A/N: So, while all the others have been one-shots, this one was written with the previous story, One More Night, in mind as the prequel (and therefore, the main story I want to write would also be a sequel). Hopefully if you're here, you've already read that one, but if not, it's not critical. This can still stand alone.

This one breaks apart from the others a bit, as most of it is from Seren's side, but there's still plenty of Jack at the start, middle, and end! I also wanted to write more of the other Guardians, hence the interactions. This also has North's and Bunny's accents written out as they sound; hopefully you can understand what they're saying!

Enjoy!

Step By Step

Jack was perched on top of a roof, watching his temporary playground unfold. Kids who were still up, mainly older ones since those younger were most likely drifting to sleep at the time, played in the freshly fallen snow. They were talking of a possible snow day tomorrow, hoping that the snow would continue to fall and pile up too much for the town to clear. A light smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned over to look down at those below.

"Oh yeah, you'll get a snow day." Jack chuckled under his breath. Part of him looked to see if anyone heard him, if just maybe that one person who could see him, believe in him, looked up. But none such a gaze travelled to the rooftop. He sighed and leaned back. Granted, more believed in him now. Outside of Jamie and his friends, the odd child in a town would see him, and even thank him for bringing winter and fun. However, those amounts were still nothing compared to the children that believed in other Guardians, or even other spirits. Despite the amounts, it was still a start.

A glint of light caught his eye in from the distance. It reflected off the snow he had brought to the town, those small grains of sand that created the light intermingling nicely with the frozen precipitation. After creating a couple more patches of ice, Jack jumped into the air, allowing the currents of wind to take him. He followed the flowing trails of sand to their source above the scattered clouds. Brushing his hands along the finest sand in the world, he watched as dolphins sprung to life, swimming and playing around him before their golden forms swam away and rejoined the rest of the sand that drifted down to the houses below.

"Hey Sandy! On time, as always," greeted Jack when he neared the heart of the tendrils of sand. The Sandman sat atop his cloud of golden sand, smiling at Jack in welcome while he continued to weave out the dream sand to send to all those sleeping below. For a moment, Jack simply drifted there, next to Sandy, never once feeling the silence between them as unsettling. "Giving the kids good dreams?"

Sandy nodded, shooting some sand playfully at Jack. Like before, the sand formed into excited dolphins before disappearing. Grinning, Jack looked back to the Sandman, making sense of the images that formed for communication purposes.

"Oh, y'know, just giving the kids one last taste of winter before Mother Nature decides to shoo me from these parts." The Guardian of Fun made a dismissive gesture with his hand. It was fun to play with Mother Nature towards the end of winter in the areas that were reluctant in allowing spring to come. Annoying her was all right, incurring her wrath was not. Jack winced lightly at the thought. Her wrath was no small feat, and he had learned his lesson in the past not to overstep his bounds at the start of spring.

Sandy gave a wry chuckle, silent, of course. Several more images appeared above his head, each flowing from one to the next to convey his message. Jack lay back on the wind, slinging his elbows over his staff. He tilted his head curiously, not entirely certain he got the Sandman's correct message.

"Somewhere else?" Jack's brow knitted together. "Why should I be somewhere else? There are only so many places I can bring a snow day this time of year, and this town is as good as any." At his answer, Sandy only sighed and shook his head. In the next moment, he created a new image above his head: a floating orb of sand with its own tiny tendrils peeling off of it at random intervals, some larger and some like explosions. Jack frowned. "Uh...I don't get it."

A silent huff of annoyance escaped Sandy. Frowning, he pointed above his head where two more of the orbs appeared, each swirling around each other in graceful movements. Jack pursed his lips together and looked at the orbs, trying to figure out what the sandy images meant. Nothing. He was drawing an utter blank. Feeling foolish, Jack righted himself and held his staff close, as though it would help give him an answer. All he could do was shake his head.

Fed up, Sandy pointed both hands to above his head, little spouts of sand, pretending to be smoke in anger, coming from his ears. One more image joined the three orbs, being different from those that preceded it. A small figure appeared, the orbs circling around her. Jack nearly faltered in the air, gripping onto his staff tighter as though to support himself.

