Hi everyone!
Another update for my lovely readers!
Jack: This isn't a funny chapter.
North: It is a little. I get hot chocolate.
Sandy: *makes random pictures*
North: *looks awkward* I'm sorry I took your hot chocolate, Sandy.
Readers: HUH?
Jack: You'll see.
Starla: Hi everybody!
Me: Okay, so everybody rev-
Jack: EVERYBODYREVIEWFOLLOWANDFAVORITEBECAUSEITMAKESCRYSTALHAPPY! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Me: TT_TT
North: You. Vill. Pay.
Jack: *takes out ice staff*
North: *calls out yeti army*
Starla: *takes out popcorn*
Me to Sandy: *whispering* Call the police.
Thanks to Amberflame805, Guest, ROTGLOVER, Melantha Frost, WhovianNightFury13, and Fandomrandom for thir fantastic reviews.
Okay everybody! Enjoy the chapter! And like Jack said, reviews are appreciated and please follow and favorite.
ENJOY!
xx, Crystal
"Do you like the cold?"
Starla blinked at Jack in the starlight of December and slowly shook her head. "No. Not really. I mean, I can tolerate the winter. But I'm not particularly fond of it."
Jack made a pouty face. "But all the girls are fond of me," he said, and then grinned to show he was joking.
Starla moved closer. "I said the winter, Frostbite." She raised her eyebrows. "Not you."
Jack tilted his head. "So you do like me?"
Starla shrugged. "Yeah."
Jack grinned and waved his staff. A shower of snowflakes began falling from the black night sky. "How much?"
Starla rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to rate how much I like you, Jack Frost." She laughed then. "Be right back!"
Starla took off soaring down, like a falling comet, straight for the ground, then swooped upwards and spread her arms out against the snow and the wind and the cold, and let her lights dapple the entire city like fireflies in the sky.
Jack smiled softly when she was all done. "Nice," he said. "But it's not as cool as my snow."
"Dream on, Frost," said Starla with a smirk.
She took a deep breath and inhaled the wintry smell of pine. The smell reminded her of Jack, a nice scent that she liked to breathe in. She looked at Jack. She had never actually realized it before as they teased each other mercilessly, but he was actually kinda maybe sorta attractive...
His white spiky hair complimented his pale skin, pale lips, and ice blue eyes. She wondered if his skin was as cold as the snow he formed with his hands. She loved his blue hoodie with frost patterning the edges, and she looked down to his frayed brownish pants, and then his pale bare feet.
"Why don't you wear shoes?" she asked, crinkling her nose.
"Why does it bother you?" Jack squatted, holding his staff next to him.
"It doesn't," Starla said nicely. "And I asked you first."
"Oh." Jack scratched his head. "I...I died like this. With my feet bare. I never had shoes on."
Starla flinched. Uncomfortable subject. "What were you doing when you died, Jack?"
Jack grinned. "Ice skating with my sister."
Starla leaned backwards like he had just slapped her. "Jack—ice skating? With no shoes?"
Jack shrugged. "I just don't like shoes. When I became a Guardian, North had this pair of shoes made for me. Blue, with pointy tips, with all this gold design stuff on it." He shook his head. "Never wore 'em. Just seemed pointless to me." He glanced at her feet.
Starla laughed. "Now we're looking at each other's feet. God, this is awkward."
Jack burst out laughing, and so did Starla.
Their laughter chimed through the night air, crystal clear, like birdsong, slicing the stars, carried on the wind.
The laughter naturally died down, and Jack and Starla settled on a rooftop to stare out across at the sky, filled with magic, lights, and falling snowflakes.
"They're so pretty," Starla mused, as Jack trapped a small snowflake on his palm. She looked at the lacy work on it. "It's so true what they say."
Jack raised his head. "What do they say?"
"No snowflake is exactly alike."
