Hey there everyone~! It's officially the Christmas season, and what would the Christmas season be without a little Jack Frost, right? :p I don't know what to classify this story as other than an excerpt into Claire and Jack's life together, filled with fun little anecdotes and merriment (one of those that which includes a lemon, which I will clearly mark for you to read if you want to) so please enjoy!

Also, this really won't make sense if you haven't read my story, Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights. You don't need to have read The Fall, which is the sequel, but you do need to know that Jack and Claire have a daughter, Lex.

((I'm just not going to mention how long it took me to figure out when their 100th anniversary was before I realized oh you know, add 100. Fail.))

Disclaimer: I own the character Claire Breeze, but I do not own Jack Frost or any Rise of the Guardians shenanigans.

"talking" thinking ((mee))

100th Anniversary

-((2112))-

Claire Breeze stirred lightly in her sleep, hair tousled by the soft breeze coming in through the open window. Claire… she heard a voice say, and she closed her eyes tighter, rolling over so her head was smothered into her pillow.

Claire.

She didn't move.

Claire, seriously? At least try to wake up before noon, just this once, for me.

"Why," Claire murmured into the pillow, not realizing the owner of the voice couldn't hear her. She reluctantly turned her head to the side, looking at the clock. It read ten in the morning. Damn, she thought, too late to go back to sleep. Or… she snuggled further into her pillow. Maybe if she—

Don't be such a baby, Claire.

"Oi!" Claire said, snapping awake and turning to address whoever was talking. She blinked fully awake when her brain finally registered that she was alone in the room, and that her husband was using their unique Guardian powers to talk to her.

Great. A built in alarm clock. The convenience of that particular ability never ceased to amaze her.

"Jack," Claire complained as she sat up, "Why'd you do that? Where are you anyways?"

I'm around. Did you forget what today is, Claire?

"Of course not, Jack," she groused, overusing his name so he'd be able to hear her, "but the party isn't until tonight; you didn't have to wake me up!"

Today was their 100th anniversary. Together, they had protected the children of the world for 100 years. Kept Pitch at bay for 100 years. Loved each other for 100 years. Fought and bickered for 100 years. Raised a family together for—

What if I wanted to celebrate, Claire?

Claire couldn't hold back her sly grin. Figures he'd want to celebrate our anniversary by acting like a pair of sex-deprived newlyweds. Not that she was complaining. "We can't really celebrate properly without you here, Jack."

There's plenty of time for that later, Claire, she heard him say; she could practically hear the mischievous grin in his voice, but I have something special planned for this morning.

Claire's curiosity grew as she climbed out of bed, putting on her slippers. "What?"

Jack didn't need to be able to hear her to know that she had asked that particular question. Look at the window, Claire Breeze.

Claire padded over to the open window, looking out and around it. Seeing nothing, her brow furrowed. "There's nothing on the window, Jack," she said, confused.

I didn't say which window, did I Claire?

"Oooh!" Claire fumed. She was cranky, and not yet in the mood for the Jack Frost shenanigans she fell in love with. "You better not be over any open bodies of water Frost, because if you're flying, I will drop you out of the sky so fast—"

Alright, alright, Claire, I get the point! Sorry. Even now, it's still a mystery why you hate mornings so much. Just go downstairs and enjoy, alright?

Now Claire was really confused. "What do you mean? Jack?" she tried, but he wouldn't answer her anymore. Claire went down the stairs to the living room, wondering if she'd ever figure out what her crazy husband was going on about—

It was hard for her not to notice what he was talking about as she entered the living room. Despite the mildly warm air that kept the house and its surroundings anything but cold, the main window behind the couch in the living room was covered by a thick layer of frost. Claire couldn't help but grin at the huge 'SORRY' that covered the top of the window. Said proclamation simultaneously apologized for waking her up as well as harkened back to their very first encounter all those years ago.