"Seren?" he asked, the images finally making sense to him. The Sandman nodded, that look of frustration completely vanishing. Jack really had to remember that those orbs Sandy would create meant a star. After being so accustomed to seeing stars as small, twinkling lights from afar, he forgot that they were really massive spheres of flaming gases...that liked to watch back as much as people liked to watch them. Jack allowed himself a smile at the thought of the stars, of Seren. That smile, however, faded away into a thoughtful frown. "What about Seren?"

The images above Sandy's head altered. The figure representing Seren vanished as did the orbs. In their place came an image of the moon. That then rose and settled, followed by an image of the sun, which also rose and settled. The moon returned, only to then be replaced by the sun. It continued on like that, day to night, night to day, on and on until Sandy stopped the cycle.

Jack pursed his lips together pensively. It was almost like a game of charades, trying to figure out what it was Sandy meant by his images. "Time passing?" ventured the young Guardian. Sandy smiled and nodded some more, pointing vigorously up at the still images above his head. There was something else, something more to the message behind those images. "Days to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years..." Jack breathed out slowly, hoping he had figured out that true message. "It's Seren's time to visit! Has it been that long already? Wait, wait, when's she coming?"

Last she spoke to them, Seren had delivered the news that she would be able to visit for a short time every thirteen of their months. It was meant to be once a year, but she had asked for the slight offset so that, in time, she would be able to enjoy the changing of seasons. For her, it would be just a small amount of time to wait in the incredibly long life of stars, but Jack knew those thirteen months would drag on forever if he thought about it too much. And so he had tried his hardest to forget about it, and just let himself be surprised when the time came around for her to visit, which had worked out much better than he thought.

The image of the sun settled and rose again. "Tomorrow?" Jack practicality jumped in excitement. Time really could fly when having fun. The past thirteen months had gone by like they were nothing to him as well. A soft laugh escaped him, both from excitement and feeling foolish for having completely forgotten about her visit. "I see what you mean now." An idea dawned on Jack, glancing up to the stars above them. Her visit would only be for a few days before she was gone again, left to only watch from afar. "Gotta go, Sandy! I'll see you soon!"

Sandy waved farewell as Jack flipped backwards onto the currents of air. He left the Sandman to weave his dream sand for everybody to dream, creating a few more dolphins for a quick smile. This time, those small orbs that represented stars drifted by the playful creatures before they all joined the other streams flowing to the land below.

"Hey, wind!" called out Jack, receiving an answer before he even had to ask "You know where to go!" If he was lucky, he would have just enough time.

"Seren! Eet good to see yoo agin! Safe treep, I hope?" greeted North. Music filled the room, all the elves eager to play for an occasion.

The star materialized, her reformed feet settling onto the floor of the workshop. Light that had been radiating from her as she shifted to human form faded, receding back into her core and gone from sight. She smiled softly, her eyes passing over each of the elves in turn in silent thanks.

"It was just fine. Thank you, North. But please, there's really no need to make such a commotion for my visit." It was an embarrassment, to be honest, but she could not bring herself to tell that to North. However, the elves sensed the mood and stopped playing. One of them even threw down his little trumpet in frustration before huffing off. "Sorry," she muttered, regretting having said anything at all. Feeling bad, she winced lightly before gripping some of her hair to wring, a habit she had developed.

"Ach, don'd verry about dhem." North chuckled, the sound resonated from deep within his chest, before waving aside the matter. "Dhey liek dhe excuse to maek noise. And more cookiez! Dingle! Bringk dhe cookiez." North waved one of his massive hands, gesturing for an elf to come forward.

"Oh, no, really." Her protests were not heard. There was a light scampering of feet with the jingle of the bells.

Seren looked through the mass of elves. Each was slightly different from the next, but she had not yet learned names to each of the faces. So many, and she was only around for a little time each visit. Learning their names was still on her list, and would be accomplished. Some of the elves parted, allowing for one in particular to pass through, balancing a large plate before him. The star blinked and gripped her hair tighter, looking at that plate in confusion. There were crumbs, but no cookies.

"Um..."

"Dingle! Vhere are dhe cookiez?"

Hunched over in preparation for a scolding, the little elf looked up to North forlornly before glancing back down to the plate. Those large eyes, that often held a permanent look of crazed excitement, were wide with knotted brows above it, nearly hidden under the red hat. He could not look any more sheepish if he tried. At last, Dingle opened his mouth and allowed one cookie to fall back onto the plate, one single lone cookie that hardly covered the surface of the plate.