"Oh." Jack blew the snowflake gently into Starla's face. She smiled at him as they sat on the rooftop. Jack took a deep breath. "You're really nice," he told her. "And pretty. And I like your lights, Firefly."
Starla blinked, and she could feel her face getting warm all over, despite the chilly December air. "Why are you bringing that up now, Frost?" she challenged him, trying to die down the sparking feelings she felt inside.
Jack shrugged. "Just thought I'd tell you, that's all." He looked away.
Damn. I broke the moment! Starla silently cursed herself. She reached out slowly and touched Jack's hand. It was pretty cold, like she imagined it to be. Jack jerked and turned around. "What?"
Starla forced herself to look at his eyes. "Your hands. They're cold."
Jack laughed nervously, awkwardly. "Yeah."
Starla nodded. "Sorry. I just wanted to see how they felt."
"They're warm compared to yours." Jack raised his hand and pressed it slowly, carefully, against the side of Starla's cheek.
Somewhere nearby a drum was pounding at top speed. That drum was Starla's heart. Her heart was speeding up like a racecar about to win...
She sucked in more air. Jack Frost's hand was touching her face! They were so close, they were alone, it was a magical night—
Starla nearly smacked herself. I am Starla, and I don't want to fall in love. I am afraid of getting trapped in emotions—it is my biggest fear. I'm scared that if I love somebody, or get too attached, I will lose them. I WILL LOSE THEM AND THEY WILL BE GONE FOREVER.
It is my biggest fear.
It is written in my shadow.
I cannot do this!
NO!
But despite her thoughts raging in her brain like a fierce thunderstorm, Starla couldn't bring herself to move. The heart wants what the heart wants, and Starla couldn't even shift backwards, she could only get hopelessly lost in Jack's bottomless ice blue eyes.
What was his biggest fear? She wondered.
Jack was so close to her. Their foreheads were nearly touching. But we only just met about five days ago! Well, yeah, we've known each other for centuries, but never on an actual close-friend basis. So how are we so close to romance up on a fricking rooftop right now? How is this—oh my stars. Is Jack going to KISS ME?
Starla's thoughts raced. She couldn't even control them. Suddenly, their foreheads touched. She felt his coolness radiate into her skin. She was sure her face was already beet red from the closeness she was experiencing right now. She could already feel the bottomless maw that was emotion ready to swallow her up forever, never to let her out. She was Starla, the girl with the iron heart that did not want to feel.
Their lips touched.
It was so instantaneous that Starla couldn't do a single thing. Her thoughts were frantic:
His eyes have a snowflake pattern in them!
He closed his eyes.
Is he enjoying it?
His lips are so cold...but I like them.
Wait, what?!
What do I do? I can't fall in love with him!
Starla didn't move.
Jack was the one who broke the kiss. He leaned backwards, looking a bit confused. "Starla—"
Starla swallowed and opened her mouth, but only a squeak came out.
Jack reached out and touched her bare shoulders. Shivers ran through her body. She squeaked again, like a little mouse.
"Are you okay?" Jack's brows furrowed.
Starla thought of Bunny and Tooth, eyes vacant, shadows gone, sitting back in Santoff Claussen with children losing hope each hour as their shadows were ripped away by the Nightmare King.
Two words escaped her trembling lips. "I'm scared."
Jack's eyes widened. "You're scared? Of—"
Cold, cruel laughter erupted through the entire night sky. Jack jumped up in an instant, holding out his staff.
Starla got up, electricity buzzing in her fingertips. She would kill Pitch if he even tried to get close to her shadow. She had too many secrets about tonight weaved into its folds that he could hurt her with.
But Pitch wasn't anywhere there.
But they heard his voice, distinct and low:
"Is this love I see? Funny, coming from a girl that doesn't want to feel. Am I right, Starla?"
She tensed, then shot light straight into the darkness, a grunt escaping her mouth.