She climbed up on the couch, inspecting the message that Jack had written on the bottom half of the window:

Happy 100th Anniversary. I cherish each and every day we are together. Here are 100 reasons why I love you so very much.

There was an arrow pointing to the kitchen. She examined the window closer. It was still cold to the touch, which meant that Jack was nearby. "Jack…" she said teasingly, waiting for him to come out.

Just go to the kitchen already, Claire. She could tell that mischievous grin of his had grown even wider.

Claire made a show of sighing dramatically before heading into the kitchen. Once there, she found five fresh tomatoes from her greenhouse stacked in a pile on the table. There was a note placed in front of them.

It must be a big deal for Jack to have willingly gone into the greenhouse, Claire thought with a smile; Jack's hatred for extremely warm places made the greenhouse his least favorite place. Claire peered at the note scrawled in Jack's untidy hand:

For the spaghetti you're probably going to make tonight.

Claire snorted loudly. "That's a little presumptuous, Jack. Who cooks on their anniversary?"

I did say that's why I love you, didn't I Claire?

Jack did have an unhealthy obsession with her spaghetti, especially when she made meat sauce with her greenhouse tomatoes. Under the place the note had laid was a slightly melted ice block in the shape of a waterfall.

"Jack, how the hell did you put a note on the waterfall," she asked dryly as she made her way outside to the twin waterfalls that resided near their hidden house.

"Quit your sarcasm, already." This time, Claire actually heard his voice from behind her, and she spun around, expecting to see him standing there.

However, the mists that surrounded the waterfalls made for an easy way to hide, and Jack remained unseen nearby in the shadows. Claire sighed and started walking again, turning back around—

To nearly fall flat on her face, tripping on a sign post that was not in front of the waterfalls yesterday.

"…Well, at least you're handy with a hammer, my idiot husband." Claire heard stifled laughter emanate from somewhere within the thick mists. She read the sign:

For helping me through my worst—and forgiving me for it.

Claire's eyes softened. Even after 100 years, Jack still felt guilty for the unfortunate events that caused her simultaneous death and guardianship. Even though she loved her life and regretted nothing, there was still a small part of Jack that she could not convince that she preferred their life together over any other alternative, no matter how hard she tried. "Jack—"

"That sign turns." Jack said, cutting her off, for he already knew what she was going to say. Claire decided to let it go and rotated the sign on its little post:

For giving me a child-literally-and a family I never could've dreamed of.

Attached to this side was Claire's favorite picture of their dysfunctional little family. Lex, now married and into her fifties, was in her late twenties in this Christmas picture. A black-haired, blue-eyed stick of a man had his arms around her, and the two smiled in the direction of Jack, who was tossing their young granddaughter into the air, while Jill Martin, Lex's birth mother, had their infant grandson wrapped snuggly in her arms. She loved this family, and she counted her blessings every day that she was able to be a part of it, no matter how unorthodox the beginnings.

She tried to find Jack again but failed miserably. "Now where do I go, Jack?" she shouted.

"That's a picture of our daughter, isn't it?"

Claire sighed before heading back towards the house and Lex's bedroom. "Now you're just marching me around the house for no reason," she complained with a quirk of a smile.

But that's the fun part of a scavenger hunt, Claire.

Hmmm…he went off somewhere again, Claire thought as she approached the house. Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a note taped to the front door:

For always letting me come after you when we fight.

Claire smirked. "I thought I was going to Lex's room, Jack."

I never said you weren't, Claire.

As she ripped the note off the door, a whirl of snow flurries bustled around her, wrapping her in a wintry embrace.

"And for always forgiving me, no matter what I did," Claire heard Jack's voice on the wind, words brushing past her ear in an almost caress; as soon as she reached out, hoping to catch hold of him, no matter how far away he really was, the winter weather stopped, abruptly resuming the quiet calm.

Claire felt warmth an affection for her husband spread to the tips of her toes as she entered the living room. Climbing the stairs, she commented "We have had some legendary fights, haven't we Jack."

