Hey guys! Let me know what you think! I am debating what direction to take this in, but I try to add to the story every free moment I have. As always -

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, or the characters contained therein.

*I've redone a little in this chapter. I've aged up Mark's speech and I've lowered Cathy's age. There are a few little tweaks here and there as well.*

Home for the Holidays

Glancing from one side of the road to another, a young woman drove slowly as children ran from home to home with friends, playing in the snow. She had been cautious to look out for any those not being mindful enough of the road. Brushing a strand of light brown bangs out if her eyes, she spotted the house she was looking for. A large taupe colored home came into view, as did the two children playing outside. The woman smiled to herself as she pulled into the icy driveway. The boy and little girl looked up and shouted, waving frantically. With a smile plastered on the young woman's face, she quickly jumped out of her small car and raced over to hug the two.

"Aunt Andy!" The little girl screeched in the young woman's ear, causing her to grimace slightly as a slightly older man came out of the house.

"Andy! You finally made it! How were the roads? I know we got one heck of a snow storm last night," he continued with a large smile on his face. He quickly wrapped the young woman in a hug.

"Hey Simon! It wasn't so bad," Andy said and giggled as she tried to pry the little girl off her leg. Simon laughed and picked up the little girl,

"Come on Cathy, don't trip Aunt Andy. Mark? Can you help your aunt with her stuff?" Andy put her hands up,

"Aw, it's really not a big deal, it's just one bag." She tried to wave the boy off.

"No! I can get it, Aunt Andy! It's not that heavy, promise! Besides, I've grown since you last saw me!" Mark said as he all but dragged her bag alongside.

"Uh…well…if you insist." Andy said unsurely, "Thanks, Marky." She said as she ruffled his hair. Mark groaned but followed as his father beckoned him and his aunt inside.

Andy plopped down onto the couch, exhausted from playing with her young niece. She chuckled lightly as she leaned back and closed her eyes. She heard her older brother laugh behind her.

"I told you that they could be a handful." Andy laughed, shaking her head.

"No, they're alright. I just can't believe how much they've grown." Cathy was no longer the little baby she had been in Andy's mind, and Mark had grown substantially. He had even gotten to be around her height. Her brother laughed again.

"It's just good that you could make it back home for the holidays."

"Thanks, Simon." It was true, Andy thought. She had been away for quite some time. Andy never really had many opportunities to visit while she was away in college - money had been too tight. Being states apart didn't help either. Andy had received a great scholarship opportunity at Northeastern University in Boston, not leaving her much time to get back to her native west Pennsylvania. However, her older brother Simon had offered to pay for the trip back home, and she had been staying with him and his family in Burgess.

"How long has it been?" her brother popped his head back around the short wall that separated the living room and the dining room. Andy snorted,

"Almost two and a half years." Simon gave a low and sarcastic whistle,

"Much longer, and no one would recognize you." Andy rolled her eyes before lifting herself up off the couch. "Also, Marie says the food is ready." At this, her niece and nephew practically tripped over themselves to be the first ones in line for food. Andy stayed behind, stooping to pick up the toys that were left strewn across the floor. From her spot in the living room, she could see her brother lift and twirl his daughter Catherine around in a quick circle. Andy slowly stood and walked into the kitchen, taking in the family atmosphere. She had sorely missed being with them. Her brother Simon was ten years older than she, but Lord knew he didn't act like it. Simon, in Andy's opinion, never really grew out of his adolescence. And he was a terribly big softie, especially around his children. You wouldn't have guessed by looking at him, though. Simon was built like a brick house; he easily topped 6'1", with bulk and muscle to match. He kept his head shaved and had dull blue eyes, eyes which her sister-in-law, Marie, said she fell for instantly. As she put it, 'He may be big and mean looking, but he was all fluff and pudding on the inside'. Andy smirked as her brother tried to convince his son, Mark, to sit long enough to eat his food. It wasn't until Marie stepped in that the twelve-year-old listened.

