robotman25, who owns Amber, asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy! :)

Skylanders belongs to Activision. I only own Rachel.

Even Cold Hearts Can Be Warmed Up

A bright, peaceful day had come to Skylands and Rachel was inside the Academy with Fiesta, Ambush, Grim Creeper, and Magna Charge. The Life Sensei had just finished teaching a class and the other three had just gotten back from patrol and Rachel had arrived not long after they had returned.

"Guess Kaos is taking a break for once," the Tech Portal Master said.

"That's a relief," said Ambush.

Just then, they heard running footsteps and turned to the doors of the Academy, which opened to reveal Chop Chop running inside and in his arms was Chill, and they soon saw the reason for the skeleton running.

Chill was badly injured and the poor skeleton looked like he was out of breath and worried for the Water Skylander. Ambush instantly moved towards Chop Chop and accepted Chill from him before following Rachel and Magna Charge as they led the way to the infirmary with Grim Creeper and Fiesta helping their fellow Undead Skylander stay upright as they followed the others.

Drill Sergeant was in the infirmary and wasted no time doing an examination on Chill when Ambush gently set her down on the medical berth. "She's taken some severe damage, but she'll recover," said the Tech Skylander.

"What happened?" Rachel asked Chop Chop as he sat down in a nearby chair.

The skeletal warrior clenched his fists. "Kaos suddenly appeared and grabbed Chill," he said. "Angry that he laid his slimy hands on her, I sent a bone bramble attack at Kaos."

He now began shaking. "That coward…he got scared and t-threw Chill in-into the attack before running off," he said. "I…I ran up to her after seeing she got hit with my attack to see if she was alright, but…,"

Chop Chop took a very shaky breath. "She was unconscious. Pieces of her armor were broken and chipped and…there was a small amount of blood dripping from her arms and legs," he continued. "I was shocked that Kaos would do something so horrid and I grew scared, picking Chill up and running back here as fast as I could."

His helmeted head was now resting in his gloved hands. "She's hurt because of me," he said. "I acted without thinking."

Rachel placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Chop Chop, it's not your fault," she said gently. "It's Kaos' fault that Chill is hurt."

He really wanted to believe that, but the warrior couldn't let go of the guilt that it was his fault and stood up, quietly leaving the room as the others continued watching over Chill.

Later that evening, everyone except Chop Chop was asleep. He sat on his bed, unable to sleep as guilt and remorse filled him. "I hurt the one person I love," he said to himself. "She doesn't even know I love her, but it doesn't matter now. She'll be as cold as ice to me for harming her."

He then gazed out the window and made up his mind, deciding it was best for everyone if he wasn't there anymore. Getting up, he grabbed his sword and shield, but took nothing else and decided to at least write a note for Chill.

When he was ready, he went down to the infirmary and found the woman he loved sleeping peacefully and looking much better. Quietly, he placed the note and his silver elite medal next to her before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "This is best for everyone," he said to her softly before he began to head out of the room. He then heard someone behind him and turned to find Drill Sergeant there.

"Chop Chop, where are you going?" The robot asked curiously.

The skeletal warrior looked away. "I just need some time away from here," he said softly.

Drill Sergeant wasn't fooled though. "Chop Chop, it's not your fault," he said gently, knowing the real reason behind Chop Chop's current actions.

The warrior got down on one knee and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Drill, what I did was unbearable," he said. "I not only hurt someone innocent and not someone who is a fellow Skylander, but someone that I love."

He swallowed hard. "I…I don't deserve to be a Skylander or an elite fighter," he said softly, glancing back at Chill, who was still sleeping.

Knowing Chop Chop wasn't going to change his mind, Drill Sergeant sighed a little. "Well, wherever you do go, at least come visit us now and then," he said.

The skeletal warrior nodded and stood up, walking out the door with Drill Sergeant sadly watching his fellow Arkeyan and Skylander go.

Rachel returned to Skylands the next day and say everyone was looking glum. Fear filling her that Chill took a turn for the worse, the Tech Portal Master immediately sought out Master Eon. "What happened?" She asked when she saw him, dread filling her.

The guardian of Skylands turned to her. "Chop Chop resigned from being an elite warrior and Skylander," he said softly. "He also left last night."

This shocked the young woman before she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Don't worry, he'll be back," she said. "Chop Chop is a Skylander, no matter what. He just needs some time."

She could tell from the looks on some of the Skylanders' faces that they still thought Chop Chop was serious and wouldn't ever return and a small part of her was also worried that they would never see the Undead swordsman again.

Meanwhile…

Chop Chop was far away from the academy by now and he didn't even recognize where he was. His original plan had been to go back to the Undead territory, but then decided against it as he would have surely run into the other Undead Skylanders or other Skylanders who might have followed him to try and bring him back.

He paused a moment and glanced behind him, but saw none of the others and sighed as he then thought of Chill. Just then, a cry of a small child startled him and without a second thought, he rushed towards the sound, wondering who or what it was. To his surprise, it was a small girl with blonde hair and green eyes and the reason for her crying was because a group of rats had surrounded her and were bullying her.