I'm pretty sure a part of Ohio had three Snow Days in a row because of one, if I recall correctly Claire.

Finally reaching the door to Lex's bedroom, she read her new note:

For keeping me from freezing Damian, no matter how much I wanted to.

Claire couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at this one. From the very beginning, Jack had hated Lex's husband, Damian, with a wintry passion. In the early days, it was all she could do to keep Jack from turning him into a block of ice…

-((Flashback))-

What is the biggest thing that keeps you from believing in Jack Frost and Claire Breeze, D?

Jack, who had been flying with Claire over London, suddenly stopped midair and covered his eyes with a hand. "Here they go again," he groaned.

Claire gripped his arm comfortingly. "She loves him, Jack," Claire reminded, "You can't blame her for trying."

"I know," Jack agreed, "I just wish I didn't have to hear it every time she tries."

-((Still Flashback: With Lex and Damian))-

"What's there to believe in?" Damian replied from their relaxed position on the couch. The credits rolled on the television from the movie they had just finished as Lex turned in his arms, staring into his piercing blue eyes.

"What if I told you there is something to believe in; something that is not only important to me, but to children all over the world?"

"You sound like a book of fairy tales," Damian pointed out sardonically. Lex shifted, pulling out of his arms to stand in front of him. "Lex…"

"Fine, forget the children; just think about me. I believe in Jack Frost and Claire Breeze with all of my heart and all of my being. What can I say or do to get you to at least consider it?"

Damian opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again, noting how serious her expression was in that moment. He stood, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I can see that this is really important to you," he started, and her eyes started to reflect a glint of hope before he continued, "but I don't understand why it's so important for you that I change my opinion."

Lex pulled out of his arms again, frustrated. Damian was a very smart and clever man. It was one of the things that she loved most about him; but at the moment, it was the one thing that was driving her crazy. "It just is," she insisted, unable to elaborate more.

He raised an eyebrow, and she chose her next words carefully. "I can't explain to you why it's important that you believe until you believe," she said cryptically.

Damian sighed, reaching for her again. "Look, can't we just agree to disagree on this whole, 'Jack Frost and Claire Breeze' thing? I mean, it's not the kind of thing that can make or break our relationship," he said jokingly.

Lex stepped back from him, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes as she slowly continued backing away. "Actually, it is," she said before turning and running out of the apartment.

-((Flashback: Jack and Claire))-

"I'm going to kill him," Jack said decisively, standing from his previously seated position atop Big Ben where the two had stopped to inadvertently listen to the gist of Lex and Damian's conversation.

"Jack," Claire chastised, "You can't interfere. This is a problem that Lex must handle herself."

"It's a problem that will go away once he, the problem, has an unfortunate run in with an icicle or fifty," he threatened, blue eyes almost shooting sparks in his frustration at his helplessness.

Claire stood, caressing his cheek with her hand. "You know you can't do that," she said, slipping her other arm around his waist, "I know he's hurting our baby, but he doesn't understand why. All we are to him are storybook characters, and she can't tell him otherwise unless he first believes in us as storybook characters."

Jack deflated, hating that his daughter was in such a terrible situation. "You're right," he said, and the two took to the skies towards home.

"I know," she said wryly as the two passed over, through, and under clouds that made up the overcast London skyline. When Jack didn't react to her cheeky remark, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Promise me you don't do anything," she said, and Jack looked at her, surprised.

"What makes you think—"

"Promise me."

Jack sighed. "I promise I won't interfere," he said, and Claire smiled, taking her hand in his as they continued home.

-((Flashback: Late That Night))-

Jack hovered outside of Damian's apartment window, indecisive as to what he should do. On the one hand, he could do nothing, and Lex, his baby, could very well lose the love of her life because of him. Or, he could interfere, give Damian a little shove in the right direction, and the two could live happily ever after—

Or you could make it worse, his conscience (that sounded an awful lot like Claire), pointed out.

