I'M BACK, EVERYBODY! I've finally broken out of my writer's block just enough to feel comfortable with an update! Last night I finished one of the pivotal chapters in my notebook and I was so happy and I thought how happy y'all would be LOL! Anywho, I hope you like this chapter and I don't own the song that plays later (you'll see).

Y'all remember when Tooth took a peek at Jo's teeth? Here's why!

"Just trust me to make it right." – Boaz, The Book of Ruth: A Journey of Faith

Chapter 13: Window Vows
Two canines, one molar, two lateral incisors, and a bicuspid were all missing from their empty spaces like children's heads from their pillows. It broke Tooth's heart almost as much as the fact that Joanna's search for her past had not ended after all. Joanna, however, was distracted by the winged woman's revelation.

"My father?" she squeaked, "He's still alive?"

"Oh, yes," Tooth said seriously, "He is very much alive."

"And you say he has my missing teeth?" Jo looked weirded out, "Why?"

"That's just it," said Tooth, "He wouldn't tell me." Jack and Jo both gave her the same "huh?" look.

"What do you mean he wouldn't tell you?" Jack asked the question they were both thinking.

"Did you see him?" Jo asked with wide eyes.

"Twice, actually," said Tooth, "The first time was back in 1978. You were way past the normal age when your case should have been full and my fairies were complaining that they had found the missing teeth, but they were being held under lock and key. Obviously this was a weird one, so I flew out myself to investigate. I was plenty mad, too; half the fairies I sent for them had come home with violent cases of frostbite. Some of them couldn't even fly…but when I found him and laid out my grievances, he came at me with everything he had. Fortunately I was too fast for him," she smiled proudly, "but he was bent on keeping those teeth, no matter what. When I asked him why, he looked right at me and said, 'As the Guardian of children's memories, you should understand.' It caught me off guard and then his winter storm got too hard for even me to handle. So I let it drop…until tonight."

"What happened tonight?" Jo asked with some amount of dread.

"Pretty much the same as last time," Tooth huffed, "only this time, he gave me more of a clue to his motives. He said the memories I was seeking didn't belong in the hands of one who protects innocence in children. That really ruffled my feathers and I told him that wasn't his call to make, that every child's tooth is under my protection and that I was the Guardian of all the important memories of childhood."

"Ha, ha!" North beamed, "That's our girl! What did he say to that?"

"He tried to drown me," she said blandly. Everyone looked shocked at her. "Don't worry, I'm fine. He only did it to scare me. I managed to slip out and snowglobe my way home so I could warm up."

Joanna stared at Tooth, her face drawn and tired. She had risked her personal safety to help her and it had been for nothing. Her past was not whole and her own father was vehemently safeguarding what were probably her most important memories from her. He had to have known what they were for him to behave this way.

"I'm sorry, Tooth," her voice broke, "You did all that for me and nearly got killed for it." The last of her strength sapped out and Jack had to catch her before she collapsed. Tooth gently tipped her chin and made her look at her.

"I'm fine, Jo," she said calmly and firmly, "I'm a Guardian. I've seen and conquered things much more dangerous than your dad. North will testify to that."

"Is true," he nodded gravely.

"We'll all help you through this," she continued, "but for now, you need to go home and get some rest." She smiled softly. "You have children to take care of, remember?"

Jack watched the light return to his lover's eyes.

'Jamie,' she thought, 'Sophie.'

Companion or no, she was still their nanny, and they still needed her. That thought became a tether and the strength returned to her knees.

"You're right," she nodded with new resolve and held Jack's hand, "I've still got a job to do." She looked at Jack. "Walk me home?"

"Here." North tossed him a glass sphere. "Take snowglobe; is faster."

"Thank you, everyone," said Joanna, "As we used to say in the 70s, you're all a groovy bunch!" North gave out another booming laugh.

"The feeling is mutual, Joanna!" he said as he hugged her again, "You are always welcome at the Pole!"

"Goodbye, darling," Anya smiled, "I look forward to seeing you again."

"And don't worry," said Tooth, "We'll piece your past together."

Joanna gave them all one more "Thank you" before Jack led her through the magic portal and right back into her own room. Once the noise died out, Jo raised an eyebrow at her boombox; she'd left her ipod running and it was currently playing Maroon 5's "Daylight."

"Jack," she asked, "You didn't happen to enchant my ipod to only play love songs, did you?"

"Nah," he chuckled, "Magic is more North's thing. Didn't get my letter from Hogwarts." She giggled.

"Are you gonna check in on Jamie?" she asked.

"Just for a second," he said, "I've got a little Guardian business to take care of." She looked at him.

"Jack," she said seriously, "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"Depends on what you think I'm thinking," he smiled devilishly.

"Jack, no," she shook her head.

"Joanna, relax…"

"You can't!"

"Well, you can't," he shrugged. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Jack," she croaked, "He sent you away from me when I was too young to do anything about it. He didn't care how I felt, how you felt, how anyone felt." She ducked her head in his neck. "I don't want to lose you again! Not after I've finally found you!" Jack held her tight with his eyes closed.

"North told me," he said softly, "that it's not the moon that actually chooses the Companion. He only bestows the title and powers."

"Anya said something like that," she replied as they pulled back to face each other. Jack nodded.

"They're right," he said, "The real choosing is in the Guardian." He closed his hand around her snowflake. "I chose you, Joanna. 48 years ago I chose you. You've always been my Companion—first as my friend, the only one I had, and now as the love of my life." He smirked. "Sound familiar?"

"Don't say it," she rolled her eyes with a smile, "I'll add it to the list."

"Okay," he chuckled, "Seriously, though; I know it sounds cliché…" He shook his head helplessly. "But I love you, Jo. In different ways, I always have."