"Don't stress yourself," warned Pitch. "I won't hurt you two now. You're all alone, it's Christmas Eve. I'm not that cruel." He chuckled. "Go on home. Run along." He clucked his tongue. "My. No one saw this coming, did they? The winter spirit with the light spirit."
Starla gritted her teeth. "We are not together."
"Forgive me," Pitch said dryly. "I just thought—with all the touching and the playing and the flirting and the kissing—that maybe you were together."
Jack tensed. "Come on out, Pitch," he called, a bit of dangerousness playing in his voice. "Or are you afraid?"
Pitch laughed. "Afraid? Of who, two children? I'm not afraid."
"You should be," Jack remarked. "You got your ass kicked pretty hard last time you fought with me."
"Don't be so cocky, Jack," Pitch said calmly. "I've practiced, you know. I'm stronger."
"Huh, that's cool." Jack narrowed his eyes. "I'm stronger too. We all are."
"But you've lost two," Pitch whispered. "Two Guardians already. How many more Guardians and children will you lose before you prideful spirits decide to give up?"
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WILL GIVE UP!" Jack yelled, and shot forward, grunting, vanishing into darkness.
"Jack!" cried Starla.
Jack appeared again, black mist dissolving away from around him. He looked defeated.
"Are you okay J—" began Starla, but suddenly, something grabbed at her shadow. It didn't hurt, but it defenitely applied pressure to her entire body. With her shadow, she jerked forward.
Jack's shadow was snaking towards hers.
They collided and became one shadow.
Starla smacked into Jack Frost. Hard. Jack grabbed her around the waist to steady her, and electricity spread through every single muscle in Starla's body. She was on fire.
"Not wanting to feel emotion, Starla?" Pitch chuckled. "You're not doing a very good job right now." Another sinister, dark laugh. "I think I know exactly how to get you to feel things. Just—do—this." He jerked at her shadow again, twisting it against Jack's. Starla's forehead pressed onto his so their eyes were glued.
"Want to dance with the winter spirit, little Starla?" Pitch taunted from the darkness.
"Stop it!" Jack yelled. "She's had enough."
Starla whimpered, trying to break free. Her emotions were like a hurricane, swirling inside of her. She was trapped. Her worst fear was nearly almost coming alive right this second.
She fell without warning.
She plummeted straight out of the sky.
For one moment, Starla was not a flier, she was just free-falling towards her certain death.
Jack zoomed under her at the last minute, and she heard him grunt in pain as he caught her mid-fall. Starla, eyes glazed, stared off into the distance, the pains and the agonies of the last few minutes replaying over and over again in her mind.
Darkness shot through the air, slamming into Jack. He released Starla, and she fell, slamming into the earth, dirty snow mixed on her face, her shoulder releasing a fresh wave of pain. Starla had cut her shoulder with a rock. Now droplets of blood stained the snow.
"Jack," Starla croaked. "Jack."
That was all she remembered before the world around her went totally and completely black.
"Give her some space, for the love of Tchaikovsky! Bingle, vould you get back? Good grief!"
Starla opened her eyes slowly. She closed them. Then opened them. Her shoulder stung, and she self-consciously wiped her face. There was no dirt—someone must've cleaned her face off.
"Jack," she whispered. "He's—he's hurt—"
"Nah, I'm okay," came a voice.
Starla twisted around to see the winter spirit grinning at her, despite a slight bruise to the side of his temple. She exhaled sharply. "Ohmygod."
"Rough night?" North felt her forehead, then winced. "Burning hot like Christmas fire!"
Jack stepped forward and squatted down next to her. "You okay, Firefly?"
Starla watched North rustle up the elves and Sandy and tiptoe out of the room, closing the door softly.
"Yeah," Starla whispered.
"What was Pitch talking about? Back in town. About you not wanting to feel?" Jack's voice was careful, but holding a demanding undertone.
Starla tried to make it light and innocent, hoping Jack would shrug it off. "It's just this...thing."
