Finally, another chapter out! This week has been crazy with classes coming to an end and finals beginning soon! But I hope everyone has seen the movie at least twice. I have haha. It's a nice distraction form school.

Disclaimer: I only own my OC's, everything else belongs to DreamWorks

Song of the Chapter: Headlock – Imogen Heap

Chapter Four: Secrets and Porridge in the Morning

Ellie sat at the kitchen table. It was large, wooden and would give you a splinter if you weren't careful. She pushed the oatmeal around in her bowl not really caring for it. Last night had proved to be eventful with the summoning of the Guardians and their special guest Jack Frost. She turned her hand over, remembering the feeling of his cool touch on her skin. Had she really expected anything else? The boy looked like a walking popsicle.

Bringing a spoonful of the now room temperature porridge, Ellie swallowed before deciding to add brow sugar to it. "I hope you floss your teeth!" Tooth said as she fluttered into the kitchen, joining Ellie at the table. "Brown sugar is terrible for your teeth."

Ellie laughed and the typical response and shoved another bite into her mouth. "Every day, twice a day!" she said with a mouthful.

"Really?" Tooth asked clapping her hands together. Her feathers ruffed up in excitement, showcasing every spectrum of colour.

"Well... sometimes," Ellie answered honestly after swallowing. "I mean, there are just those days... and they happen so often... it's hard to stay on top of it!" Ellie defended herself from the look Tooth was giving her.

"Well, if you get a cavity, I get to say 'I told you so'."

Ellie considered Tooth's words before nodding in agreement. "Deal."

Picking up an apple from a wicker basket on the table, Tooth shined it on her shoulder before taking a large bite. "So how do you like Jack?" she said with a mouthful.

Ellie stopped the spoon that was on its track to her mouth. "Uh... he seems okay."In all honesty, she hadn't really thought of him that much aside from this morning. She tended not to linger on the bad-mannered boys of the world.

"He's cute," Tooth said while examining her apple.

"I guess," Ellie answered slowly, at a loss of what to say. Cute but rude.

Tooth swung her seat around to directly face Ellie, not giving her a route to escape. "I know he can seem a little full of himself sometimes, but he's a good guy. You just have to give him a chance." Tooth seemed all too eager to sell Jack's personality to Ellie.

Setting her spoon down, the girl folded her hands on the table slowly. It was either fold them together or tap them uncomfortably on the counter. "Well... I mean... I just met him. I don't know anything about him."

Tooth grinned wide showing her pearl white teeth, every dentists dream smile. "It's so obvious then!" the fairy said coming to some kind of solution.

"Completely obvious," Ellie muttered under her breath, then deciding to shovel another mouthful of porridge into her mouth.

Tooth flew over to the girl and grabbed her hands. Ellie could feel the excitement radiating off her like a child on Christmas morning. Were fairies this happy all the time? Tinkerbell seemed to have an attitude. "You have to talk to him. Get to know him!"

Ellie stared down at the fairy's tiny fingers holding her own. "Right, uh... can I ask you something?"

"Of course sweetie!"

"Why?" she drew out slowly. After last night, she didn't really feel like becoming besties with the frost sprite. No hair braiding slumber parties for them.

Tooth laughed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Sweetie, you know all us Guardians personally. But if we're going to work together, we need to all be comfortable around each other. And let's face it. You and Jack didn't get off to a great start. You know, with the whole insulting your hair thing," Tooth said as she picked up a strand of Ellie's curls. "And you have such lovely locks too!"

Ellie self-consciously began twisting a strand before catching herself and tucking it behind her ear. "Thank you but- wait what? What do you mean working together? I thought I was here under Uncle Nick's protection."

Tooth bit her lip nervously before squeaking out in a high voice, "Whoops, I've said too much! Anyways enjoy your breakfast and floss, floss, floss!"

Before Ellie could pester more out of her, Tooth zipped out of the room leaving Ellie to her cold porridge. "Lovely. Just lovely. Nothing like secrets and porridge in the morning." Stuffing the last bite into her mouth, Ellie jumped off her chair and dumped her dishes in the sink. She made her way out of the kitchen pondering Tooth's words. She managed to get five steps before a tiny voice called out to her.

"Loni, Loni. I found her!" Ellie turned around to find Tony running down the hallway, Jack trailing in his wake. Speak of the devil.

It appeared the frost sprite had just gotten out of bed before being rushed by the elf. His hair stuck out in odd directions, the bags under his eyes more prominent against his snow white skin. He rubbed at them, trying to squeeze the remaining traces of sleep out of his eyes. He held onto his staff lazily, dragging it behind him as he and the elf approached.

