"Well, this has been a great fireside chat," said Jack as he rose from the floor of North's office. All of the Guardians had been invited by the huge Russian for a quiet Christmas party at the North Pole. It would be a good chance or a little relaxation, North had told them. "It's been fun, but I gotta fly."

"Now, just where are you rushing off to?" Bunny asked.

"Jamie's," Jack answered. "We have a special little project going on." He turned to leave only to run into North's belly.

"And what project would that be?" North's thick Russian accent dripped with merriment. Jack looked up to see a twinkle in North's eyes a big grin on his face.

Jack could see that he was not got anywhere without fessing. He rolled his eyes. "It's just his older cousin. We're trying to convince her to believe in us Guardians."

"Oh, it's a her that you're goin' ta see," Bunny said with a mischievous grin. "Is she a good lookin' sheila?"

"Well, yes—but—but that's not what we're doing this!" Jack sputtered, twin faint purplish spots of color rising in his cheeks. It was the closest thing to blushing he could do.

"Oh stop teasing him!" Tooth Fairy interceded. "Gaining another believer is a good cause."

"Tooth is right," North said. "Go and made a believer out of her." But he sent a mischievous wink to Jack, who groaned and flew off down the halls.

"That's right, Frostbite," Bunny called after Jack "Make a believer out of her, Romeo!"

"Bunny!" Tooth Fairy glared at him.

Sandy, who had simply watch everything unfold made several signs and shapes of dreamsand appear over his head.

"Well, yes, I think it's cute," replied Tooth Fairy. "But we don't need to make it any harder for him."

Sandy nodded in reply, but Bunnymund had a devilish grin.

"This is too good an opportunity to pass up, Tooth." He said, "I can poke at the show pony for weeks on this."

"Just not too much, Bunny," North warned. "Remember last time you teased too much he froze your tail to de floor."

Bunny just rolled his eyes and tapped the floor with his huge hind paws. "See you guys later!" he said before jumping down the hole.

"I guess I'd better get back to the palace," said Tooth Fairy. "Three sets of triplets have all lost their first tooth today."

Sandy signed that he needed to get going too. Night was fast approaching.

"Thank you all for coming." North waved good-bye to his comrades.

"Good luck with Christmas!" Tooth Fairy waved back and Sandy made signs that basically meant the same thing. North lumbered back into his workshop and decided to take a peek at the Believers Globe. He was not sure, but it almost looked like there were fewer lights shining there than yesterday. North shook his head, however, and passed it off as paranoia.

Meantime, Jack had made his way to Jamie's house. First, he went to Jamie's room, woke him up, and told him the plan. He was going to know on Aria window to wake her, then write in frost on them to communicate with her, very much like he had done to convince Jamie that the Easter Bunny was real. Jamie said he would sit outside her door so that he would know what was going on. He told Jack which room was Aria's and Jack flew out and around the house to her window. He peeked in her window, and saw her asleep in bed. She wore a dark blue and dark green plaid flannel nightgown. Her hair tied back in a ponytail, but something was wrong. She was tossing and turning in an agitated manner, and Jack could hear moaning through the glass. He quickly opened the window and flew to her side. He tried to wake her but he could not touch her to make her hear him. Remembering Jamie was stationed outside the door, Jack rushed to let him in.

"Something's wrong with Aria; you need to wake her!" Jack explained. Jamie face clouded over in concern when he saw his cousin restless movements. Jumping up on the bed, he shook her shoulder, and called her name while Jack retreated to the corner by the window. Tonight was not going to be a good time to try to convince her of his existence. Jamie finally woke her and she bolted upright, gasping for breath. She looked wildly around her room for moment before burying her face in her knees.

"Are you ok?" Jamie asked shakily.

"Yes, I fine," Aria lied. "It was just a nightmare. Sorry I woke you up, buddy." Reached over and hugged and boy and told him to go back to bed. Jamie did as he was told, knowing Jack was still there and that Aria was in good hands with him. For several minutes after Jamie left, Aria buried her face her knees once more. Finally she raise her head and slipped into her gray woolen robe. She went to the window and stood there glazing out at the moon, hugging herself and letting the cold night air wash over her. Jack watched as silent tears began to roll down her face. He wanted to do something to let her know that she was not alone. It did not matter anymore if she believed; he just wanted to wipe away her tears and let her bury her face in the front of his hoodie. He had no idea where these feelings were coming from other than from deep down somewhere.

Jack did the only thing he knew to do. He reached passed her and touched one of the window panes. It instantly frosted over.

Aria watched it in amazement. Since when did single window panes frost over? Suddenly, words began to appear, as if someone was writing in the frost. I'm sorry slowly appeared. Aria gasped. How could this be happening? Someone had to be doing it, but Aria saw no one beside herself. The shape of a broken heart appeared as the next pane frosted over. She wandered back toward her bed thinking. What was going on? How could this be happening? Unless—

Aria ran back to the half open window. She pushed the left side completely open, leaving the right, frosted side closed. She looked up with pleading eyes at the full moon. "Is a way—is it possible that Jack Frost is real? I know someone has been here with me when I'm hurting before, and I can feel them here tonight." Although she never heard a clear answer, she felt the familiar cold but comforting wind swirl around her once more. She softly smiled through her tears and whispered, "Thank you, Jack."