"No thanks," chuckled Seren, grimacing lightly at the thought of eating a cookie that had already been partially devoured. Not seeing what the other cookies looked like was for the best. "I'm fine, really." Dingle shot one more apologetic look before retaking the last cookie and scampering off, the sound of his bell fading off with him. Shaking her head and chuckling, Seren finally took a look around. The yetis were busy making toys, many of their new contraptions moving about the workshop to make sure everything was functioning properly. The elves that had not been part of the welcoming were testing some odds and ends, proving how easy it was to get shocked in the process. And yet, despite all the hustle and bustle, there was an emptiness to the place as well.

Seren looked back to North, taking a moment to tuck some hair behind her ear so she could gather her thoughts properly before speaking. "Are the other Guardians busy?" she asked, taking one last look to make sure one of them was not simply hiding or arriving at that very moment.

Though she had only visited Earth a couple times since helping with the Fates, each time she came to the planet there was at least one other there to greet her. It was not even like they did not know where she would show up either. For simplicities, she always came to the North Pole first, in part to have a constant arrival destination that the others all knew, but also because it was the fastest place she could get to. Being the North Star, the North Pole was closer than somewhere else on the world, even if it was just by a small amount in the grand scheme of things.

For a moment, North's jolly look faltered. He stroked his moustache, eyes glancing around like hers had before settling back on Seren. A thoughtful grin tugged at his lips, causing Seren to wonder what it was he was thinking. "I afraid so. But don't let dhat keep you down! I'm certain you weel get chance to see them all before you go. So!" His joyous voice returning, North headed to Seren's side and placed his large yet gentle hands on her shoulders. "Did you have anydhingk special planned for viseet?"

"Nothing too much. I was planning on spending time with each of you and travelling a little. Hopefully see more of the southern hemisphere, if I can."

"Good! Good. Vell, seence you are here, let's have you try to make toy! Sound fun?"

Seren grinned up at North, excitement already bubbling up inside of her. Getting to do anything on Earth was a lot of fun, let alone making toys that brought such joy to the children. "That sounds like a lovely idea."

"Did you have anything planned while here?" asked Toothiana, buzzing around in front of Seren. Her bright smile made it all the way to her wide eyes. Several Baby Teeth fluttered closer to the star, their voices trilling together and becoming impossible to tell which one was making which noise. Seren chuckled, delighted to see all of their bubbly personalities again. She raised a hand to the little fairies, who swiftly swirled around the fingers. One even found its way through her hair, chirping happily after exiting from the golden strands in glee.

"Not really," admitted Seren with a sigh, rolling her fingers for the little fairies to play through. "I didn't want to stay long knowing how busy you are." Unlike North or Bunnymund, who only had to have one big day of work a year, Toothiana worked every hour of every day collecting teeth.

"Nonsense! I'm sure there's at least a little something you can do here."

"Like what?"

For a moment, Toothiana's warm smile faltered. Even she was having trouble coming up with ideas. It would have been silent between them if not for the chirps from the Baby Teeth. "I got it!" exclaimed Toothiana, nearly making Seren jump in surprise. The Guardian zipped forward and grasped Seren's hands, the little fairies quick to get out of the way. "You'll come with me to collect some teeth! That way you can see some more of the world and we can spend some more time together! What do you say?"

Seren chuckled at Toothiana's eagerness. She nodded at the offer and was about to say how it was a good idea when Toothiana pulled her into the air. The star cried out in surprise, not having expected to leave so soon before laughing some more and making it onto her own two feet, not needing the Tooth Fairy's help to make it through the air.

Tendrils of light, reminiscent of a shooting star, followed the two as they made their way to a town not too far away. The closer the better, that much Toothiana could figure out, so that Seren could have enough time for visiting the others.

Seren created steps of light into the room after Toothiana once she had dove for a building to find a tooth. The fairy spun around and pressed something small into the star's hand.

"Go on! You do it!" Smiling, Toothiana gestured towards the bed where a young child slept. Seren felt herself freeze for a moment, gripping the small coin tightly.

