...obviously, but the neighborhood would've recognized me, the kid, and the man, so I imagine he's being well taken care of...but I wasn't about to let him hurt the child, just because he didn't get his way...and that's how I died. Then, Manny, as you called him, introduced himself as the Man in the Moon and told me what happened in case I forgot, but there was no way I could forget running and dying. Which..." She looked down at the middle of her red dress and groaned. "Dammit...this was my favorite dress too!"

"HA!" North belted out. "You've got a mouth on you." He laughed out.

"So I've been told." She smirked. Something about this man with kind eyes and what she thought to be a wondrous laugh made her feel more at ease, and she was grateful for it considering she just lost her family in one night and her family lost her. 'Huh...so this is Santa.' She thought briefly. So, mind telling me why Texas was your last stop? And why you would just pick up a spirit you just met and offer to take her in?"

"Hmm...Well, I like Texas, but it is always toss up on hot or cold. It never matters which season. Jack has been trying his best to fix that, but there's something unusually magical about Texas. So, I make that my last stop. As for offering my home to you...you have no home at the moment, and you need place where you can rest, eat, and grow into your powers. You do not know what they are yet, and there will be someone there that can tell you the dangers of finding that out on your own. That would be Jack...the boy I mentioned."

"Wait...Jack as in...Jack Frost? He's real too?"

"Yes, and he got his first believer five years ago. It'll be six years come Easter next year, but yes. He's real. Hmm...so tell me when did you stop believing? I know it is sudden question, but I'm curious."

"I never stopped believing in Santa, Sandman, Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Man in the Moon, or any of the others really...I just wasn't aware that Jack Frost was real too, and I kind of feel bad now."

Her comment almost caused him to let go of the reins. "You say you never stopped believing?"

"No. I never stopped believing."

"Why not?"

She snorted out a laugh as she leaned against the side of the sleigh next to North. "That's a strange question coming from Santa."

He rolled his eyes with a slight smile, that for some reason, Aurora found she enjoyed. "I told you, friends call me North."

"North..." She tried it as if she was going to consider calling him by that name. She grinned and nodded her head before continuing. "...I like it. So...to answer your question...I've always believed in magic. I even had a joke with my sister, every time something happened without explanation, or something happened in a way she didn't expect, like say...if she couldn't get something working, but I could in a matter of minutes I would tell her it was magic. She would always get so irritated." She let out a fond laugh, not realizing how intently North was listening to everything she said. "I find that it's as good an explanation as anything when something mysterious happens. Also, I never really had a reason NOT to believe. I mean, I kinda figured that there was an age drop off where children wouldn't get visited by y'all, and I just kinda figured I hit that around the age of thirteen since that's when my sister stopped believing. However, I never stopped. I just accepted that I hit the age drop off. I would see Sandman every now and then...or at least...his sand tendrils, but yeah...I just kind of figured I hit the limit."

"There is no limit." North hummed. "However, it IS incredible that you still believe. I know it will sound rude, but..."

"How old am I?" She inquired, and received a nod. "I'll be twenty-five tomorrow. I was born on Christmas. Which only served for further bullying when I was a child for my last name, but I enjoyed my last name, because I believed so much. However, that didn't make the bullying any less annoying."

"Huh...I can see how that may be difficult for you. So, you were born as Christmas baby?"

"Yes. My Mom couldn't see me for a while, because I was actually early by a month and they had to do all kinds of tests on me for certain reasons, but yeah. Once she could see me, she apparently said I was the best Christmas present ever." She let out a soft sigh, as she finished, and allowed herself to get a good look at North. She noticed he wore a furry black hat, a large red coat with black fur matching the hat, lining the outside of the coat and around his wrists. She also noticed that he wore a grey shirt with darker grey pants, and black boots. She then took noticed of the red, orange, brown, and silver sash that went across his belly where here eyes widened at seeing a saber tucked in. 'Huh, not EXACTLY how I thought Santa would look, but not bad.'

"Good present indeed." North chuckled, then he took out a snow globe. "You may want to sit down for this." Her eyes widened a bit in curiosity, but she did as she was asked and sat in the seat he had placed her in. "Good. Now..." He shook the snow globe and smiled as he spoke. "I say, North Pole Palace."