Jack sighed in frustration before steeling himself. This was Lex he was talking about, and he would do anything and everything in his power to make her happy…even if Claire was mad at him for a hundred years or so.

Grimacing to himself, he turned to Damian's living room window. His apartment was on the 40th story of a high rise, and all was quiet around him. He closed his eyes, focusing. He had full use of the wind (for now) after all, and he planned to make the most of it.

As his eyes snapped open, a powerful, screeching wind rattled Damian's window in its frame. It shook so loudly and violently that it was almost a miracle it didn't crack in two. As predicted, soon enough a pajama-clad Damian came out to the living room to investigate the noise, coming closer to the shrieking and rattling window. Jack took that moment to attack the shutters as well, which made an even louder noise as they banged against the building in the wind. Confused, Damian opened the window to close the shutters against the mysterious wind—

And abruptly all of the wind grew eerily silent, and Damian found himself being pulled by an unseen force, bending him backwards over the windowsill, moments from losing his balance and toppling out the window to the street far below. He was about to scream when another gust of wind rushed past his ears, and perhaps he was hallucinating, but he thought he heard a harsh voice in the gusting air.

"Believe in Jack Frost, you son of a bitch, or you're going to die; I'll know if you don't mean it."

"What-" Damian started to himself, but he felt himself being pulled further out the window, and he cried out, throwing logic to the wind, as it were. "Alright! Alright!" he exclaimed, and he found he could pull his shaking body back through the window. "I…believe in Jack Frost," he said, honestly believing it for just a millisecond, and Jack was suddenly there before him, leaning into his apartment through the open window, glaring at him fiercely.

"Gah!" Damian cried out, collapsing backwards once his eyes focused on him, "W-Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Jack Frost," Jack said darkly, "Lex's father. Don't tell her I did this, and I won't make your life a freezing hell," he said, before he disappeared with another strong breeze.

-((Flashback:The Next Day))-

How the hell am I supposed to do this, Damian thought to himself as he stood on Lex's doorstep. She opened it, and before she could say anything, he blurted "What if I believed in Jack Frost?"

Lex's brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I said, what if I believed in Jack Frost?"

Lex's eyes narrowed. "Do you really mean it? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better? I'll be able to tell if you don't mean it—"

"I mean it; I mean it!" Damian insisted, almost too quickly. When Lex just stared at him, waiting for an explanation, he continued, "I mean, the wind and snow do seem to have…a personality all their own, sometimes," he offered weakly by way of his usual, logical explanation.

Lex suddenly smiled, pulling him into her apartment. "Well that sounds like a good start. Come on, I have a lot to tell you and even more to show you…"

-((End Flashback))-

And since that unorthodox beginning, the two have never been separated. Jack almost made it a whole week before he came clean about Damian's sudden change of heart, and even after the resulting fight of the century and his eventual forgiveness (that luckily did not take 100 years), the relationship between Jack and Damian was frosty at best for quite some time. It was only after their first grandchild was born that Jack started to truly become friends with Damian, and now Jack saw him as the son he never had.

Claire looked closer at the note that had catalyzed her little trip down memory lane. In the corner, there was a tiny little arrow pointing further down the hall. She turned, walking down the hall to the small table there that held assorted pictures and mementos. The pictures had been rearranged so that a framed photo of the Eiffel Tower was front and center. In front of it was a note which read:

For showing me a use of international travel that would have never occurred to me without your…guidance.

Under the note was a small yet detailed map of the world; seemingly random locations on the map were marked off by a red X with a date written next to them. Claire blushed hotly, remembering vividly that particular adventure in Paris as well as what that map was currently used for…

-((Flashback: 70 years ago, About 30 years before Lex))-

Claire sat at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, wedged between support beams, watching the beautiful sunset stretch out over the French cityscape before her. I love my job, she thought happily as she relaxed and soaked in her surroundings. The bitter February wind caressed her face, and she smiled, urging it on as it swept through the city.