"Jack," she said and held his hands, "I know I don't need to ask you this, but I feel like I should: You once held me as a child—loved me as a child. But I'm all grown up now, a woman. I need to know which one you love now. I need to know who you see when you look at me. Who are you holding when you hold me?"

Jack stared silently at her for a moment; then, after leaning his staff against the wall by the window, he scooped her up, sat her on the cushioned window sill sideways, and knelt in front of her with his knees straddling her legs so they were directly face-to-face, no holds barred. It made her blush even deeper.

"I want you to understand something, Joanna," he said clearly and honestly, "I loved you then the way I love Jamie now…and I love you now in a way I never thought was even possible for someone like me." He got misty-eyed as he continued, looking both strong and vulnerable as he pulled the words from his heart.

"I used to watch people in love and I would…wonder what it is that draws them together like that, but I…I-I never even imagined I could feel this way myself. In 300 years, I've never felt anything that even comes close to what I felt when I first saw you the way you are now. Even then, I never expected to fall this hard or this fast.

"I know that's a round-about way to say it," he smiled sheepishly, "but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that…I love you." He held her face. "I truly…deeply love you, Joanna. And that makes me your Companion as much as it makes you mine." He brought her forehead to his; it was warm. "Let me do this for you," he whispered pleadingly, "Let me restore your memories. I know I can do it because I know it's for you."

Joanna stared humbly at the boy she loved, remembering what Anya had said about love making you strong against anything and she could somehow tell that Jack had already undertaken this task in his heart and was going with or without her blessing. It was just like the day they'd met, when he'd saved her and ridden off: He was her prince again and what was a prince without his princess?

She slowly moved her face in real close, closing her eyes as she did, and poured every ounce of passion she had into the kiss she gave him with the music underlining the moment.

'Cause when the daylight
comes, I'll have to go
But tonight I'm gonna hold you
so close

Jack leaned her back against the window wall and rested his forearms on either side of her head. He felt her face heat up by about a hundred degrees and he smiled while kissing her.

And in the daylight
we'll be on our own
but tonight I need to hold you
so close

Without opening his eyes and still kissing his girl, Jack reached for his staff and expertly shot a freeze chill into a dark corner by the door. He smiled with satisfaction and Jo looked startled to hear the victim's outcry.

"What the heck was that?" she exclaimed. She looked over to where Jack's staff was pointing and her eyes nearly popped out. The biggest rabbit she'd ever seen came limping out of the shadows on one frozen hind paw. He looked at once cuddly and intimidating—kind of like North, but fuzzier. Joanna wasn't sure whether she wanted to hide behind her boyfriend or curl up like Sophie and burrow her face into that soft, warm fur.

"Enjoy the show, Eggbert?" Jack smirked and perched on the edge of the sill with his staff standing on the floor. Jo could almost hear her face sizzling.

"All right, I admit I deserved that," said Bunny, after which he smashed his foot free, "I was just checking on Sophie."

"Is something wrong with Sophie," Jo asked with alarm.

"No, no," said Bunny, "She's fine, love. She's just a…a bit of a favorite of mine, like Jamie is for Jack." He smirked. "I rather thought he'd be in Jamie's room and here I find him pashing on the nanny."

"Okay, I'm not even gonna ask what that means," Jack said irritably, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to be curious," Bunny answered with his ears perked, "What's going on here, besides Romeo and Juliet?" Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Jo," he pointed with the same hand, "meet the Easter Bunny. Bunny, this is Joanna."

"Right," Bunny smiled, "Nanny Jo. Pleased to make your acquaintance, love."

"Um, yeah," she blinked, flustered, "Me, too. Love the accent."

"Hear that, Jack?" he said, "She likes my accent."

"I guess someone has to," Jack muttered, "All right, Bugs, here's the short version." He pointed at Jo. "She's my Companion and is missing some teeth from her Tooth Fairy case."

"Crikey," said a shocked Bunny.

"I know," said Jack and thumbed out the window, "Her dad has them locked up for some reason and he's not gonna give 'em up easily." He cupped Jo's head and kissed her one more time.

"I'm gonna get your memories back," he murmured tenderly, "I promise."

"I believe you," she nodded, "Be careful." He smiled and stood on the window sill while Bunny asked, "And just how do you plan to do that, mate?" Jack half-turned with that mischievous smile of his.

"I'm gonna go have some fun." With that, he stepped out into the wind, just as he had all those years ago, leaving snowflakes in his wake like a protective aura. Jo watched him fly off, just like before, her necklace sparkling in the starlight. She barely even noticed Bunny saying, with a slight tone of appreciation, "Hmph—bloody show pony."

Author's Review:
First, off, let's give a special welcome to 1233456789treytrey, a genuine Aussie who was kind enough to give me a bit of a fill-in on Aussie slang! I won't insult you by trying to be cool and give you an Aussie greeting (because people like that need to be smacked) but I'll give you one of my favorite American greetings: Here's lookin' at you, kid!

So, yeah: The reason I put Maroon 5 in there is because I was listening to that song a lot at the time I was handwriting the chapter. Fun! And Jack's big speech was one of the very first scribbles I came up with when my brain was bringing this story to a boil, so I'm very fond of it.

Tooth's little speech about how she's beaten more dangerous people than Jo's dad was a sort of mini-homage to what a butt-kicker she was in the books. YOU HAVE TO READ THE BOOKS! THE NEXT ONE COMES OUT IN TWO MONTHS! Join me in the Dance of Agony!

Anyway, I'll try not to take too long next time (or at least, not AS long) because there's gonna be an adorable friendship bonding moment between Jo and Bunny! It's a literal warm fuzzy! Hope this was worth the wait!