Andy considered her sister-in-law for a moment. The woman had been a few years older than her brother, but she could be just as young at heart as he was. Marie was a lieutenant colonel in the air force, and had the presence of authority to go with it. Marie was a petite woman with long, sleek, black hair and a beautiful and rich dark olive complexion - a trait she passed down to her children. Although she looked small and demur, Andy had seen firsthand how strong Marie could be. Marie had invited Andy to her local gym to try and teach her some basic self-defense, saying that she'd need it being alone in the big city. Andy had failed miserably, but she got to watch Marie spar off against a rather large man that scoffed at her supposed ability to fight. Although Marie tried to talk the man down at first, she had been eventually goaded onto the mat, the man using some choice harsh - and racist - words. Andy had to admit, the man was built like a tank and looked formidable. But Marie just laughed it off, and Andy later found out why. Marie may have been small, but she moved with lightning speed. The man was on the mat in the blink of an eye. Marie later revealed that she may have had the pleasure of learning some moves from an Israeli forces officer, and had been taking martial arts classes since she was a child. From that day on, Andy both respected and slightly feared Marie.

Andy took her spot at the small, wooden table across from Mark. Both he and Catherine looked like their mother, olive complexion with silky black hair. Their eyes, however, were a dull blue like their father's. Where Catherine was petite, although still at the ripe old age of seven, Mark had been tall and slender at twelve, surpassing the height of his peers.

"Aunt Andy! Do you want to go and play outside after dinner?" Mark all but shouted across the table. Andy sent Marie a glance before shaking her head,

"Sorry, bud. It's awfully late and it's getting dark." she saw a dejected look creep onto his face, she hated to see the kid look so down and couldn't stop herself. "But how about we go tomorrow? I'm sure the snow will still be around then."

"Aw, really? Great! Then you'll get to meet all of my friends!" The young boy was practically vibrating in his seat.

"What do you think, Cathy? Want to go sledding tomorrow?" Marie asked her daughter, who had been distracted with a small drawing she was coloring in.

"Yeah!" Cathy's head shot up, a huge grin plastered across her small face.

"Aww, no!" Mark complained, "Why do we have to take Cathy? She's too young!" Marie shot Mark a piercing look,

"You are going to take Cathy with you, not buts." she cut him off before he could reply, "Do you understand?" Mark looked down at his plate with a scowl on his face,

"Yes, mom."

"Good. Now eat your dinner," she said before turning to Andy with a smile. "How has school been going?"

"It's been good; clinicals have been killer." Andy said after hastily gulping down the bite she had in her mouth. Andy was about three and a half years into her bachelor's in nursing degree. "If I'm being honest, I was really feeling run down before now, but this trip has really been a pick-me-up. It's good to be with family again." Simon smiled before nudging her with his elbow.

"It's good to have you back, Andy." At that moment, Andy let out a very large yawn, barely meeting it with the back of her hand in time.

"You must be exhausted," Marie pointed at her with her fork. Andy nodded sheepishly.

"It has been a long day." Andy had driven a little over nine hours that day, only to play with her niece until dinner. Marie laughed,

"Go on up to your room. Get some sleep." The motherly tone was evident in how she was speaking now. Just has her children started to voice their disappointment, Andy spoke up.

"Yeah, I think I might. Besides, guys, I'm going to be here for a week. We have all of that time to play." She stood and took her plate to the sink, making sure to ruffle Mark's hair on the way. After bidding them all goodnight, Andy slowly climbed the stairs, turning right on the landing before arriving at the guest room.

As Andy walked into the room, she felt around the wall for the light switch. As she flipped the lights on, she took in the surroundings of the rather spacious guest room. Much like the rest of the larger home, the floors were a dark hardwood. The walls in this room were a calming medium shade of blue. The room hadn't been very furnished; it had a queen-sized bed pushed up against the right wall and a small nightstand with a lamp next to it. On the opposite wall stood a floor length mirror next to a dresser that had a few family photos and trinkets set on top of it. Marie had apologized when she first showed Andy the room for the dust that had accumulated, it wasn't often they had guests. Andy told her she didn't mind, that the large room was more than enough.

Burgess had been a college town, and drew in a fair amount of money with the university on the hill. Like the rest of this part of town, the home was old and large, with four bedrooms. With Marie's income from the military and Simon's job as engineer, they were able to live comfortably. They had offered for Andy to live with them and attend Burgess University while she pursued her nursing degree, but she had declined. With the amazing scholarship to Northeastern and the promise of independence, she was quick to say goodbye to Burgess. Andy chuckled ruefully to herself as she slumped down onto the bed - independence. It, and adulthood, we're both overrated. It meant responsibilities and deadlines. It meant being alone and away from her family for too long. She sighed - no, adulthood was definitely overrated. That night, it had taken Andy a long time to try and sleep. Worries about end of semester tests and school in general plagued her as she tossed and turned from one side to another, never quite making it into dream land.