Even though he wasn't a Skylander anymore, Chop Chop still held to his values and knew what was right. Gripping his sword and shield, he sprang into action. "Slice and dice!" He cried out, getting the rats' attention as he began battling them, defeating them in no time.

Once he saw it was clear, he turned to the young girl, who looked to be no more than five years old and he noticed she had a cast on her arm. She looked up at him in fear and terror and the look on her face told him she was afraid he was going to hurt her. Chop Chop instantly got down to one knee. "Are you alright?" He asked gently.

The little girl nodded, but the scared look still remained on her face as she looked at him. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you," he said soothingly and gently petted her head.

His actions and words helped her calm down and she noticed his arm looked like it belonged to a skeleton. "Are…Are you a skeleton?" She asked curiously.

Chop Chop chuckled gently and nodded. "Yes, I am," he said, very gently pinching her cheek, to which she gave a small smile. The Undead warrior then wondered something. "Where are your parents, little one?" He asked.

At that question, she began crying again, to his alarm. "I-I was abandoned," she said through her tears.

His alarm turned to shock. "Why?" He asked.

Sniffling, the little girl took the cast off her right arm and Chop Chop's eyes widened at seeing that her right arm was just bone. The little girl sniffled again. "An evil sorcerer cast a spell on me and I lifted my arm up to block it, but when I did, the spell hit my arm, causing it to be like this," she said. "My parents thought I was ugly and were so disgusted that they left me in the woods all by myself."

Knowing what it felt like to be different, Chop Chop picked the little girl up in his arms and hugged her. "You're not the only one," he said softly as he felt her hug him back tightly, her actions telling him she was glad that someone finally cared about her again. The warrior made a split decision then. "Do you want to join me, little one?" He asked her.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes," she said instantly.

Picking her up, Chop Chop placed her on his shoulders and began walking again. "What is your name, little one?" He asked.

"Amber," she said. "What about you?"

"Chop Chop," he responded.

"Chop Chop, how did you come to be?" She asked her new guardian curiously.

Smiling, the warrior decided to tell her his story from beginning to end.

Two days later…

Back at the Academy, the air was tense with worry as Chop Chop hadn't returned and Rachel decided to go talk to Drill Sergeant. She found him in the infirmary and saw Chill was looking a lot better, a sure sign that she'd wake up soon. "Drill, have you seen Chop Chop?" The Tech Portal Master asked him.

The Skylander looked at her sadly. "He only said he was leaving and probably wouldn't be returning," he said.

They then heard a groan and turned to see Chill was waking up. Relief washing over them, the two went up to her. "Are you okay, Chill?" Drill Sergeant asked her as Rachel echoed his question to the Water Skylander.

"I'm fine," she said and looked around, her face taking on a confused look. "Where's Chop Chop?"

The Arkeyan driller swallowed audibly. "Are you going to scold him?" He asked fearfully.

Chill blinked in surprise, looking shocked. "No, I want to thank him," she said. Noticing the confused looks on her fellow Skylander's and the Tech Portal Master's faces, she decided to explain. "Kaos grabbed me and I couldn't get free of him. The only way Chop Chop would have been able to save me was by using his bone bramble attack."

She saw they both looked sad now. "What is it?" She asked in concern.

"Chill, Chop Chop left a few days ago," Rachel said sadly.

"You were severely injured because Kaos had thrown you in front of him after Chop Chop used his bone bramble attack," said Drill Sergeant. "He brought you here after Kaos fled."

Chill was shocked when she heard that and then saw Rachel hand her a letter. "This was beside you along with this," she said, showing the Water Skylander the elite warrior medal. Slowly Chill opened the letter and her eyes widened at the words that she read aloud.

"I cannot attain for the damage I caused to you, my ice princess. It is for the best that I resign from my duties as a Skylander, but I love you, Chill. No matter where I go, I love you."

Chill swallowed hard as she would have cried, but tried to keep her tears from falling. "Why did he leave though?" She asked.

Drill Sergeant got a faraway look on his face. "It might be because of his past as an Arkeyan soldier and being brought back to life after the wicked Arkeyan Conquertron was resurrected by Kaos," he said softly.

Rachel nodded. "It may be that, and the recent events that caused him to leave," she said sadly.

Chill made up her mind, getting up and grabbing her armor and her weapons. "I'm going to go find him," she said, racing out the door.

Drill Sergeant looked hopeful. "Do you think she can convince him to come back?" He asked Rachel.

"I sure hope so," she said. "From the way she's running, I'm guessing she probably knows where he is."

"Let's hope so," said Spyro, having heard them as he had come in to check on Chill. "We need Chop Chop. Even if he resigns from being a Skylander, he's still one inside."

The other two nodded, silently wishing Chill good luck.

A day went by and Chop Chop was sitting by a cliff and Amber was sitting in his lap as the sun began to set. The skeletal warrior had made up his mind that since he and Amber were now wanderers, he would be her guardian and protect her at all costs. He now looked at the little girl in his lap and smiled at seeing her marveling at the beautiful sunset near the ocean and he patted her head. This caused her to giggle before she turned to look at him. "Chop Chop, why did you leave your home and family?" She asked him.