What if she messed it up somehow? There were not many ways to go wrong, but Seren was certain she would find a way. Dealing with the Guardians was one thing, dealing with humans was another. That was a realm was normally off-limits to stars. Others may grant wishes and alter the fates of humans, but they were never meant to interact directly with people, even when visiting. Seren looked hesitantly to Toothiana, not sure how to proceed.

The fairy sighed before shaking her head. Fluttering behind the star, she gave Seren a little nudge to get started. That was enough. Walking silently over to the bed, Seren slipped the coin under the pillow, blindly searching for the tooth that was hidden beneath so she could replace it. It did not take long to find. A smile tugged at her lips when she successfully switched the two objects and so she began to pull her hand back out when the child rolled over, his weight shifting over her limb.

A light hiss escaped her, worried that the child would wake up and see her. There was always that chance of a person seeing a star, and more so for children. Generally being seen was not a great problem, for a star could blend into the crowds, but if she was seen now, that would be a little harder to explain. Holding her breath, Seren slowly wiggled her hand out from underneath the pillow, trying her hardest not to disturb the young boy. Only when her hand was freed and the child having not stirred any more did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Toothiana giggled. "All right. To the next house!" The fairy zipped out of the room, back through the open window, nothing more than a blur of feathers. Seren laughed before clamping a mouth over her hand, remembering to keep quiet inside the room. Her eyes dashed over to the sleeping child who stirred a little before rolling back over. She smiled warmly then hurried after Toothiana before it became impossible to find where the fairy had went.

Seren was led into house after house. Each time, Toothiana gave her a coin to slip under the pillow in place of the tooth. For a moment, the star settled down, crouching before the bed to study the young girl. It was a different experience entirely to see them, to see all the people, while on Earth than from her place amongst the other stars.

"I can see why you enjoy this," she whispered, glancing over to Toothiana. "You give them so much with what you do."

"You do as well, you know." Toothiana nudged Seren. "Don't ever forget that. You are important to all of us..." The fairy chuckled slightly before rewording her idea. "Okay, so important to those in the northern hemisphere. But that's still a lot of people! Besides, each children you've visited tonight gets an extra special gift."

"What?"

"They had their own star looking over them."

Seren chuckled, looking back to the sleeping child. She may have been just one other star with all the others, but she was not just some other star to those on Earth.

Sitting on a pool of light, Seren looked down to all the houses. Rivers of sand flowed through the town, creatures forming from all the combined imaginations of the people below. She leaned forward, trying to see as much of the town and sights as she could. So vast and mystical. She loved all of it. The smile she wore started to hurt her cheeks, but she did not care. Sandy was perched atop his cloud of sand, allowing all those below to have dreams filled with love, hope, wonder, and more.

"Sandy?" started Seren softly, standing on her pool of light that kept her in the air. She walked over to the weaver of dreams, keeping silent in the company of the mute Guardian. There was not much to talk about with Sandy, and she did not mind one bit. It was nice to simply spend time in his presence, not needing to say any words to enjoy each other's company. His golden eyes, like that of warm sand radiating warmth it has stored up from basking in the sun, shifted to the star, smiling lightly in anticipation for what she had yet to say. "You're able to make anyone fall asleep, correct?"

The Guardian nodded. Several Zs appeared above his head, made from his sand, while he pretended to fall asleep to help illustrate his point. No one was impervious to his dream sand.

Feeling awkward, Seren tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Could you... Would you...be able to put me to sleep to dream? If it's possible. I don't even know if stars can dream, let alone sleep. We're always awake, even though people think we're only out at night. There's no rest like...like..." Her eyelids were becoming heavy. It was difficult to finish her thoughts now. A weight was pressing down on her, not uncomfortable, but one that made her no longer want to stand.

Her eyes fluttered back to Sandy. A warm smile was on his face as a few flecks of the dream sand that had been sent at Seren still drifted away from the palm of his hand. She had begun to ramble on while Sandy attempted to fill her request. A soft chuckle escaped her as her body settled back onto her pool of light as if on its own accord.

"Thank you," she murmured softly before her eyelids fully shut. Being asleep was almost more entertaining than being awake. She had been awake for thousands upon thousands of years, and only now was her first time to sleep.