'Did he say...palace?' She quickly thought with a smirk as she watched him throw the snow globe in front of the sleigh with an arm that would put baseball players to shame, and her eyes widened in awe as a portal appeared. Once they were through she instantly clutched her arms. "Whoa! Cold!" She shouted with a shivering voice, apparently catching North's attention, because he slipped off his coat while having at least one hand on the reins at all times.

"Here, put this on."

She smiled as she took it from his hands and slipped it on. It was large on her and was piratically a dress with a train in the back, but it was so warm and soft she felt like she was being hugged by a constant comforting warmth. It smelled of mint, chocolate, and firewood. For a moment she thought she could get lost in the scent alone, but then she noticed they were nearing what seemed to be the hanger for the sleigh. They went through the loop-de-loops, which she thought was incredibly fun, and then they stopped. "Are we here?" She asked, and realized that with her being so lost in thought over wearing the giant hugging coat, she didn't get the chance to see the 'palace'.

"Yes, we are here." North stated as he climbed out of the sleigh first, and then he held a hand out to her, to help her down.

"My, my...who knew Santa was such a gentleman?" She teased, earning an exasperated look from North, but a humor filled smile as well. She took his hand, and allowed him to help her down. Once she was down, she looked up at him, and realized just how tall he was. He had to be at least 6'8, which made her feel incredibly short at 5'4. "Thank you." She said as she then noticed that Santa had tattoos. She couldn't help but let out a slight snort of laughter.

"What is it? And you are welcome."

"It's just..." She grinned up at him as she clutched the large coat tighter against her so that she could continue to feel it's warmth and smell the relaxing scent that came with it. "...your tattoos. I had no idea Santa would wear tattoos, and they're ironic. Naughty and Nice."

"Ah..." North drawled out as he looked at the tattoos on his arms. "...yes, it is list."

"Wait, that's the list?" She questioned blinking at him a few times as she felt a smirk come across her face. "You're serious?"

"Yes. Watch." He smiled and held out his palms, facing them to the ceiling. "Jamie Bennett." He said, and in the palm that belonged to the arm that read Naughty, a small boy's face appeared. "Chase Cedar." A little boy about the age of five with Mohawk styled hair and a small scar on his face appeared in the palm that belonged to the arm that read Nice. He put his hands down and smiled at her. "See? List. Although, I don't actually give coal, I do give present that is on bottom of list though and if they only ask for one thing, I give clothes."

"Wow! That's amazing! And...do you somehow know which presents go to which house?"

"Is part of my powers." He shrugged. "Come, yeti will be here soon to take sleigh, and you need new clothes. I am thinking my coat might be a bit big on you."

She nodded her head as she let out an amused laugh. "Yeah...just a bit." She followed him into the workshop, and her jaw immediately dropped. "This is the workshop?"

"This is just one level. Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful!" She breathed out in awe, but then she notice large furry creatures staring at her as she looked around. "But um...why are the...yeti...looking at me like that?"

"Because, I brought you to the North Pole after doing Christmas. That has never happened before. I'll let them all know that you are new spirit that will be living here, and do not worry...I will not mention last name to anyone."

"Thank you." She stated while she continued to follow him as she stared at his tattoos. 'Huh...for some reason I can't help but smile when I look at his tattoos. It's amusing I guess.' She thought to herself. Then, they went up an elevator that took them to another floor much higher up, and she looked to her left as they were walking. "Whoa! A giant globe!"

"Ah, yes, that is globe of world. The lights are believers."

"All of those lights? Every single one?"

"Yes, each of those lights is a child and good or bad Naughty or Nice, my friends and I protect them. We protect them from bad things, from spirits that wish them harm, and from anything we are capable to protect them from. Unfortunately we can't help everyone, but we keep their spirits alive with Wonder, Hopes, Dreams, Memories, and Fun. I protect Wonder, Bunny protects Hope, Sandman protects Dreams, Tooth Fairy protects good Memories, and Jack protects their sense of Joy and Fun. Come, I show you to guest room. Wardrobe is enchanted and will conjure clothes you like, want, or need."