Seeing that it was only fair to tell her since she had told him about her past, he gazed out at the sunset. "I unintentionally hurt someone very close to me," he explained. "I can never forgive myself for hurting them."

Amber felt saddened for her guardian. "But, why did you leave them?" She asked. "Won't they miss you?"

Chop Chop let out a small sigh. "It's for the best," he said gently. "Now, my job is to be your guardian."

While they were talking, Chill had been running through the woods and was relieved when she found Chop Chop at the edge of the cliff with someone else in his lap. This made her heart ache because, while Chop Chop didn't know it, she loved him deeply too. Then, deciding not to draw conclusions before at least speaking with the skeletal warrior, she moved towards him.

Feeling someone was behind him, Chop Chop instinctively grabbed his sword and shield, placing Amber behind him. "Stay behind me, Amber," he said to her and she instantly obeyed as her guardian stood to his full height to face his opponent, only to nearly stumble back in surprise at seeing Chill standing there.

The first thing that ran though his mind was how beautiful she was to him, especially with her blonde hair, which was hanging down her back with her helmet gone, reflecting in the sun, looking so majestic. He then looked away in shame, his shield lowering as he placed his sword back on his back.

Chill could see he was still blaming himself and she went up to him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek, making him look at her. "Chop Chop, why did you leave?" She asked gently.

He looked away again. "You got hurt because of me," he said to her. "I…I failed at keeping you safe. I left because…I didn't deserve to be a Skylander anymore."

To his shock, instead of stepping away from him, Chill leaned forward and kissed him. After a moment, he kissed her back before they gently parted and he saw she had tears in her eyes. "None of it is your fault," she said with certainty in her voice. "And I love you, no matter what."

Those words made the guilt he was feeling finally vanish and Chop Chop reached a hand up, placing it gently on the Water Skylander's cheek. "I'll always protect you, my ice princess," he said lovingly.

That made Chill blush and smile before she glanced down and noticed the young girl hugging Chop Chop's leg, apparently scared to see someone new. She bent over to see the little girl better, but the young one hid her face more. Chop Chop smiled and picked up the little one. "I found her when some rats were bothering her," he explained to Chill. "She was abandoned after an evil sorcerer's spell caused her right arm to be like it is now and her parents didn't want her afterwards."

Chill was shocked to hear that and she felt bad for the young girl, placing a gentle hand on the little girl's cheek. "What is your name, sweetie?" She asked gently.

The little girl was quiet for a moment before answering. "Amber," she said softly.

Chop Chop smiled at the little girl. "Amber, this is my girlfriend, Chill," he said to her. "The one I mentioned was very close to me."

Amber lifted her head up and looked at Chill, suddenly looking curious. "How come I'm not afraid of you?" She asked.

The skeletal warrior smiled. "Because Chill's heart is pure and she cares for anyone in need," he said.

The Water Skylander nodded. "Back where Chop Chop and I are from, no one is mistreated," she said. "Your parents were wrong to do what they did."

Amber looked at Chill in awe as her actions reminded the little girl of her mother before the incident and she reached out for Chill, to which Chop Chop handed the little girl over to his girlfriend, who accepted the young girl and felt Amber hug her tightly and she returned the hug before suddenly hearing the little girl yawn sleepily. "Thank you for caring about me, Mommy," she said before falling sound asleep.

Those words shocked both Chop Chop and Chill, but they felt their hearts warm up to the little girl. Amber was all alone and looked up to them as her parents and the two Skylanders were together. Chill now smiled. "Why don't we head back?" She suggested gently.

Nodding, Chop Chop placed an arm around her as they began walking back home, using the shortcut through the forest that Chill had used to find them and they made it back to the academy an hour after nightfall, finding everyone sound asleep. Moving quietly, they headed for Chop Chop's room where Chill placed Amber on the bed, seeing the little girl curl up before settling down again.

The Water Skylander then looked up at the Undead Skylander and noticed he looked a bit nervous. "Chop Chop, what's wrong?" She asked gently.

He took a deep breath. "The thought of me being a father…it's kind of scary," he admitted.

Smiling, Chill kissed him on the cheek. "You'll make a great father, Chop Chop," she said, not a trace of doubt in her voice.

Chop Chop looked at her and smiled, placing a loving kiss on her cheek. "And you'll make a great mom for Amber," he said in response, making her blush and giggle softly at that.

"We'll talk to Master Eon tomorrow about this," she said softly.

He nodded in agreement as they both went over to the bed. Amber turned towards her new mother and hugged her in her sleep, making the Water Skylander smile and hug her new daughter in return while Chop Chop hugged both his girlfriend and new daughter before he and Chill both fell asleep.

Rachel and Drill Sergeant, who had seen the entire thing, smiled. "I'm glad she found him," said Drill Sergeant quietly.

"Me too," Rachel said softly. "And it looks like they are now a couple and a little girl finally has two parents that will love her and protect her."

The robotic Arkeyan nodded and he and the Tech Portal Master quietly left to go get some sleep themselves as peace filled them and the rest of the Academy.

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GoldGuardian2418