Sandy smiled lightly before returning his attention to all the other dreams he had to watch over. He did find it amusing, at least, a silent chuckle escaping him, that the sand circling above her head as she drifted through the land of dreams for the first time formed into snowflakes.

"Catch you next time, Phil. Hey, North!" Jack threw a quick wave in farewell to the yeti before turning to greet Santa. The sturdy man blinked in surprise at Jack, an in-progress ice sculpture in his hands. Another little piece of wonder to add to the world, figured Jack.

"Jack Frost! Vhat are yoo doingk here?" North stared down at the young Guardian. Jack nudged some elves who had begun to swarm him away, making sure to lightly frost their clothes. "If yoo're here for Seren's arrival, I'm afraid yoo're late."

"I know, I know." Jack sighed, pursing his lips together. It had been frustrating to miss her arrival, to not see her when she first came back to Earth, but he had needed the time. Even visiting the workshop to get in his request to the Guardian of Wonder was taking up more time than he wanted. "But I got a favour I need to ask of you."

"Oh?" North's eyes twinkled when he brushed his hands over his white beard. "And vhat ees dhat?"

Jack rubbed his foot against the back of his calf, unable to completely repress the embarrassment that was gnawing in the pit of his stomach. He gripped his staff tighter, part of him wanting to use it as a shield to hide behind. He had hoped to prepare everything by himself, but he could not. Help was needed, and that meant someone else would have to, to some degree, know about what he had planned.

"There are some things I need made...and made pretty quickly." Jack grunted lightly when a strong hand clamped on his back without restraint. He looked up to a smiling North. That look made his embarrassment fade away; there was no harm in asking for help or having someone else know. Especially when that person most likely already knew.

North began to guide Jack back through the workshop. "Yoo have come to right place."

The grass was warm and soft, each blade bending to create the perfect cushion against the ground. Seren breathed in deep the scent of the earth beneath her. It was so different from the environment she was accustomed to being in. While space had its own peculiarities that she had come to know as normal, and did enjoy as her home, there was nothing like the lush plant life that could cover the surface of a planet. Other stars liked frozen wastelands, then there were those that preferred lands that were constantly shifting from raging volcanic activity. Each star had a preference, and there were plenty of planets to provide each star their ideal place to visit.

Earth had been her perfect place. Not only was there a pleasant sample of different environments, but the creatures, from the smallest bacteria to the largest beasts, also provided interest. Many things about the world left her happy, including the simple, yet wonderful, sensation of the grass against her skin. And there was no softer grass on Earth than there was in the Warren.

"I thought sombodeh had gotten intah my Warren," chuckled a familiar voice. "Hahw'd yeh get in 'ere withawt one of my rabbeet holes?"

Seren rolled onto her back to see a a tall Pooka staring down at her. She grinned before running her hands through the blades of grass, enjoying the feel of them tickling across her skin all too much. "The same way all the other light reaches this place." Rising, she dusted off her hands before greeting the Easter Bunny.

"How long left have yeh gawt for yehr vacation?"

She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Just one more day."

"I see... And gave yeh seen ihvryone else yet?" All she did was shake her head in response. "Ahhw, have hope. I'm sure yuh'll see ihvryone before yeh go."

A soft chuckle escaped her, Bunnymund's attempt at brightening her mood working well enough. "Of course you'd be the one to say that. But I thought you'd get it by now: I can see everyone easily enough, it's spending time with them that's the difficult part."

"Fair enough. C'mon. Leht's make sure that eet's toime well spent here!"

Her previously glum mood over the realization that she only had barely more than one day on Earth was left behind as she followed Bunnymund. He hopped through his Warren, picking up speed when Seren began to toy with the idea of a race. It was all good fun, and Seren made sure to keep herself from travelling at the speed of light, there would be no competition in that.

They made several loops around the Warren, each getting faster with each pass. It was one thing to simply travel fast, for most of her life, Seren had remained still (granted all stars were moving farther and farther away from each other, along with any planets that revolved around them, or any other body in space, but that was not of their own will), only ever travelling fast when visiting a relative or enjoying vacation time on a planet, it was another to race against someone. So exhilarating, so addictive. Every time that she and Bunnymund rounded a corner, she found herself laughing before pushing herself to go even faster. Never had she thought that moving fast could be so much fun.