"What does it mean?" Jack demanded, standing up. "And I know what it is. I've been through this same thing before. It's a fear."
"Hold on a second!" Starla sat up, now recoiling in shock that Jack had said it so loathingly. "It's not a fear," she lied, angrily. "I'm not afraid of anything!" Fear was another emotion Starla didn't want to get tangled in.
"Ohhh, you're not?" Jack stepped forward threateningly. "I had to save your life back there."
Too shocked to even reply, Starla jammed her finger into Jack's chest. "I. Didn't. Need. You."
Jack looked slightly hurt and a bit offended, but he played it cool and smirked. "You think so, huh?"
Starla knew she had needed him. She was just being stupid. She took a deep breath. "You may have saved my life but don't think I'm gonna be your humble servant and cater to your every need."
"Spare me," Jack snapped. "I helped you. Your shadow would be taken if I hadn't helped you. And I helped you because I CARED ABOUT YOU!"
Silence.
Starla cleared her throat. "Well, that's nice. But I'm still not afraid."
It was a total lie. A lie just spread out in front of her so she could look at all the stupid stuff weaved into it. It was a stupid, plastic lie and Jack looked so upset.
Why, Starla thought unhappily. Am I so scared to admit that I'm afraid?
Jack just turned around and left the room, shaking his head, muttering inaudible words under his breath.
Starla fumed, wrapped in North's green stupid Jingle Bells blanket. She picked up a knit pillow that said "For Nicky,"—for Nicky?—held it up to her face, and screamed into it so it muffled the curses spilling out of the light spirit's mouth.
"You take Jack, I'll take her," came North's voice. Even when he was trying to whisper, it sounded like he was speaking regularly.
Starla raised her head. Sandy drifted off into Jack's room.
North entered. "Hello, there, Starla," he said awkwardly, standing. "Can I sit down?"
"Yes, of course you can, North!" she snapped. "It's your house." Then she felt rude and stupid and worthless and she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, North. I'm just feeling a bit...off. Here. Sit." She moved over, and the huge man sat down next to her, smelling like candycanes and gingerbread.
"Candycane?" he offered her.
Starla accepted and stuck it in her mouth, sucking on the sweet minty treat. It sucked out some of the burning heat inside her.
She anxiously rubbed the settled cut on her shoulder and then looked at North. "So."
"So," he said finally. "I do not have much experience with love, but—"
The candycane nearly went down Starla's throat. She sputtered and choked and finally stared at North. "Love?" she breathed.
The worst of all emotions to feel. Love was like a rope that never left you. It held on forever and ever till the end of time. She shuddered.
"Yes, love," North said impatiently. "You. In the throes of young love. With Jack?"
"Are you out of your mind?" yelled Starla. "You think we're in—love?!"
North sighed. "Tou-chy. Alright. We forget, we overlook. I just vant to talk to you about vat happened tonight. Okay?"
Starla blinked. "North, honestly, I barely remember anything."
"This is important, Starla!" North barked, leaning forward. "You have to at least tell me a little."
Starla sighed. "Well. Jack and I were sitting on a rooftop—"
"Not at all in love," North interrupted.
Starla rolled her eyes. "Right. And then Pitch was there. But not there."
"STOP SPEAKING IN RIDDLES, GIRL!" North bellowed. "Not there, but here, not here, but there. Vat is this—quantum physics?!"
Starla pinched the space between her eyebrows. "This isn't going well."
"Continue!" the older man barked.
"Well, it was just his voice that was near me and Jack. The actual Pitch wasn't anywhere there."
"Are you certain?" North demanded, voice hushed.
"Pretty sure," Starla confirmed.
"Shostakovich," North whispered.
Starla chose to ignore that and continued. "He combined Jack and my shadow."
"Are you still attached?!"
Starla inhaled. "North. If we were both attached now, wouldn't we be stuck together?"
North nodded. "Ah. Yes. Right."
