~You guys are amazing.. I think I am in love with your awesomeness!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.


We had been eating the Chinese food for about ten minutes of solid silence, only interrupted by Jace's moans of food driven pleasure. Every time she took a bite of the sesame chicken and rice her eyes seemed to bulge and her head lolled back in bliss. I was nibbling on my chicken on a stick absently, trying not to let my discomfort with his earlier appearance show.

"You've been real quiet, mon ami. Is something troubling you?" Jace caught me off guard with her question, breaking the thick shroud of silence that had been lingering in the room before her statement with her French accented voice. Even after living here for about four or five years, Jace still held the accent. My silver eyes darted up to her, my heart stuttering in a moment of mixed shock and fear. Blinking a few times slowly, I managed to come back to my senses and shake my head at her. "Don't lie to me, l'amour."

"I'm fine, really," I insisted, ignoring the hand that reached out to comfort me. I didn't need comforting. No amount of comfort could end this constant nightmare. Neither could Chinese food, although it did a pretty good job at trying.

"You're not eating or talking. Chinese is one of your favorites!" Jace pointed out, her hand finally coming to land on my arm as she looked at me. She was giving me that 'look' again. The same look that meant I was full of it and needed to accept the fact that she was right. I really hate that look.

"Okay, I have a few things on my mind- nothing world shaking," I promised her, hoping that my room didn't start vibrating with an earthquake the size of Texas. You never know. If there's a fat guy that can slide down my chimney and leave awesome presents than I am sure that I can somehow jinx myself into an earthquake with that statement. Jace smiled slightly, moving back and dropping her hand.

"Want to talk about it? Or do you want to move this party to your basement and have a Harry Potter/Avengers marathon?" she asked. Jace's eyes sparkled as she stood from my bed and began closing her take out boxes. Nodding, I began closing my own boxes. As we went to leave, I woke Sammy from where he napped at the foot of my bed. I would never leave him alone in the dark. Ever. "Don't forget the food!"

I let out a long sigh and rolled my eyes, snatching up the remaining containers of Chinese.


Soon, we were settling down in my basement where my family kept the game consoles and a flat screen television with a plush scarlet couch and several shelves meant for CDs/video games that we used to keep our DVDs, CDs, and video games. Well, my DVDs, CDs, and video games. I was the only one in the house who used the room, for the most part. After I got a job, I began purchasing DVDs, CDs, and video games that I really liked with what spare money I had. This room served as my indoor sanctuary. It had a remote control for the lights, allowing me to easily banish the dark if I was getting too paranoid. There were no ominous shadows to speak of and it was well stocked with flashlights and candles, just in case.

Last year, I had added a mini fridge and microwave for drinks and the popping of popcorn. Since we had the delicious Chinese food, we didn't need popcorn quite yet. These movie marathons had become a tradition for Jace and me. Whenever one of us was upset or we were just insanely bored and it was too hot or too cold to go outside, we would come down here, melt into my couch, and watch whatever movies we happened to be in the mood for. Usually, those movies consisted around either the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Marvel flicks.

Settling into the plush couch, I practically melted into it and became one with the plush fabric.. It was easy to push him to the back of my mind temporarily as Jace popped in the first movie and I settled back, opening up one of my boxes and taking a small bite from the chicken on a stick. Jace collapsed onto the couch next to me dramatically. Laughing at her, I rolled my eyes when she moaned in pleasure.

"I swear I am going to steal this couch. You are going to come home, and it won't be here any more," she decided, opening one of her now closed eyes to look at me with it.

"Then what will you lounge on whenever you come over?" I quirked an eyebrow and she opened her other eye, placing her index finger of her right hand on the left side of her chin and her thumb on the right side as if trying to look like she was pondering the question. After a minute or two of previews playing in the background and me eyeing her with one raised eyebrow, she nodded with a sigh, as if feigning disappointment. Punching her lightly in the arm, I rolled my eyes again. She practically lived at my house either way.

"Fine, you can keep the couch. But I am stealing this," before I could react, Jace reached over and grabbed my chicken.

"Hey!" I protested, grabbing for the box as she took one of the stick pierced pieces of delectable chicken and chomped a huge bite out of it with a cocky grin on her face and mischief in her eyes. When she pulled the rest of the chicken from the stick, she proceeded to stab me with it. "Oh, it's on!"

Thus, I stole the box back and pulled out one of my sticks from earlier where I had already eaten the chicken and we began a fencing match with the sticks, mostly ignoring the beginning music of the movie. I sustained a few minor flesh wounds, but came out victorious nonetheless. Thus, Jace had to get up and make the popcorn. Victory never tasted so sweet.


"Harry-" Dumbledore was talking to Harry in the subway station scene when I found myself curling into my couch on the verge of sleep. Some time during Harry fighting Nagini, Jace had completely conked out with a quarter of her egg roll sticking out of her spicy rice. We weren't going to make it to the first Iron Man movie tonight, by the looks of it. The room was dark, and I reached for the remote to flip on the lights. A pale hand snatched my wrist just as I was touching the rectangular device. Before I could scream, I was wrenched off the couch and forced to look into the eerie eyes of my greatest fear. Fear itself.

"Miss me?"

An intense chill spread out from his grasp and across my arm. I could see the room fading off into the void of darkness he brought with him. I felt suddenly weak and feeble.

There was a dark glint in his eyes before I felt my eyes roll into my head and I collapsed. I'll never know if I collided with the floor or not, for I went out just as my knees buckled and his dark chuckle filled my mind.


I know it may seem kind of sluggy but this is still kind of setting into the story. During the next few chapters you can expect a lot more Pitch.