"Tony, my man. What can I do you for?" Ellie asked while kneeling down to give the elf a hug. The first time she had ever hugged an elf had been extremely awkward due to their size. But over the last month she had perfected it to an art. She purposely ignored Jack.

Tony jingled from foot to foot. His trademark jingle dance meant he had news. "Santa gives me important thing to tell you!" he said now hopping exuberantly on the spot. "He saids to tell you to give Jack tour. Tour of North Pole!"

Ellie mentally slapped herself at her luck. "Of course Tony. You tell Santa message received loud and clear." But I ain't happy about it. The memory of his rude comment yesterday replayed itself over in her mind. Looking the boy up and down, Ellie waited for another snide remark but the boy appeared civil. Maybe she had judged to quickly? Ellie folded her arms across her chest over her indigo knitted sweater. Without the rude behaviour, Jack seemed calm and neutral, his messy white hair and relaxed smile making her nervous. She couldn't predict what he would do next. Damn boy.

Tony turned in a circle once before bowing to Ellie, his bell jingling loudly. "Thank yous Loni!" Without another word or dance move, the elf bolted down the hall singing a terribly out of tune Call Me Maybe.

Ellie looked after the retreating elf, unsure of what to do. She didn't know how to act around Jack. He was so different from any boy she'd ever met. She wasn't even sure she could classify him as a boy. Immortals didn't age, but that didn't mean they wouldn't mature mentally. Ellie stopped herself midway through her mental rant. Jack seemed to be waiting for her to do something. Biting her lip, Ellie gave the most awkward hello she thought she was possible of.

Jack seemed to have recovered from his early morning wakeup and was staring curiously down the hall after the elf. All thoughts of sleep were wiped from his mind at the prospect of a tour.

"Uh... morning," Ellie said with an awkward wave.

Jack turned his attention back to the girl, his curiosity spiked. Not only was he getting a tour of the North Pole, but he was getting a tour from a mortal who could both see and touch him. How the odds seemed to be ever in his favour for once. "Morning," he replied, enjoying his third conversation with a human. Ellie bit her lip for a second time, seeming to forget what Tony had asked her to do. She stood for a moment too long, twisting her fingers together uneasily. "The tour?" Jack said, coming to her aid.

"Ah, yes! The Tour!" Ellie said way too eagerly for the morning hour. "I will take you on a tour." Ellie began walking down the hallway, spilling any information about the workshop she could think of. Jack matched her step and walked side by side with her. He relished in the heat coming off her skin, sorely tempted to grab Ellie's hand and feel the warmth mix with his cold. But he refrained himself and concentrated his attention on Ellie's current choice of topic: the Yetis eating habits.

Jack remained polite, only asking questions at the appropriate times and occasionally complementing the fine architecture of the building. But a nagging feeling pulled at the back of his mind. He still felt terribly guilty about his comment yesterday and hadn't had the chance to apologize. "Ellie?" The girl looked at him with interest, not despise. Good, that meant she didn't completely loathe him. "I wanted to apologize about last night. I wasn't expecting you to see me. At all. Mortals never do. So when I called you a carrot top, I didn't know you could hear me. And I didn't mean it offensively either." The concern in Jack's eyes showed his distress.

Ellie took a second to think about his words before slowly accepting his apology. "Thank you Jack. Don't worry about it, I guess. I've been called worse in reference to my hair. You kinda get used to it after awhile."

Jack nodded, wondering how long awhile was. Time was measured so differently when you lived forever. "So, where to?"

Ellie stopped for a second to think. "Well, you've been to the kitchen and you've seen the main work room. How about the barn? I promised Dasher I would bring him some carrots yesterday and I never did. He's probably angry at me now."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Reindeers get mad?"

"Oh they're very temperamental," Ellie said with great seriousness. "If you're not careful, they'll bite you. And trust me when I say that hurts like a bitch."

Jack laughed at the expression on Ellie's face. Her nose was scrunched up in some awful memory of getting bitten. At least she seemed to become more relaxed as the tour went on. All her anger melted away and slowly being replaced by enthusiasm. "Lead the way," Jack said outstretching his arm, indicating her to guide.

As the two walked toward the barn, Jack became fully appreciative of just how big the North Pole was. It seemed each hallway lead into another which lead into another. All the rooms had bronze plates above the doors labeling them as the 'Electronics Room' or 'Doll Room'. There seemed to be a room for every kind of toy made these days. There were also no shortages of elves as they sprinted down the hallway, scurrying under Jack and Ellie's feet while singing out of tune 80's pop music. The Yetis waved politely to Ellie while pounding their fists together aggressively at Jack. It seemed they hadn't forgiven him for trying to break in all those years.