"He was...playing. With our shadows," Starla continued. "He didn't attack. There were no Nightmares. He said he didn't want to attack us just yet, when we were uncovered and alone."
"That does not seem like Pitch," mused North.
"Well, he didn't hurt us too bad," Starla offered. "But then I felt like my entire insides were being ripped out."
"Your shadow," North said with a nod, grim. "He vas trying to take your shadow. And he vas also reading your shadow vhile he stole it."
"It hurt like hell," Starla explained. "And yeah. I could feel him reading my thoughts and my emotions and the rest of that crap."
"Not crap," North told her. "It can be valuable. Really," he added when she looked doubtful.
"Anyway," Starla kept going with her story. "I fell. I felt sorta powerless when he read my shadow. I don't know. And then Jack caught me in midair. And he stopped Pitch from reading the rest. He shot him with his ice spear—"
"It is a staff," North said vaguely. "And Jack saved you."
"I know." Starla sighed. "It was wrong of me to yell at him. But that's the thing. I hate being afraid." Pressure pooled behind her eyes, and Starla pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes to stop any future tears. "And I hate to cry."
"It is alright to cry," North said gently, rubbing her back. "And it is alright to be afraid. Everyone is afraid at some point in their lives, Starla. No use trying to hide it. Because it shows. Fear cannot really be hidden."
Starla gazed up at North, and then gave him a tiny smile.
"Are you alright?" he asked her softly.
She nodded.
North nodded, too. "Thank you for telling me vat happened. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Starla whispered.
"I vill give you something to drink!" North announced, standing up. "How about some milk? Or, hot chocolate?"
"Hot chocolate. Please." Starla smiled at North. Then slyly, a trace of the old Starla coming back, she held up the pillow embroidered with "For Nicky."
North turned red as she held it up.
She raised her eyebrows. "Who's Nicky?"
North ran back to the kitchen shouting, "Hot chocolate for everyone!"
Starla laughed and opened the door to face the wind.
"It's her, Sandy!" Jack facepalmed repeatedly. "Not me! She's the one doing this! She's playing a sick mind game with me. It really sucks—I keep thinking about her. What's happening to me, Sandy?"
Sandy made a heart shape above his head.
"Ah, shut up." Jack threw a pillow at the golden man.
Sandy made a pouty face and a few images. I think perhaps you two should talk a little.
"About what?" Jack raged. "And why? So Starla can yell her little guts out at me again?"
She's probably sorry. North talked to her.
"So?"
He probably talked some sense into her.
Jack grumbled. "Knowing North, he probably started swearing in Russian and throwing elves around. And Starla probably got up and left."
Jack, don't be so judgmental. Sandy made a no-no gesture with his index finger and narrowed his eyebrows.
Jack sighed. "Sorry."
Sandy smiled kindly at him. Talk to her, Jack. We need her for the fight with Pitch. And we cannot be enemies with her—she's nice. You know she's nice.
"Yeah," Jack mumbled. "So you're saying I should cow down and apologize?"
It's not cowing down! Golden sand rushed out of Sandy's ears. Come on, Jack, don't be cliche! It's being a gentleman.
"That's not what I am," Jack said quietly. "I'm Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter, the Guardian of Fun. I am a lot of things, but I'm not a gentleman."
Sandy shrugged. Oh, well. I tried. Well. Don't apologize then. You'll have more luck if you do. But why don't you just try talking normally to her right now?
"I think what I'm gonna do is cool off, Sandy," Jack retorted, and slipped out the window.
Sandy sighed, more sand rushing out of his ears.
If only he'd listen!
"Okay! Let's bring them together!" North charged into Jack's room.
Jack wasn't in there. Only Sandy, who shrugged. I couldn't stop him.
North held out the two cups of hot chocolate. "Vell? Vat do I do with these?!"
Sandy gestured to North, then to himself.
North nodded. "Gooooood idea, Sandy! Hahaha, you little man!" North tipped both cups back and drank them.