As Andy slowly drifted off to sleep, not bothering to change out of her clothes, she was jolted awake by a scraping sound at the window. Getting up, she made her way to a large french window on the far side of the room. The curtains were already pulled back and tucked to the side, so she was able to see the backyard and the large scraping branch clearly in the moonlight.

"God damn tree," Andy grumbled to herself before practically stomping back towards the bed. She slid off her sweatshirt before grabbing her bag to dig around for her nightclothes. As she pulled out her tank top and shorts pajamas, she chanced a glance back at the window. The backyard didn't have any neighbors in direct sight of her room, and no peeping tom hidden in the tree. Better safe than sorry, she turned away from the large window and proceeded to change. Now out of her old clothes, she began digging in her bag once more.

"Where are you, you little…I know I packed you - aha!" Andy triumphantly pulled out a small circular nightlight. Plugging it into the outlet near the nightstand, she went to turn off the main light. As soon as the room grew dark, she all but ran for the bed and dived in. Safely under the protection of the comforter, Andy nuzzled down into the blankets, this time having no trouble falling asleep.

Morning seemed to come too quickly for Andy. It also didn't help that her brother sent Mark and Cathy to wake her up. In no time, the two kids were practically jumping on her to get her up.

"Oh, okay! Okay! I'll get up!" Andy groaned into her pillow as the two shouted in victory. Looking at her watch, Andy could see that it was just past seven. When did she go to bed? Maybe ten? How in the hell did she sleep so long?

"Come on! You said we could go play in the snow today! And everyone is already outside!" Mark begged as he raced over to the door and swung it open. Andy dropped her head into the pillow - she had almost forgot about that.

"Alright, let me eat breakfast and then I'll get dressed, okay?" She said as she sat up and stretched. Cathy had stayed on the bed with Andy, having attached herself to Andy in a hug.

"Yeah! I'm gonna go let my friends know you're going to be with us today! Come on, Cathy! Let's go!" Mark motioned for Cathy to join him, but Cathy stayed rooted.

"I want to stay with Aunt Andy." Andy mentally groaned. It's not like she didn't love her niece and nephew, she did! Loads, in fact! But children weren't exactly her forte, and it was way too early.

"Go on, Cathy. I'll be right down, I promise." Andy tried to give her most reassuring smile. Thankfully, Cathy bought it and nodded before sliding off the bed to join her older brother. As they left, Andy watched the empty door for a second. She heard the distant sounds of the two children clamoring down the stairs and out the door where she could hear them shouting to their friends. Andy groaned once more before dangling her legs off the side of the bed and sliding off lazily. Rifling through her bag, she grabbed a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and her hoodie before heading to the bathroom to start the day.

Breakfast sped past her and before she knew it, Andy was tugging on her winter boots and gloves.

"Man, I'm so excited!" Mark began, "My friends are so ready to meet you! Today's gonna be the best!"

"Can we go sledding first?" Cathy asked as Andy turned to help her with her hat.

"Well, we'll just have to see! Let's go to the park first and then we could head to the hill. How does that sound?" Cathy thought it over for a moment before agreeing.

"Everyone all set?" Andy asked, giving the two a once over before they walked out the door. Both kids practically ran over each other to get outside, leaving Andy in their dust.

"Hey, Andy?" A voice called from the living room.

"Yeah, Marie?" Andy poked her head around the hallway wall.

"I'm about to go grocery shopping. Would you mind watching the kids for a while?" Andy waved it off,

"Of course! It's no problem." Marie gathered up her keys before joining Andy at the door.

"Thanks, you're being a huge help. Just remember that the spare key is in the flower pot out back."

"It's really no big deal. Just drive safe, the roads look covered in ice." With that and a short goodbye, both women parted ways with Andy jogging to try and catch up to her niece and nephew.

Mark and Cathy had been heading to the local small park near the center of the neighborhood. When Andy had driven by yesterday, the place had been packed with a huge gaggle of children. Today seemed to be no exception. As Andy finally reached the two, a small group of fourteen or fifteen children met them near the entrance of the park.

"Mark! Hey!" A smaller boy with brown hair ran up and to the three of them and waved, "We're just about to start an epic snowball fight! We've already built forts – we were just waiting for you guys."