"Awe! That means I have to give back your coat." She heard a low chuckle from North as he continued to walk down a hallway, and for a reason she couldn't grasp at, that chuckle warmed her a bit more than the coat.

"Well..." North trailed off feeling amusement deep in his chest at her words. "...perhaps we can get a coat of your own. Perhaps the wardrobe will conjure it for you."

"I can't wait!" She stated with a bright and honest smile as she caught up to North.

"Good, because we are here." He stood in front of a door that was painted white and red with intricate swirls of silver in some places.

"Wow...even the door is incredible." She turned the door knob, and was made speechless from the sight on the inside. The floor was wooden, and she could tell it was made of Mahogany, the walls were painted a deep red with silver swirls and snowflakes here and there, and the window took up an entire wall left to right and top to bottom. The bed was a large king sized bed that had to be seven feet long, and the dresser was large, made out of the same wood as the floor with twelve drawers, and the knobs of the dresser seemed to be made of frosted glass. She noticed a few chairs, but she also noticed two doors. One she assumed to be the closet, the other she hoped was a bathroom that she could change and see herself in. "This room is beautiful!"

"I am glad you like it. Now, I will go let Yeti know of your arrival and the situation. Make yourself at home, Aurora."

"I-I will. Thank you, North."

"You're very welcome. Good night." He smiled at her as he closed the door. Once he was outside of the closed door he looked at it thoughtfully. "Hmm...I feel it in my belly...she will make things interesting...but how? Moreover...why do I feel this? Bah! I will find out sooner or later." He walked away and made his way to collect all of the yeti together to let them know of what was going on.

Meanwhile, in the room that was soundproof, keeping her from hearing the clanging and working yeti, Aurora looked around in astonishment. "This is my room?" She clutched the coat, and realized she forgot to give it back, but she was also grateful she didn't considering the hole in her dress revealed quite a bit in the front. it was torn from the upper left side and across the top. "Alright, now why do I love the smell of this coat so much!?" She asked herself as she started to inwardly struggle in taking the coat off. "Honestly! It makes me sound like a creep! But...it's SO warm!" She shook her head, banishing the thoughts and words away as she took the coat off. As soon as it left her shoulders she shivered at the contrast from the coats comforting warmth to the rooms temperature that was still warm, but colder than the coat. "Alright, time to find something to wear so that I can give North his coat back."

She walked over to the closet, and noticed that inside it was a dirty clothes basket. "Well, might as well toss it in here..." She took off her shoes and dress, and tossed her dress into the clothes basket. Then, to her immediate surprise it vanished, but then reappeared in the closet she was looking into. She pulled it down to look at it and noticed it was repaired. "Huh...magic." She couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "However, I'm not gonna wear that again, like ever...SO...!" She clapped her hands together with a determined expression as she started to look in the closet. "Let's see..." She pulled at the other dresses and shook her head. "No, I don't want to wear a dress for right now." She closed the closet and walked to the dresser, taking a quick glance at her chest considering she remembered the blade going through her back and through her chest. "Wow, I don't even have a scratch. Stupid adrenaline and steroid junkie...he's LUCKY I don't have a scratch." She pulled out the top dresser and was glad to see bras and panties in her size and the kind she liked. She took another glance at her chest, and noticed there was still blood on her bra, and some on her panties from how severe the wound was. "Right..." She sighed and grabbed a pair of red panties and a matching bra. She then opened up the next drawer and pulled out a plain red sweater with a v-neck cut that wasn't too low or too high. After that, she moved to the next drawer and pulled out a pair of black jeans. "Alright, got my clothes...now I just need to grab some socks and hopefully my favorite black boots will be in here." She went to one of the final drawers and was glad to see what she wanted.

