Oh no, I'm late again. I apologize, I'm so sorry. It's just that I'm stressed out, and it doesn't help that I have some flamer, the Familiar Fox or whatever, coming and saying how bad my story is and that homosexuality is evil and that I should burn, then when I replied to her, she continued to say some very racist terms and insulted my intelligence. *sigh* I've banned her, but she drained a lot out of me while I was writing this, and it still is, so I won't be posting as often as I was before. :(

Oh, also, this is NOT the end of the story. I plan for more action(not sex-action, but actually fighting-action) to start back up in the next chapter, and then there will be two or three chapters more after that, then this story will FINALLY be done. Whew. Just imagine, two months ago, I started with a simple chapter that my first reviewer liked, but had too much singing. Now look how far we've come! :D

Oh, and please excuse the typo on the last chapter where I put "poop" instead of pop. I will fix that, don't worry!

I own nothing.

"Toothiana!"

Tooth jumped at the sound of her name being called. She had fallen asleep on the parlor couch after North had brought the news that Jack was gonna be alright, and someone, probably Sandy, had thrown a cover over her. She groaned, her body still slow and groggy with sleep, and rubbed one eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot the sandman sleeping on the sofa across the room from her.

"Toothiana!" It was North who had woken. He was bellowing over her, almost bursting her eardrums.

She winced. "What? What?" she moaned, rolling on to her side. She really did wish that he hadn't woken her up. She had been lost in a fantasy that closely replicated the events last night.

Goosebumps that made her feathers ruffle traveled up and down her arms. He had been so gentle, his hands soft against her skin and feathers, not at all rushing, showing restraint that she had never seen in a guy before, especially a virgin. He had caressed her every curve from the hollows of her eyes to the arcs of her feet, which had made her laugh. Then his own skin had been as soft and smooth as a baby's tooth- it was cool to the touch, the scabs almost nonexistent. It was amazing to believed that they had only touched each other, but felt something that was so much powerful than making love could have. Tooth was glad that Jack had stopped her, even though she still would have done it if given the chance again.

Jack...Just the sound of his name in her head made her dizzy.

"Have you seen Jack?" North's voice broke into the hazy fog that was her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, thinking that she must have heard wrong. Why would she have seen Jack? Both her and Sandy had stayed in the parlor room after the Guardians had confronted her about why she had gone to see Jack after the party, and had fallen asleep. And she remembered that Bunny had specifically told her- she definitely remembered that- that she couldn't go up and see Jack until the morning, to let him rest.

"Have you seen Jack?" he repeated.

"What do you mean? No, I haven't seen him. What's going on?" She was becoming alarmed now.

"Jack is missing."

A weight dropped into the bottom of Tooth's stomach. "What?"

"I went up to serve breakfast, and he was not in bed," North explained. "I looked around room. Covers are made, but staff is still there. I ask yetis; they have not let anyone into room, and no one has been seen outside.."

Tooth immediately threw the covers off of her and flew up into the air, clutching her head feathers with both hands as she frantically tried to think. It couldn't be Pitch, someone would have seen him, she reminded herself, though it didn't help. By now, their racket had woken the sandman. He opened his mouth in a wide yawn, then hopped out of bed with a question mark above his head. "Sandy, do you know anywhere or place that Jack would have gone to?"she demanded.

He shook his head, his eyes wide. Tooth groaned, putting her face in her hands. This was ridiculous! How could he have just disappeared like that?! But there had been no sign of Pitch anywhere, no sign of a struggle. Even his bed had been made. And if no one had taken him, then... "Do you think he left the North Pole?" she asked North.

The big man stroked his white beard, his usually twinkling blue eyes uncharacteristically serious. "I do not know. We know that he was tired of being cooped up, but I didn't think he detested it that much. And besides, would he be strong enough to?" he reminded her.

Just then, Bunny burst through the doors. "I heard the news," he panted, looking hot and flustered. Tooth guessed that he had probably ran all the way here from wherever he had been. "Is it true?" North nodded his head somberly. "I checked every tower and window to see if he had left out that way. No sign of him, mate." To Tooth, he added, "I'm sorry, Tooth."