"Ah, jahst don't tell Frost," huffed Bunnymund as he took a seat on the ground, their race over. Seren laughed, jogging around the Easter Bunny to slow herself down gradually rather than coming to a complete halt. "I'd nevah leeve it dahwn from him if he knew I lawst."

"My lips are sealed," chuckled Seren. She settled fully down, crossing her legs and sitting befoe the Easter Bunny. Once more her eyes wandered to absorb the wonders of the Warren. The walking eggs continued their duties, from the little ones to the massive stone ones. Things were calm since Easter was finished for the year.

"Say, Seren?"

"What is it?" Her brow rose in concern, not having expected to hear Bunnymund sounding so worried. He took to inspecting a boomerang, looking over every inch of it in close observation. It was a small distraction at best. That plan failing, he sighed and lowered the boomerang, unable to look directly at the star.

"As far as yeh know, are...are there any othah Pookas? Y'know, on othah planets an' such."

Seren sighed, a sombre frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Bunny... You know I can't answer that." It was one of the rules she had to follow as a star. There were some that she walked along the line, making certain not to cross, but others she stayed far away from even the chance of crossing. Answering whether or not there was life on other planets was one such rule. If they had to ask, then they were not ready.

"I know... I jahst thought...maybe... Could yeh at least give me a yes or no for any othahs?"

A pang of guilt tore through her. "I can't answer." That look on his face made her want to cross that line. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder, waiting until he finally met her gaze with his green eyes. "Have hope, Bunny."

The water and ice glistened. Spring was making its entrance, gradually thawing the small lake and freeing the water that had been sleeping beneath the ice over the course of the winter. At its edge sat Seren, hugging her knees to her chest. A soft sigh slipped past her lips. One final afternoon. It was her last few hours on Earth before she had to return home. With only a few hours left, perhaps it would be better to just cut her vacation time short and head home now. But, like she had told Bunnymund, she had to have hope, have hope to see him before waiting another year.

She had done her rounds easily enough, and even had some fun seeing more of the world and its changing seasons in the process. North, Toothiana, Sandy, and Bunny had all been happy to see her again, especially since there were no dire reasons for her visit. And yet, she was still missing one. One of the rules surrounding her visits was that she could only interact with the Guardians, no one else, be they human or other spirits. But there was one she had not seen.

Finding him from her location in space would have been an easy enough task, given that he had been in the Northern Hemisphere. While she was on Earth, finding him was not so easy. Perhaps it was a bad month for her to visit. Winter was fading away in many places, giving way to spring. Did he recede as well? Taking time off and enjoying is small break that comes with summer. She had never taken note of it before. Next year, she would make sure to ask—

"Agh!" Seren yelled in surprise. Cold and wet began to drip down the back of her head. It was uncomfortable, and yet it made her smile. That laugh that filled the air made her smile even more. A gust of wind swirled around her, snowflakes dancing on its currents. Not caring at all about the snow that clung to her, Seren rose and turned to greet her visitor warmly.

Jack playfully tossed another snowball up and down in his hand, smirking at the star that he had finally found. "Y'know, you're a lot harder to find when you're not in the sky," he chuckled, letting the snowball fall to the ground now that it was not needed to get her attention.

"Same can be said about you," retorted Seren with a toying grin. Jack pursed his lips together in thought before realizing she could see more of Earth at once than he ever did. All the people. All the routines. All of it was like a play unfolding before her when she watched from her place in the sky. "How did you manage to find me?"

"Ah, I just knew where to look." It was not the truth. She did not need to know that he got help from North again. "So, am I too late?"

Seren shook her head softly. "No. You're just in time."

"Great! C'mon. There's something I want to share with you." He took her hand in his once he was close enough and allowed the wind to take him.

"Wait. Where are we going? What's with that pack you're carrying?"

Jack chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll see what the surprise is soon enough!"

The wind dropped Jack on the ground, Seren landing safely beside him. He was grinning so much his cheeks began to hurt. They had made it, and with time to spare.

"Ireland, right?" she asked, looking over the small town.

Jack laughed and nodded. She had been able to track where they were after all. It had probably helped that they were still northern hemisphere. Had they they travelled south, it would have been more difficult.