Where are you, Claire?

Claire's smile widened as she heard her husband's voice. "Paris, Frost," she said into the wind, "Eiffel Tower." About ten minutes later, an even frostier breeze caressed her cheek as Jack Frost appeared beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and leaving a lingering kiss on her lips. She sighed contentedly, snuggling into his embrace as they settled down to watch the sunset together.

"Is New England good and snow-covered?" she asked. As Guardians of winter weather, the two usually had very interesting answers for each other to the question 'How was your day?'.

Jack's relaxed smile grew into a mischievous grin. "Let's just say that the kids might get two Snow Days out of his one," he said proudly, "I'm feeling rather…spirited today."

"Oh really?" Claire asked, entwining his free hand in hers," What else are you going to do about it?"

"Oh, I've got a few ideas," Jack said, his grin taking on a lustful edge. His grip on her shoulders tightened. "Shall we head home now?"

"Actually," Claire said, struck by sudden inspiration, "Why don't we stay here a while?"

Jack's brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

In response, Claire shifted in his embrace, bringing a leg over his so she straddled his hips. "I said," she murmured ardently into his ear, "Why don't we stay here a while?" she suggested, punctuating her question with a kiss to his neck. And another. And another. And another—

"Here?" Jack almost squeaked, voice cracking slightly as Claire's kisses moved up his jaw before she bit down softly on his earlobe.

"Why not?" Claire said, stopping to lean her forehead against his, staring deeply into his slightly scandalized blue eyes, "It's not like anyone is going to catch us," she reasoned teasingly, already reaching to pull off his jacket.

((here's that lemon))

"Minx," he accused, but he was already starting to unbutton her blouse as he leaned forward to close the distance between their lips. Claire squealed as Jack moved suddenly, rotating them so she was pressed against a support beam while his hands pulled the blouse off the rest of the way.

"Don't lose that," Claire said breathily as Jack pressed hot kisses to her now-exposed collarbone, "It's windy up here you know."

"Got it," he said in a half-groan before pinning both it and his frosted jacket under his knees. "Wouldn't want you to have to fly home shirtless, would we?" he said with a wink as he pushed her bra up and off to the side, exposing her breasts to the winter air.

Claire moaned as he pressed his arousal against her, kneading her breasts in both hands. "You'll regret it," she threatened half-heartedly as she reached down to unbutton his pants, freeing him from the confines of his jeans before reaching down to unbutton and push her own down past her knees.

"Funny, I don't think I would," Jack said before kissing her passionately, sliding one hand from her breasts to insistently press into her center.

Claire ripped away from his mouth, gasping at the talent of his well-practiced fingers. The chilly breeze rustled her hair as she wound one hand in Jack's silvery locks before gripping his erection firmly, lining him up with her entrance.

"Just shut up already, would you," she said, thrusting her hips forward and impaling herself upon him. Jack groaned and shifted his position, lifting off of one knee to gain better leverage to thrust against her. Caught between him and the wall, Claire could do little more than grip his hair and shoulder as she writhed against him, his powerful thrusts causing waves of forbidden pleasure at this angle. Everything quickly became too much for her; the steel biting into her back, the cold wind rushing past them at this great height, and Jack's wandering hands and body all combined into one overwhelming sensation that swiftly brought on her release. Jack felt Claire's grip tighten in his hair as she cried out his name, and as her walls clenched around him Jack moved faster, pressing her even harder into the scaffolding of the tower as his hips suddenly locked against hers, crying out before slamming both hands into the wall beside her head as he was overwhelmed by his own orgasm. After a moment, the two collapsed to the floor, panting hard, limbs utterly tangled together.

((end lemon))

"Woah," Jack said after another moment, untangling one of his arms to push the hair out of Claire's eyes and press a tender kiss to her forehead.

Claire smiled brightly at him, still breathing hard. "Yeah," she agreed before standing and righting her jeans. "We have got to do that again," she added as Jack stood as well, buttoning up his jeans.