"Awesome! Have you picked teams?" The other boy shook his head, "Well, my aunt says she wants to play with us today, if that's okay." Mark explained before jabbing his thumb in Andy's direction.

"Yeah! That's no problem! That would make it even for girls versus boys!" A tall and thin girl with a red knit cap in the back said suddenly, motioning the others girls to follow her and formed a small team behind Andy.

"Oh, uh, are you guys sure? I mean, I am bigger than you." Andy pointed out, only to be met with laughs from the boys.

"That doesn't matter!" A boy with dark skin said with a laugh before nudging his twin brother,

"Yeah, we've got Jack! There's no way you could beat him!" The twin said. Andy raised an eyebrow before darting her eyes to see anyone so formidable among the children. She didn't see anyone over the age of thirteen. Tops. She gave a snort before rubbing her hands together.

"Okay, boys. Your funeral." She turned to her group of soldiers, "Alright ladies! Show me where our great fort is, and we shall slaughter the competition!" With a cheer, the group of girls marched over to the right side of the open field where a crude wall of snow was put up. As the group gathered round, Andy gave them all a mischievous look.

"Ladies! My name is Andy, and today we take victory for the girls!" She began her pep talk and crouched to be at eye level with the girls who were stooped behind the wall. The small group of girls laughed and cheered. "And I have a plan."

Both team captains were to meet and shake hands in the middle of the field before the start of war. The boys' team sent out the brown haired kid, who the girls had informed her was named Jamie, while the girls had voted Andy as team leader. As the two crunched through the heavily trodden snow to meet each other, Andy couldn't wonder where their major weapon was, this kid named Jack. The girls had giggled and played it off when she asked who it was. And not only that, they admitted that they didn't stand a chance against him! What absolutely shitty team morale! Even Cathy agreed. Andy came to a stop in front of Jamie, her hand stretched out. He quickly shook it and said with a smirk,

"You're going down. Jack said there's no way you can win." Whoa. What? Two could play at that game. Andy put on a smirk of her own before adding,

"I'd like to see him try and stop us." With that, she turned heel and marched back to ranks before meeting up with her team to go over the plan again. She motioned the tall girl, Pippa, to stand next to her. The rest of the girls formed a semicircle around the two.

"Alright, everyone knows the plan?" It had been predetermined that the game was going to be like dodge ball - once hit with an enemy snowball, you were a casualty of war and had to lay down where you were. "Try your hardest to make it to their fort, take out their leader. And if you can," Andy paused and smirked, "and I know you can, try to take out this Jack kid." Andy waited for questions, and one of the larger girls coughed quietly and raised her hand. Cupcake, she thought her name was.

"Do you really think we can win, against them? Against Jack?" Andy smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course I do. And you just need to believe you can, too. There is nothing stopping us from winning." Andy turned to the rest of her rag tag team, "Are you guys ready?!" They yelled and cheered in response. Andy smirked and turned to look across the field, seeing the small group of boys readying their ammo. "To your positions!" Andy shouted and dived behind the fort wall. As she looked around, the girls all nodded and grabbed the pre-made handfuls of snow. "Attack!"

It was safe to say that the girls totally had the determination and balls to win the game. So far, they were doing well; all of the girls were sticking to the plan perfectly. Andy looked for her opening in the constantly moving battlefield. She would be the distraction for her team, while three of her girls were to be the main infiltration team. Andy was bigger and noticeable, but was able to dodge the snowballs the younger boys were throwing. She had yet to see this wonder-kid, Jack. Andy quickly ran out from behind the wall, grabbing snowballs off the ground - who made all this extra ammo? She thought briefly before sending a snowball into one of the twin's back.

"No! Caleb!" Andy heard Jamie shout from behind the lines, Andy laughed before swearing and dodging a snowball, sliding behind one of a few hiding walls set up in the middle of the battlefield. She glanced back at Pippa, Cathy, Cupcake and a smaller girl named Rebecca. Cupcake, Cathy and Rebecca, much like Andy, were to be decoys. Pippa had apparently been a great runner, and was meant to be the infiltrator. Andy gave a curt nod before watching the four girls take off as stealthily as they could. Rather quickly, Cathy had been picked off. Andy grimaced as Cathy lay down dejectedly. Chancing a glance over the wall she was hiding behind, Andy could see a young boy, Monty, trying to sneak up on her position. Andy quickly hurled a snowball before ducking back down. She heard the boy whine before lying down.