"You got it." Slinging the pack from his shoulder, Jack was terrible at containing his excitement. "You remember one of the things you said you loved most about Earth?"

"That list is quite extensive... Care to narrow it down?"

He chuckled, largely at himself for forgetting that Seren really did enjoy almost every aspect of his world. Even stars liked what they could not have, what was always out of reach. Or, in Seren's case, out of reach for most of the year. Jack began to unclasp the pack he had been carrying. "Right. Okay, how about one of the things you loved most about humans?"

"Again, narrow it down a bit."

There was no point in hiding his grin. Reaching into the pack, he pulled out one of the items that North had made in time for him. "Dancing!" The skirt of the dress caught in the breeze. Seren stared at in surprise, her starlight eyes shifting between the item and Jack. She smiled softly, reaching out to run her thumbs over the soft fabric.

"But... How does—"

"Go on and change." Jack handed her the dress. "Quickly now. You'll see in just a minute." He ushered her along. While she went to change behind a nearby tree, Jack pulled out the remaining clothing that had been in the pack, the shirt and vest being for him. It felt odd to switch from his blue, frosted hoodie—he had worn that for many years now—but the freshly made shirt and vest were rather comfortable. The fabric was soft, as soft as her dress had been. He fingered the cuff. No frost had yet woven into the fabric. It was new and it was for him.

How many years had it been since he had actually gotten clothes from someone? Well, so North had given him gloves and a scarf a couple years ago, but that was not the same. The fabric was surprisingly warm against his skin, not yet adjusted to his cold body. It was nice...a shred of a life he had since lost.

"Did I put it on right?" Seren's voice pulled him from his wishful thoughts. Turning around, Jack saw her walking back to him, her hand holding up the hem of the dress a few more inches off the ground. His damping mood was washed away when he saw her in the white dress, gold trim and floral bodice adding nice accents. It looked better on her than how he had imagined it. It was a folksy dress, nothing too fancy or too constricting. The loose fabric would allow her to move easily when dancing, enjoying the full range of movement the energetic steps would bring.

"You look great. Just...one more thing." Tapping a finger to his chin, Jack looked her up and down.

"What is it?"

"Take off your boots?"

"What?" Seren furrowed her brow at him in confusion.

"Take off your boots!" Jack poked her feet with one of his own. "Trust me." She frowned curiously one more time at him before balancing on one foot to take off her boots. Inches above the ground, she hesitated. Tentatively, she placed it onto the soft ground, the blades of grass bending around her weight. A laugh escaped her, making Jack smile. No longer so hesitant, she hurried to take off her other to enjoy the feel of the grass as well.

Jack leaned against his staff, watching in amusement while she took several steps around in the new world. Such a little thing, one that he had been taking for granted for over three-hundred years, was a whole new experience for her. As much as he wanted to let her enjoy her new world, they were on a timer.

"Come on. It's about to start."

"What is?"

"You'll see!" Grinning, Jack took her hand and took her into the town. There was everyone, just as he expected. "Stay here." He gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and continuing on his own. The chattering from everyone filled the air. For once, he did not mind not being seen by all the people around them. He felt a part of the social crowd, even without being seen. From across the way, he looked back at Seren who was standing there, rather confused.

The chatter died down and the people, who were largely women on one side and men on the other, shifted around. A fiddle rose up through the silence, with a drum creating the beat. Already Jack began to bounce on his heels to the beat. Bagpipes joined the mix, along with other instruments creating a folksy jig. Cheering, the woman danced across the floor, all but Seren. She was left there confused, looking at the others dancing.

After the woman finished their call, the men responded. Jack was even more glad to not be seen, since no one could see how he was not skilled at dancing. In the past few days, he had been practising. Memories from his old life had helped, for there had been fragmented moments that he had recalled of such gatherings, but they could only do so much. Compared to Seren, at least, he seemed like a master. Moving forward with the other men, Jack reached out and pulled Seren to his side.

The others formed groups, dancing in circles, their feet adding to the rhythm from the drum. In the rest of the commotion, the laughter and cheering from all of those having a fun time, they were in their own world. No one else could see them. Laughter from Seren was all that he heard. The more they danced, the more she became confident. Spinning around was easy for both of them, neither tripping over their own or each other's feet.