Jack gasped. She had said his name! As if she knew he was right there behind her!

Aria heard a gasped and whirled around to find herself face to face with a boy her age with a deathly pale face, a windblown head of snow white hair and the most incredibly pale ice blue eyes she ever seen. Her eyes quickly took in his frosted blue hoodie, brown pants and hooked staff.

"She just said my name!" the boy breathed, looking like he could not believe his ears.

"You're Jack Frost?"

Jack's head shot up and he realized she was staring at him. "Wait, you can hear me?" he asked, barely daring to hope for an answer.

"Yes."

"You can see me?"

"Of course."

He whooped and did a back flip in the air.

"Then you are Jack Frost!" She cried joyful.

"Yeah, I am!" Jack replied. "Who else did you think brought the snow-day?"

"All these years, I hoped and dreamed you were real." She whispered. "It was you, nine years ago by the pond, wasn't it?"

"Well, uh—" Jack did not really want to say. He did not want to seem like he had been stalking her for the last nine years. He had not. He had merely shown up at the right time on a few occasions.

"Even if you won't admit it, I know it was you." Aria said and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," She whispered in his ear.

"Hey, no problem." Jack answered as she separated. "I'm the Guardian of Fun. I wouldn't be doing my job if I left sad lonely kids on their own."

Aria smile shyly at him and Jack felt a whole flock of butterflies erupt in his stomach. Just then, Jamie came sleepily back into the room. He had heard Jack's yell. Aria turned excitedly to the boy.

"Look who's here Jamie!" she said pointing to Jack.

"She can see you?"

"Yep!"

"Yay!" Jamie yelled, which woke up his mom.

"Jamie? Aria? Are you ok?" Mrs. Bennett called through the door.

"We're fine, Mom." Jamie answered truthfully. "I couldn't sleep, so Aria is telling me about meeting Jack Frost."

"Ok, don't tell him too many stories." Mrs. Bennett said.

"I won't!" Aria replied. The threesome in the room giggled as Mrs. Bennet went back to her room. "She is right you know." Aria said. "A certain someone really should go back to bed."

"Do I gotta?"

"Yes, if you want to have the energy to play in the snow tomorrow." She answered firmly.

"Ok." Jamie relented. "Night, Aria! Night, Jack!"

"Good night, Jamie!" Jack and Aria chorused as the boy slipped out of the room into his own.

"I should probably got back to bed too," said Aria. "If only I knew that I wasn't going to be plagued by nightmares again." She sat on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, it'll be ok" Jack knelt in front of her and gently pulled her hands away from her face. "I'll put in a word with the Sandman. He and I go way back."

"Really?" Aria asked. "Why would you do that for me? I'm hardly a child anymore, Jack."

"Because we protect the hopes and dreams of believers," Jack answered. "They just happen to be children—mostly."

Aria smiled at her new friend. Somehow, she just knew he was right. It probably did not help that he looked rather handsome as he knelt before her, his frosty hooked staff in one hand, her small trembling hand in the other. For a few long moments they stayed like that, warm eyes and frosty blues locked in a steady gaze. Jack was the first to break the spell.

"I should get going. Sandy will be here soon." He said, gently squeezing her hand and rising to go to the window. He nearly flew out, but quickly came back. "Would it be—you know—okay for me to-to come see you—you and Jamie—tomorrow?" he asked, suddenly shy.

Aria smiled at his stuttering "Of course, Jack. I think Jamie would be disappointed if you didn't come."

"Oh, right. Well, see you then." Jack replied before soaring out through the window. Aria ran to it and saw him fly off into the night. With a happy sigh, she closed the window and slipped back into bed believing with all her heart that what Jack had said was true.

In the night sky above Burgess, the Sandman appeared in a biplane made of dreamsand. The plane morphed into a round platform and its occupant began sending out streams of dreamsand. There was one that he took great care in forming and sending off to its recipient. He had been charged very specifically by his friend Jack Frost regarding this dream. With a warm smile, he gently sent it on its way and personally watched to make sure it reached young Aria. The peaceful look that settled over her face was all it took to tell Sandy that his job there was done.

However, Sandy was not the only one watching Aria's window. A dark, sandy, skeletal horse shape hid in the shadows of a couple of pines near the house. It watched the golden sand enter the room. With a shrieking neigh, it raced to a nearby drain and followed countless dark, twisting tunnels until it finally reached a large shadowy cavern. It stopped before a tall thin man. He was dark skinned, black haired and clothed from head to toe in black. His golden eyes pierced the darkness and fixed themselves on the returning Nightmare. The horse neighed and whinnied at him, and a wicked smile appeared on his face.

"Just wait, Jack Frost. You and your precious Guardians won't be able to defeat me. Not this time; not if I have her." Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares and Fear, vowed.

Okay, so this chapter is a bit fluffy, but more substantial chapters are to come, I promise!