"Agreed," he said as he stole a quick kiss, flashing her a smile full of mischief. "I'll get us a map; we've got the whole world to explore." As Jack bent to pick up their discarded clothes, he froze for a second before slowly bringing his gaze to Claire, who was busy adjusting her bra. "Don't get mad," Jack said hesitantly, and Claire looked down at him, hands busy fixing her hair.

"What's wrong?"

"Your shirt is gone."

"What? Jack, that's not even funny—"

"I'm serious!" Jack said, standing with his jacket in hand, "Here, I'm sorry, wear my jacket—"

Claire suddenly burst into peals of laughter. Jack looked wary, even slightly afraid. "…What?" he asked tentatively.

She suddenly threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a tight embrace. "I guess we just need some more practice!" she said, chuckles dying away as she held him tighter. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, squeezing her waist. He pulled away, smirk growing on his lips as he asked, "So…does that mean you don't want my jacket?"

Claire's good humor died instantly. "Give me that jacket, Frost."

"You have to catch me first!"

"Jack!"

-((End Flashback))-

And so they continued to "practice" in every corner of the world, even now. Claire's ears were even starting to turn a blushing shade of pink as she remembered their adventures; why, just last week they'd—

You're spending an awful long time in the hallway, Claire. Are you alright?

Claire shook herself, coming back to the present. "Yeah, Jack," she said, looking down at the map, "your clues just gave me a trip down memory lane is all."

I hope it was a good one, Claire.

"Where are you already?" she simply shouted, half wanting to see if he was close enough to hear her, half wanting to kiss him senseless for his playful shenanigans.

You're almost done, Claire, he said, and she smirked. At least he was close enough to hear her. She looked closely at the last note. It had a small map of the hallway drawn in the corner with an X placed over their bedroom. Of course.

She backtracked a bit to the now-closed door of their bedroom. A small note was taped to the doorknob:

For sticking together with me for 100 years of dreams and nightmares.

She smiled warmly as she pulled open the door. Jack stood before her, holding the last note himself. It read:

And most of all, for never getting sick of me and my mischief.

Jack's smile widened as he saw her read the final note before he dropped it to the side, holding his arms out to her. She chuckled as she went to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding him tight, savoring the feel of him in her arms.

"You know, when we first met I never pegged you for such a romantic," she said dryly, pulling back to meet his gaze.

"Really? You must not have been paying very good attention; we did have our first conversations by window for goodness sake. How romantic is that?"

"Hmm…I guess you're right," she said, kissing him. "I loved this," she admitted with a genuine smile.

"More than sleep?" Jack pressed, grin widening.

Claire didn't answer immediately. "Well…"

"Claire…" Jack said warningly, and Claire laughed before kissing him again.

"Oh stop it, you know I'm only joking," she said, kissing him a little longer and a little more insistently this time. "I love you, Jack Frost. For all the years we've had and have yet to have."

Jack's smile warmed; he held her tighter. "I love you too, Claire. More than anything."

As she moved in to kiss him again, she was struck by a sudden thought. "Hey," she said, "I thought you said you were going to tell me 100 reasons why you loved me," she accused mockingly.

Jack's smile turned wicked. "I thought I would just show you the other reasons," he said before whisking her into his arms and taking off through the open window.

"If you plan to show me," Claire questioned, "Where are we going?"

"Japan."

"Japan?!"

"More specifically," Jack added as the wind rushed past them, "to the top of Mt. Fuji. It's the next place on our map, isn't it?"

Claire let out a happy laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But we'll be late for our party!"

"I guess I just have my work cut out for me then," Jack said with a wink, and the two disappeared into the clouds.

-((The End!))-

HOO what a story. Quite a long one if I do say so myself, but it had a bit of everything.

Please Please Please let me know what you thought, and Merry Christmas!

~freaky-hanyou