She looked at the snowy battlefield from her position. The boys' team had four of their seven down. The girls were two up, and children were lying on the ground, laughing at the others or making snow angels. Now was the time, while the girls were trying to sneak, to pop up and cause a major distraction. Grabbing an arm full of snowballs, Andy popped up from behind her wall and began rushing the enemy fort with a battle cry. Trying her best to dodge the incoming fire, she managed to take out another boy before taking a snowball to the chest. A pained looked crossed her face before she let out a dramatic gurgling and painful noise.

"Carry on without me, ladies!" Looking around as she laid down, not five feet from the enemy fort, she tried to spot who pegged her. But when she looked in the direction of the snowball, she didn't see anyone. Andy sighed and looked up into the sky, blinking before realizing that it began to softly snow. She smiled and rolled over to watch what was soon to be the end of the battle. Cupcake aimed high before yelling that she got Jack. Andy glanced around for the fallen boy, but she must have missed him. Not a second later, Cupcake took a snowball to her side, and she practically growled before lying down next to Andy.

"You fought the good fight, soldier," Andy said as she put her hand on Cupcake's arm, "Now it's time to rest. And good job getting Jack. I knew you could do it." Cupcake giggled and rolled onto her stomach to watch the war unfold, making sure to give Andy a fist bump. Rebecca and Pippa had managed very well, and had taken out another boy. Quickly it was two to one, and Rebecca pegged Jamie as Pippa barely missed him. With a squeal from the girls and dejected moans from the boys, Rebecca, Pippa and the remaining girls began cheering and jumping around. The fallen combatants all stood and pushed themselves off the ground before joining their teams in the lightly falling show. Andy and Cupcake ran to the rest of their compatriots and celebrated.

"Great jobs, guys! I knew you could do it!" Andy gave her group of girls high fives.

"Did you see that amazing shot? Cupcake, you're awesome!" Pippa jumped while she pumped her fist in the air. Andy laughed as Cupcake blushed, and turned to look as the boys walked over to them.

"Good game, gentlemen. Well played." Andy said as she went to shake Jamie's hand again. Despite defeat, the other team had smiles all around.

"That was awesome! Jack says he didn't expect you to put up such a good fight!" Jamie shouted, turning to look behind him. Andy glanced in the direction he was looking in,

"Yeah, well, I'd like to meet this kid." Andy laughed. "You guys did well."

"Oh, Jack's right there." Mark said as he walked up to his aunt and pointed behind his group. Andy looked up but saw no one. But she noticed that a few of the children were talking to a specific empty spot. And they seemed to be holding a group conversation. Jack must have been an imaginary friend that the group integrated into their play. They even laughed as a group, seemingly at an unknown source. That had been unnerving. "You can't see him, can you." Mark stated as he dragged Andy to the group. Andy looked down at her nephew before shaking her head slightly. Most of the children were looking towards her now, while some broke off from the group to go to calling parents.

"Sorry, Ace. Afraid I can't." Mark looked disappointed before he looked to the empty spot. He looked focused, like he was listening to someone talking.

"Jack says that that's okay, adults can't see him-" Mark stopped talking to watch the spot again, "But he says that he wouldn't have been hit if you hadn't been so distracting after he hit you with that snowball." Andy's eyebrows shot up before she barked out a laugh.

"Please, our plan was flawless."

"Jack says you caught him off guard." Jamie spoke up, as Andy shivered at a sudden chill. The children all shifted their focus to a new spot. Andy had to admit, that was creepy as hell.

"Yes, well, tell your friend I'll be here all week if he wants a rematch." Mark laughed,

"He asks if that was a promise. He says he could kick your butt any day of the week." Andy shot a glance to Mark as the other kids all laughed in unison at the imaginary friend's joke. Another chill ran down her back, and she swore she could hear a faint laugh near her ear. Andy's head darted in the direction of the laugh before brushing it off as imagination and checked her watch, they had been out for much longer than she realized. Her fingers and toes no longer had feeling, but it didn't surprise her. She only came out in a sweatshirt and jeans.

"Yeah, it's a promise." She laughed, "But we should be getting back, guys. I can't feel my fingers anymore." Many voices of opposition rose, but Andy held her hand up. "Look, we can play again later, but your mom would kill me if you guys were out too long." As if on cue, many more parents began calling for their children to come in for lunch. "Like I said, we'll come out later." She grabbed Cathy's hand before waving to the group. "Bye guys, it was good meeting you!" The small group of children laughed and waved as they walked away.