Ellie turned sharply around a left corner which opened up to a large hallway. A massive, intricate wooden door stood guarding the exit to the outside at the end. "Oh shit. Forgot a jacket," Ellie mumbled looking annoyed with herself. "Alright, the barn's just a little ways outside of this door. I say we make a run for it."

Jack held out his arms and shrugged. "The cold doesn't really bother me."

Ellie eyed him for a moment with jealousy? Jack wasn't too sure. "Rub it in, won't you? Well, you can walk then. I'm making a run for it." Pulling down the sleeves of her sweater, Ellie hopped on the spot for a moment while shaking her hands - much like a runner would before a race.

"I think you'll be fine," Jack said with a chuckle in his voice.

Ellie turned around, holding up a hand to stop him of his apparent ignorance. "Listen Jack. I know you've spent the last however many years immune to the cold, but it's the frickin North Pole out there. On a good day, it's -40 degrees Celsius. That's enough to give a person frostbite in under ten minutes." Ellie saw the look of shame and embarrassment cross Jack's face. "Oh no, Jack! I didn't mean you give people frostbite! It just happens! We're human!" That comment hurt. He knew she didn't mean it intentionally but it seemed to be one more thing separating him from his connection to humanity. "Ah, okay look," Ellie gasped, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm a freak of nature too. Well... I'm not saying that you're a freak of nature. I was actually born to Mother Nature. How weird is that? I mean there's all kind of weird things going on in the world, right?" Ellie babbled on uncontrollably, throwing her hands in the air.

Jack sighed. There was always something reminding him of his curse. "Of course. Tons of weird things."

Ellie looked to be on the verge of slapping herself before she regained her composure. "So, the reindeer! We should go see them now." Turning away from Jack, Ellie headed toward the door at an alarmingly fast pace. Jack swore he heard her mutter, "Idiot. I'm such an idiot," before she pushed the door open and walked into a mild snowstorm.

Jack followed suit, twirling his stick around in his hand and propping it against his shoulder. Upon exiting the building, a cold harsh wind greeted his face. Naturally, the wind felt good against his skin, but Ellie was already shivering violently as she closed the door behind him.

"Th-th-this way," she spat out between chattering teeth. Jack followed the shivering girl as she raced across the snow. The large expanse of the Arctic stretched out to Jack's right while his left was met with the side of a mountain. Unusual in the Arctic, he thought. He ordered the wind to propel himself on the slippery ground, easily matching Ellie's pace. Her hair mixed wildly with the snow as they progressed; waves of copper in a sea of white. Jack took pity on her inability to walk in a mild snowstorm as she slipped for a second time, cursing under her breath. Commanding the snow to stop, Jack brought temporary relief to their spot on the mountain. Ellie halted at the sudden change in weather.

"Relax," Jack said as he passed her by. "It's just me."

Ellie narrowed her eyes before spitting out, "Impressive... and unnatural," then continued on her way. Jack chuckled to himself as he fell back into step with her. They continued down the sloping path for another two minutes before Ellie let out a great sigh. "Good god! I thought we'd never get there!"

"We've only been outside for three minutes tops," Jack responded as they approached a great barn. The walls stood twenty feet high, crafted out of intricately carved wood. A slanted roof joined at the top in a tent inspired style.

Ellie kicked her shift into high gear and was gunning for the door. "Tell that to all my frozen digits!" she yelled from behind her as she squeezed between the two great entrance doors. Jack stopped where he was and inspected his own digits; each one permanently pale and eternally cold. Looks like they had something in common.

Ellie popped her head out from inside the barn. "Hey Frost, you coming or not?"

Jack stuffed his pale hand into his pocket. "Yeah. Sorry, I was just admiring the architecture."

"Well hurry up then. I don't want to let all the cold air in."

Twirling his stick around once in Jedi fashion, Jack shined Ellie one of his notorious smirks. "Wouldn't want that, would we?"

Ellie shook her head and propped the door open wide enough for jack to pass through. "I was warned about your ego."

"And?"

"You didn't disappoint."

Once fully inside, Jack leaned casually on his staff as Ellie shut the door behind him. "Good to know I still maintain my charm then."

"Whatever you say Frost." Jack let her comment slide as he took in the barn. A warm glow emitted from lanterns, each hung periodically around the massive room. Wide wooden stalls were placed side by side, each occupied with a temperamental reindeer. They huffed and panted at the two new bodies, eager for a treat.

"Where's Rudolph?" Jack asked as he counted only eight heads, running through all the names in his mind.