"Why is it you like dancing so much?" as Jack as they slowed. Everyone else moved around, keeping to the beat and the lively rhythm. As the world sped on around them, Jack pulled Seren closer to him. "When you talked about it, you really seemed to like it and yet you'd never tried it."

"Like everything else here, I could only watch. No matter how many things made me want to turn away, it was moments like dancing that mad me keep looking back. Dancing was just so...different. No matter how many things may be wrong, dancing can make it all better. It was...like freedom. A way to express yourself to or with others in ways stars never could. Just look at everyone." Seren gestured to everyone around them. The groups had split off into smaller pairs, spinning around like Jack and Seren had been a few moments ago. "Each enjoying time with someone else, expressing their feelings, becoming lost in their own worlds... Stars can't have that. Ow! What was that for?"

Jack huffed, frowning at her. She rubbed her forehead where he had flicked her. "Silly. Have you forgotten the past few years? You have gotten to experience that freedom now. Step by step, day by day." Smiling with a sigh, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You don't need to always just watch any more. You can experience everything you loved about this place, down to the smallest blade of grass." With a tug of her hand, Jack led her away from those still dancing.

"Are you Jack Frost?"

Stopping, Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. At first he looked to Seren, wondering if it had been her playing some trick on him. She stared back, as confused as he was before a grin tugged at her lips. With a nod, she tossed her head to the side, signalling for him to look. The Guardian slowly turned, daring himself to see if it was real or just his imagination.

A young girl stood near them, her curly red hair in a mess. Her bright green eyes were wide at him, as unsure about seeing him as he was for seeing her.

"That's me," he muttered, barely able to find his voice. Seren gave him a gentle nudge forward. Jack stumbled a little before kneeling before the young girl. Her eyes, still wide, studied him before she took a few more steps ward and reached for his hair. A chuckle escaped Jack, not having expect that reaction at all, but it was more than enough for her.

Smiling, she said, "Thank you for making it snow here over the winter! We don't get it often in these parts!"

"You're very welcome. Did you have fun in the snow?"

"Mhmm!" The little girl beamed at him. Another believer... Every one was precious to him. "Ah, who's that with you?"

"You...can see me too?" asked Seren.

Looking over his shoulder, Jack shot a grin to the blonde. Stars were not often seen when they visited worlds, if he remembered correctly. People expected to only see them in the skies at night, and so they would not see a star even if it were right in front of them.

"That's Seren...my very special star." Smiling once more, he looked back to the young girl. "And she's a special star for you too."

"Really?" If the young girl's eyes were to widen even more, they would no longer fit on her face.

"Yep! She can help you whenever you're lost. Just look for the North Star, and that's her helping to guide you."

"Carlyn! Come on love, we have to be going," called out an older voice.

"Go on. Your mother's waiting." Jack shooed her along, not wanting the young girl to get in trouble.

"Bye! And thank you both again!" The young girl hurried to her mother's side.

"Who were you talking to there, love?"

"Jack Frost and Seren!"

"That's nice."

Jack chuckled as he rose. It was such a expected response from a parent, not really believing, but not wanting to crush the dreams of the child.

"See? I'm sure more people believe in the stars than you think."

"But she could see you. Didn't that mea—"

"It meant a lot, as much as any child believing and seeing me." Jack smiled softly, recalling that night when Jamie first saw him, the first time any human had seen him. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Seren and placed his forehead on hers. "But she was the first human to see you when on Earth. And that is the most important one. Believe me."

She hugged him expectantly, burying her head in his shoulder. "Thank you..."

"What for?" he asked, patting her gently when he heard her tone of voice.

"Step by step, you've helped to give me the one thing I never dreamed of having." She gave him a soft kiss. "You managed to change my fate..."

A/N: This is what happens when you rewatch Riverdance and get inspiration.

Anyway, this was the last one-shot I had written. I currently have another one planned, but it's going slowly and starting to feel "meh" about it. I dunno. If anyone has any suggestions they'd like to see for something between these two, I am more than open to suggestions! But I do hope that those of you that have read all of these enjoyed the stories!

Also, I have decided to write the main story, that this and One More Night are meant to follow. It will also be a bit slow, since I have work to deal with, but I will try to get the first chapter up as soon as I can. So those that want to read more, keep an eye out!