On the way home, Mark and Cathy both recounted their versions of the snowball war. Andy laughed at their accounts, both differing greatly and growing in grandeur by the second. The history of the Great Snowball War had been ever changing. As they rounded the corner that lead to her brother's house, Andy was became lost in her musings about their imaginary friend Jack. They had been introduced to him through Jamie and his small group of friends. Not that Andy minded, she was sure she had imaginary friends growing up. She shrugged it off, before heading up the driveway. She sent Mark to grab the spare key and waited until he came running back.

"Hey, Aunt Andy? Can we have hot chocolate - oh! Hey Jack!" Andy whipped around from door to see Cathy and Mark both greet an empty spot. Andy smirked as they chatted to the air while she pushed open the door. "Jack says that Jamie and his friends can't come out later." Mark frowned and Cathy audibly sighed.

"That's okay, we can always play tomorrow." Andy said before motioning inside.

"Come on, let's go get that hot chocolate. Does Jack want some?" Mark perked up and looked to his friend.

"Jack says he'll come in for a little bit, but he's got to go make more snow soon." Andy opened her mouth before shutting it quickly – just let it go for now, she told herself. She held the door open as the kids ran inside. Before shutting the door, she turned to Cathy as the little girl took off her boots.

"Has Jack walked inside yet?" Cathy nodded and pointed into the living room.

"He's already sitting on the couch." Andy chuckled,

"What, he's not going to take off his shoes?" Cathy gave her aunt a confused look.

"Jack doesn't wear shoes." Andy raised an eyebrow before taking off her shoes and gloves.

"Doesn't his feet get cold in the snow?" Mark took off for the living room while laughing, but no one answered her. She sighed as Cathy also took off for the living room. Andy went straight to the kitchen before calling out to the children, "Hey, guys! Pick out a movie to watch? Something suitable for Cathy, Mark." She said as she sent a pointed look to Mark.

"No problem! Jack says he likes his hot chocolate with milk and not water." Mark shouted as he searched through the collection of movies. Andy snorted,

"What does he think we are, heathens?" She heard the same unfamiliar and faint laugh from earlier. She poked her head out from behind the kitchen wall to see if anyone new was in the room before raising an eyebrow and going back to grab the now warm milk from the microwave. She quickly poured out portions into three cups and took it out to the kids and asked where Jack was sitting before placing the cup in front of the spot. She sat in front of Cathy on the floor as the movie started up, one of the old stop motion Christmas movies. Mark had always loved them.

"She can't drink milk." Cathy said suddenly, before giggling.

"What Cathy?" Andy asked, turning to look at the little girl.

"Oh, Jack asked why you weren't drinking hot chocolate too. He says it's not really living without it." Andy turned back around and stood.

"It's not so bad," She laughed. "I'm going to go change out of my wet clothes." As she stood and walked past the end of the couch she felt another cold draft.

"Did one of you guys open a window?" Andy asked as she looked around the room at the windows. "Do you guys have a draft in here?" Mark shook his head.

"No, you just walked by Jack." The hairs on Andy's arms stood on end,

"Why-"

"He says before you ask, no he isn't a ghost." Mark said matter-of-factly. The rest of Andy's hair stood on end, goose bumps running up and down her arms.

"How do you know I was gonna-"

"He says he's heard it before. He's just cold because he brings winter and snow." Andy had a major case of the heebie jeebies, and tried to laugh it off.

"Oh. 'Kay. I'm just gonna go upstairs now." With that she turned on her heel and retreated upstairs.

Andy quickly walked into her room and rummaged around her bag for a pair of yoga pants and a loose school shirt. Tilting her head to listen to the sounds downstairs, she could hear the kids talking and the movie playing. Walking towards the nightstand and the adjoining bathroom, she began to strip off her damp clothes and replacing them with dry, warm ones. Going into the bathroom, she searched for her hair tie and turned to go back downstairs. Trotting down the steps, she could see Cathy already napping on the edge of the couch. Mark groaned at something and shoved the air to his left - Jack she assumed.

"How old are you, aunt Andy?" Mark asked suddenly. Andy figured she might as well roll with all the questions and assume it was 'Jack' asking.

"Twenty, twenty-one in a few days." She said as she plopped herself onto the floor. She pulled up her shoulder length hair into a loose and sloppy bun.