Sandy rolled his eyes and left the room, leaving North to his precious cups of hot chocolate.
Starla was out in the grass.
Lights floated up at the slightest twitch of her hand, and filled the entire yard in front of North's Workshop in Santoff Claussen. She giggled.
Jack sat on the roof of the workshop, watching Starla command the lights. Her entire body glowed. She floated like a heavenly being, just above the grass, one with the lights.
Jack cupped his hands and blew a breath of wind that danced around her, billowed her hair and her dress, and flew away her lights, like weightless lanterns, into the beyond.
Starla smiled and flew gently after them, landing in the snow, her feet making imprints in the white powderiness.
Jack found himself grinning as he teased her with little breaths of wind and snowflakes. Snowflakes covered her hair and her dress and she laughed, trying to shake them off. Jack hoped she wasn't getting too cold, and that she liked the wind and the delicate tiny snowflakes, like ballerinas, that he sent her way.
Starla turned abruptly, and spotted the sender of her snowflakes.
Jack Frost.
He stood up, hooked his staff over his shoulder, and walked upwards to the other side of the roof with a haughty display.
Ooookay.
Starla floated upwards. She knew she was the one that owed Jack an apology.
She flew up onto the roof and landed on the icy surface. "Jack?" she called. "Jack, can we talk?"
No response.
"Please."
Jack rose slowly, legs wrapped around the staff. He landed a few feet away from her.
"Hey," he said finally, running a hand through his already messy white hair. He was breathtaken by Starla's current appearance.
Her thin white dress billowed in the breeze and her blonde hair whipped to the side. Her green eyes were wide and focused on him, and snow danced in her hair and all around her. She looked so...beautiful.
Jack broke those thoughts hastily.
"Hey." Starla nodded, realizing he was there. She took a step forward, the dress blowing behind her now as the wind shifted direction. "Jack." She pressed her face to her hands, let out a little moaning sound, and then pulled her hands down, fiddling with her dress. "Jack, I'm so sorry. About...snapping."
"Don't—don't apologize," Jack said quickly. "It's fine. I just—I mean—I—I'm glad you're—I'm glad you're okay."
Starla made a "mmmhmm" noise that she hoped passed off for a yes, but they were both pretty pissed about Pitch and the shadow stealing.
"I feel bad for those kids," Jack said quietly. "That will wake up tomorrow morning and realize the Tooth Fairy never came."
"Before that happens, you know what we have to do?" Starla asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Get the Baby Tooth Fairies! From the Tooth Palace! They can help us!"
Jack nodded. "Yeah! Let's do it. But you look pretty tired. So why don't you go to bed? I'll do that right now."
"Really?" Starla took a deep breath. "Are you sure? I'm okay, I can—"
"Go," Jack said with a grin. "Firefly."
The nickname meant they were on okay terms again, and Starla smiled in relief. "Okay."
Starla was already asleep when Jack went back inside her room about an hour later. He looked at the sleeping form, a few melted snowflakes in her hair, and he smiled.
He didn't know what he was feeling, but he sort of liked it.
He walked over to the window, tapped it with his staff so frost spread over the glass.
Then ever so carefully he used his finger to draw a smileyface.
"Goodnight," he whispered to Starla, then he left the room, leaving only the frosty smileyface behind to watch over the sleeping girl.
Hey guys!
So please leave reviews to let me know if these awkward kinda love scenes between Jack and Starla are weird or cute or what. Please. I neeed some feedback!
Starla: Hey, North. So who IS "Nicky," anyway?
Jack: I bet it's North.
North: And did you know that in some fanfictions, you're portrayed as a girl? *smirks*
Jack: ...you're LYING to me.
Me: No...he's not. But North, how did YOU know that?
Starla: Have you been reading fanfiction, North?
North: ...
Me: Okay then. Until the next update, guys!
xx, Crystal