Once she was completely dressed, and her old clothes put into the magical dirty clothes basket that caused her to smile every time she realized she would never have to do laundry ever again, she got up from her bed and moved to the door she hoped was a bathroom. When she opened it, she was glad and relieved to see it bathroom was almost as incredible as the room. The shower was big enough for four of her, the bathtub looked like a small pool, both made of white marble, the wood flooring was the same as the bedroom, and the tile was painted red. She moved to the sink that was also made of marble, and she looked into the mirror. "Holy Shit!" She gasped out as she placed a hand over her mouth. 'THAT'S ME!?' She shook her head and moved away from the mirror, and then back again to see if she was seeing things, but she wasn't. She saw she had snow white hair, and that her once long hair was now cut to where her hair brushed just below her shoulders. Her blue eyes had turned into a beautiful emerald green, and she seemed to have more freckles on her face. Either that or they were more noticeable. "I...I look so different!" She breathed out, but she couldn't honestly find anything wrong with her looks in her state of shock. "A-Alright...time to look for North I suppose..." She trailed off as she took another look at herself. "...well, at least my body hasn't changed. Still my fluffy self." She allowed a giggle to escape as she left the bathroom, grabbed North's coat, and left her room to look for him.

Once she was outside of her room, she saw one of the yeti. "Um, excuse me?" She called out, and the yeti turned around. "Hi, my name is Aurora." She said as he walked towards her.

"I'm Phil, but you probably don't understand me. Nice to meet you." He smiled. "North told us about you."

"Oh, that's good, and somehow...I do understand you. It's nice to meet you too, Phil." She told him, while wondering how she was able to decipher his language so well.

Phil's eyes widened and he crossed his arms. "First the winter child and now the new spirit. Well, what is it you need?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me where North is." She held up the coat as best she could. "I wanted to give him back his coat, and tell him thank you."

"He's in his office. Follow me." She followed him until he stopped at a large door that looked different from the others she saw on the way to her room. "Here we are. Just knock and he'll let you in."

"Thank you." She said and knocked three times on the door while Phil walked away.

The door opened, and her eyes widened as she watched North put his hand down. 'H-He used magic to open the door!' An honest smile grew on her face as she walked in. She cleared her throat gaining his attention from whatever he was working so intently on, and she watched in slight confusion as his eyes widened for some reason. "I wanted to bring you your coat." She stated as she walked closer to him with the coat in her arms.

'I was not expecting her in my office.' He stood up and stepped towards her as she made it to his desk. "Thank you." He said as he took the coat from her. He draped it over his chair and continued to stand next to his desk. "So, are you liking Pole?"

"Yeah, and I think I figured out one of my powers already."

"Oh?" North's brow rose in curiosity. "Alright, what is it?"

"I can understand the yeti."

"You can what?" He asked in a small state of shock, but mostly in a state of wonder.

"Yeah, I could understand Phil when he was speaking to me. He's nice. He told me that you told the yeti about me. What exactly did you say?"

"Apparently not enough, considering you can understand yeti automatically. The only other person I know that can do that is..."

"The yeti called him...the winter child."

North chuckled lightly with a nod. "Yes, that would be Jack Frost."

"So...is he forever a child or..."

"He is stuck at fourteen forever, but mentally he is older. He just doesn't show it. So..." He breathed out as he crossed his arms. "...you speak yeti?"

"No, I don't speak it...but...I understand them. It's like...whatever they say...it's translated in my head...somehow. So, I have to ask...I looked in the mirror and noticed I looked different. Did the Man in the Moon do this for anyone else?"

"I only know of one other and that's Jack Frost. He used to have brown hair and brown eyes."

"Okay, at least it's happened before. I used to have blue eyes, and my hair used to be longer, but that's okay. I've always wanted to get it cut anyway." She gave a light shrug of her shoulders.

"Hmm...well, at least there's that. Now, workshop is your home, and I noticed when helping you that your hands are not soft, so there must be something you enjoy doing...some kind of craft."

"OH! I like to carve and create things."

"Do you now?" North questioned with a wide grin. "Well, you're in luck! There is entire floor where you can carve."

"Seriously!?" She laughed out joyfully. "That would be amazing! Oh...I...I also bake and cook. You see...I can do a lot of things. It keeps me busy."

"Well then, I cannot wait to see what you can do." He chuckled as he went to sit back in his chair.

"What were you doing before I came in?" She asked as she walked over to him in his chair.