"Rudolph?" Ellie snorted as she hulled two buckets of oats from a storage cupboard. "Be serious Jack. How ridiculous would a reindeer with a glowing, red nose be?"

Ellie shoved one of the buckets into Jack's arms. The weight was surprisingly heavy. "There's a whole Christmas carol dedicated to him," Jack replied defensively.

"A child's tale. What parents tell their kids to make them feel better about being misfits. Now hop to it. You take the ones on the left. I got the right," Ellie commanded. Swinging her bucket over to a stall labelled 'Comet', Ellie dug her hand into the oats and brought a fistful to the awaiting reindeer. Comet licked her hand greedily, not leaving a single oat behind.

"That's gross," Jack said pointing to her now slobbered on hand. Ellie looked at Jack, then to the reindeer beside him before looking back to Jack. She raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him. Jack scrunched up his face, already regretting his action. But pride would not let him be a coward. Placing his staff against a wall full of grooming supplies, Jack mimicked Ellie and braced himself for the slobber to come. The reindeer labelled Donner stood stubbornly where he was, refusing to accept Jack's oats. Jack coaxed the deer, throwing a bit into the stall, but Donner wouldn't budge. "I think this one's broken," Jack mumbled, dumping the oats back in the bucket.

Ellie - who was already on her third reindeer - stopped where she was and headed to Jack's side. She stood for a moment considering the deer. Donner huffed and panted at the hay beneath his hooves. "Well, it's not him. It's you. He doesn't like you."

Jack narrowed his eyes, staring down the deer. "I see. So this is how it is," Jack said propping his elbow on the stall. "Looks like we have some differences to work out." Ellie snickered from behind, enjoying the showdown. Jack smiled, her behaviour motivating him. "So why don't we settle this, man to... deer," Jack said trying to find the best diction. Donner pawed the ground, understanding his words and ready for a fight.

"Okay! Okay! Let's not get too violent here. Now Jack, Donner would hand your ass to you on a silver platter. So don't antagonize him. Or any of the other animals in fact," Ellie said in between giggles. She tugged Jack away from the stall, her hands wrapping around his right arm to do so. The heat of her skin penetrated his sweater, sending a wave of warmth through his arm. Oh how he loved that feeling. It was so foreign and enticing.

Ellie let go quickly at the sudden chill running up her hands. She tucked them quickly into her sweater pockets, trying not to look embarrassed. Apparently the feeling was foreign to her too. Jack ran a hand through his hair and sucked in a breath. "Maybe I'll try Blitzen," he spoke quickly, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

Ellie muttered a quick "Sure," and returned to the reindeer she had been previously feeding. Jack sighed, annoyed that the sweet moment had been ruined. All part of the curse, he acrimoniously thought to himself. But before he could reach again into the oats bucket, the barn doors swung open violently.

Santa stood in the entrance way looking as always pleased as punch. He threw his arms in the air and let out a grand chuckle. "Ah good, good. You feed reindeer together. But no more!" he said as he shut the doors behind him. "We have very important thing to do!"

Ellie set the bucket down she was hauling to Vixen's stall, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion. Jack felt no different. "What thing?" she asked cautiously.

Santa beckoned the two toward him with a massive hand. They approached slowly with uncertainty. "You need to know how to protect yourself from danger, no?" he asked, jabbing a finger in Ellie's direction.

"Yes?" she replied uncertainly, not liking where this was going. Santa laughed and clapped the two on the shoulders.

"Good. It is agreed then. You will learn how to fight!" Jack noticed the size of Ellie's eyes grow twice in diameter. He didn't blame her.

She laughed nervously. "Very funny Uncle Nick."

Santa shook his head while waving a sausage like finger at the girl. "No, no, no. I'm serious. You play important part to come. Just like Jack. So you need to protect yourself. You need to know how to fight. That is secret! You learn to fight!" He said this as if he were telling her she was going on an all expense paid vacation; too much excitement for such a danger proposition. "Now, you come to weapons room and we train you. Jack come too. You and him help each other." He said moving his finger between the two of them. Ellie seemed to be at a loss of words.

Before Santa could say anything else, Jack interrupted, "Wait. There's a weapons room in the North Pole?"

Santa leaned back and furrowed his eyes. "Of course. How do you think we fight? With rag dolls and choo-choo trains?" Santa laughed loudly at his joke before grabbing Ellie and Jack by the shoulder and steering them out of the barn. "Now hop, hop, hop along like bunnies and to the weapons room we go!"

XXXXX

Ooooh training! That should be fun. I want to quickly say thanks to all whom favorited and reviewed! Makes the writing worthwhile as each chapter has so much effort put into it!

Have a good weekend!