"Jack says happy early birthday."

"Thanks, Jack. You going to come to the party Friday?" Andy talked to the empty space.

"He asks what time it will be at." Andy smirked,

"Well, I think the cake and ice cream is going to be around six?" Mark grinned,

"Yeah! Jack says he'll try and be here! It's gonna be so much fun, Jack! Mom said we get to do a piñata!" Mark then inhaled loudly and covered his mouth as Andy quickly looked at him and smirked.

"A piñata, hm?"

"Don't tell mom I told you! It was supposed to be a surprise!" Andy laughed and lightly socked Mark's arm.

"It's no biggie, I'll make sure to act surprised." Mark sighed appreciatively.

"Thanks, aunt Andy. Jack says he can't wait either." Andy thought for a moment before asking,

"What do you mean that Jack needed to bring winter and make more snow?" Mark gave her a look before listening to his friend again,

"He says he was wondering when you were going to ask. He's Jack Frost, he makes winter." Andy's head snapped to the side.

"That's why he's cold, isn't it." Mark nodded. "Why does he say adults can't see him?" Mark got up to put his cup in the sink, apparently not needing to ask Jack.

"It's because you don't believe in him." Andy stood, grabbing Cathy's cup as well. She furrowed her eyebrows, and stood beside Mark as he put his cup in the dishwasher.

"What do you mean?"

"To see Jack, you have to believe he exists. It's the same for Santa and the Easter Bunny. They're invisible to adults because adults don't believe in them anymore." Andy looked a little gob smacked, not bothering to close her mouth. What in the…that's the most depressing thing Mark had ever said to her before. "But Jack says it's okay, he's gotten used to it." Andy rinsed out the cup and put it in the dishwasher as well before heading back to the living room.

"That's kinda sad." Andy muttered, "I mean, not being seen by adults." Mark just shrugged and jumped on the couch, but not hard enough to wake Cathy.

"Jack doesn't think so. He says adults are boring. Being around kids is more fun." Andy smirked,

"I thought he had fun today, and I'm an adult." Mark snorted, only waving her off. Andy got an idea. "Hey, wait here a second, I'll be right back." She quickly jogged up the stairs before turning to go into her room. Earlier that day, she had seen a box of color pencils and crayons in a drawer. Once she successfully retrieved them, she headed back downstairs and tossed the box at her nephew and headed to the printer to grab some paper. As she entered the living room, she pulled the coffee table closer to the couch and Mark.

"How about you draw a picture of Jack? It's not fair he knows what I look like and I haven't a clue what he looks like." Mark smiled and quickly got to work. As the movie played quietly in the background, Andy watched Mark with curiosity. Andy cocked an eyebrow,

"How old is Jack, Mark?" The picture showed him as tall and very thin. Granted, Mark was getting better with his art, but Jack looked older than twelve. Mark hummed,

"He says he's physically around eighteen or so, but he's really over three hundred years old." Andy's other eyebrow joined the first near her hairline. Without looking up, Mark added nonchalantly, "He says to stop making that face, you'll give yourself wrinkles." Andy's mouth hung open,

"Well, tell him to let me in on the secret to eternal youth. He's lookin' good for over three hundred." A small tinkle of laughter caught Andy's ear, but she wasn't sure if she had really heard it. She looked at the picture's progress, soon she saw him fill in a blue sweatshirt and brown…leggings? Trousers, maybe? His hair was silver, and he didn't wear shoes. As a finishing touch, Mark added what looked like a shepard's crook. "Why does he have a staff?" Andy asked, taking the now finished picture into her hands.

"He says it helps him focus his powers."

"Over snow and ice…" Andy finished quietly, taking in the drawing. "He is not at all what I thought he'd look like." Mark shifted on the couch, glancing to his side.

"He wants to know what did you expect?" Andy chuckled before handing the picture back.

"I don't know, maybe like that old cartoon? Pointy ears and shoes with an adorable hat?" She swore she felt the temperature drop a little for a second.

"Uh, Jack says he hates that cartoon." Mark laughed at his friend. Andy laughed along with him, and stood to go move Cathy to a more comfortable place.

"Well, me thinks Jack needs to get over it - it's a cute movie." Mark laughed loudly and acted as if someone shoved him slightly.

"What?" He said to 'Jack', "She said it was cute!" Andy just shook her head and tried to scoop Cathy up in her arms.

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AmmyPie