"Was writing down how well Christmas went for each house."

"FOR EACH HOUSE!?" She gaped at him, impressed and shocked that he was doing it for EVERY house.

"That is what I said." He hummed with a smile. "I write about what happens in case it is something I need to remember next year. For example, I went to house once that had three large doberman dogs. Was not fun experience, but once I got them to calm down, I was able to find out that the children in the house were good all year, and even gave them extra food from their plates."

"Wait..." She started snickering while covering her mouth. "...are..." However, her snickering soon turned into chuckling as she took in what he just implied. "Are you telling me that...that you can talk to the pets?"

"Yes." He stated matter of factly with a small grin, and instantly her chuckles died. She noticed that his smile only broadened at the lack of sound coming out of her mouth. As she looked closer she noticed that even his eyes smiled when he grinned like that. "I learned a very very long time ago how to speak to animals."

"How...how old are you?"

"Old." He chuckled with a slight smirk.

"No kidding." She breathed out while she rolled her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. "Now come on, I told you my age."

'She's certainly blunt isn't she?' He thought to himself as he noticed the way she had her hands on her hips in a defiant manner. He nodded his head and let out a sigh through his nose. "If you must know, I'm around three hundred and ninety three."

"Wow...old." She nodded with widened eyes as her hands dropped from her hips. "So, what did you do before becoming Santa?"

"I was..." He started as he leaned back in his chair with his hands holding each other with the fingers threading through one another. "...a bandit King." He answered and for a moment he wondered why he felt so comfortable telling her that. However, his belly told him that it would be a good thing if he continued, so he did. "I was king of bandits. Best bandit in all of Europe. Then, Manny came to me in a dream...and told me to go somewhere, so I did and my men followed, but they couldn't get past one of the obstacles...anyway, I went further and heard children screaming so I went to help. I fought a bear, and although I won...I also lost. I died, and thankfully there was a good man there by the name of Ombric who brought me back to life, and I was nursed back to health by him and a young girl named Katherine. We shared many dangerous adventures together, but eventually the Guardians were formed, and we were all given our different jobs. I think I chose mine before it was given to me as I started to invent build things with magic and technology."

Aurora almost couldn't believe it. She ended up swaying a bit until she sat in one of the spare chairs next to North's desk as she continued to look at him. "Y-You were a bandit KING!? A Bandit in general?"

"How do you think I get in and out of houses so well?" He asked with a risen brow.

She couldn't help it. She busted out laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach. "Oh! That...! That does make so much sense!" She continued to laugh, but she soon calmed herself down. "Whoo..." She breathed out as she sat up straight in her chair, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She then looked at North who seemed just as amused, but more than likely because of her reaction. "I'm sorry, but that was hilarious."

"Yes, I know. I like to look back on it and laugh. If someone had told me way back then that I would be doing this...I would've called them crazy and given them a very stern very accurate warning."

"You mean a threat?" She smirked as she crossed her arms.

"Well, when you say it like that..." He chuckled warmly as he nodded his head. He didn't know what it was about this woman, but she seemed to be so easy to talk to, and what he found even stranger was that he WANTED to talk to her about his past despite the fact that he just met her. He soon shook his head and smiled down at her as she sat in the chair. "You should get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked with a tilt of her head as she stood up from the chair, slightly upset that she had to leave the office already.

"Your birthday." He answered in a matter of fact tone.

"RIGHT! How could I forget!?" She jumped slightly at honestly forgetting tomorrow was her birthday and she looked to the door then to North. "H-Hey, um...North?"

"What is it?"

"Did you really um...when I came in did you open the door with magic?"

"Yes." He answered slowly, but then it dawned on him what she was asking and he smiled softly. as amusement bubbled deep within his chest. He waved his hand and the door opened, and he watched with fascination as she jumped up and down like a child.

"That's so amazing!" She exclaimed as she went to the door. "Oh, and thank you so much for letting me borrow your coat. It was really warm."

"You're welcome." He told her with a hint of surprise in his voice, but not even he knew why it was there. 'Perhaps I need some rest as well...but first...'