Tooth cursed, putting a forehead to her head. How could he just disappear like this? she screamed though she knew that he probably had no intention of hurting her feelings, after what transpired between them, she would of thought that Jack would at least given her some types of heads-up before leaving the North Pole!

Then something occurred to her. His staff is still there. He couldn't leave the Pole without his staff, certainly not in his condition. Which meant... "He's still at the Pole!" she exclaimed, whirling around to face the other Guardians. "He's still here!"

Sandy suddenly started flashing sand signs above his head, showing a round circle that was suddenly sliced in four and drifted apart. "You're right, Sandy. We need to split up," Bunny agreed. "North, you take the East Wing, mate. See if he might be with the elves." North nodded, and immediately jogged out of the room. "Sandy, you and I'll take the South Wing. He might just be fancying for a swim." The sandman nodded, then glided out of the room. The Easter Bunny turned to the tooth fairy and laid a comforting paw on her shoulder. "Tooth, you check the West Wing. And don't worry about Jack," he added.

"But-"

"Ah, no buts." He put a furry finger to her lips. "Frostbite'll be alright, okay? I promise."

"I'm just so scared for him," she whispered when he had removed his finger. For once, she was glad that she had been openly affectionate with Jack. No one would suspect that something had happened between them, that she was just worrying over him constantly as usual.

"Don't worry, mate. If I know Jack, he'll be turnin' up somewhere with that same smile on his face, and he'll say-"

"'Hey, guys. Whatcha been doin'?'," she sighed.

He grinned. "Atta girl." He gave her a single clap on the shoulder before hopping off.

Tooth hovered in the parlor room for a couple more seconds, letting herself worry a bit more, then darted out the door that led to the west side of the North Pole. She flew faster than she had ever before, her wings beating so fast that they weren't just blurs; they were practically nonexistent. The fairy blasted through the hallways, not caring if she smashed into anything or anybody. The yetis yelped and jumped out of the way before they could be flattened by an agitated Tooth. This had happened before, a couple years ago when one of her fairies had gotten lost in the maze of the place and she had been overcome with worry, so they knew exactly where to jump and duck.

She rocketed through the West Wing, diving into every room, looking into every kitchen, workshop, bathroom, you name it. One time, she accidentally burst in on two yetis, um, uh, doing...stuff. They trumpeted in surprise when Tooth charged in on them. "Omigosh, I am so sorry!" She hastily shut the door, then, as she pressed her back against the wood, prayed that she, Guardian of Memories, would erase that memory from her mind forever.

After what seemed like hours of searching, Tooth finally gave up. Distressed, and upset that she could not find Jack, she slid to the ground, her knees brought up to her chin and her hands in her face. Don't cry, don't cry, she told herself, but could still feel the tears building up behind her eyelids. Maybe North or Bunny have found him by now. Maybe they're scolding him, telling him that he shouldn't have run off. Maybe that's why they're playing the piano right now, instead of looking for Jack.

Wait, what?

Tooth lifted her face from her hands, straining her ears. No, she was right, there was a piano playing from down the hall, in the room where Karaoke Night was held. But that didn't make any sense. He was supposed to be in the East Wing, which was on the opposite side of the Pole. How and why had Sandy came over here? And to play a piano? It had to be him; he was the only Guardian that she knew of that played the piano. What was he thinking? He knew that it was their number one priority right now to find Jack. Why would he waste time to play a stupid song?

But as Tooth listened longer, she realized that she could notice a distinct difference between how the Sandman played and this one. After knowing him for centuries, she knew his style. Sandy played his songs with confidence, but also with humility, making sure that he acknowledged that most of his gift came from the instrument he so happened to wield. But this person was bold, cocky, but playing not as if it and the piano weren't two separate pieces, but together. As one.

Cautiously, Tooth got to her feet, then back into the air. It was coming down a hallway with velvet walls and a gold rail on each side. Her fingers anxiously traced the top of the rail as she glided down the hall towards the sound of the piano. It was becoming louder as she drew nearer, the sound becoming more full and deep. The song itself seemed familiar...not too old as in a hundred years ago, but probably a decade or so.

When she reached the edge of the hall, she peeked over the edge of the wall into the auditorium. The chairs where the yetis and the elves would sit to listen to the Guardians were unoccupied, and no band was hiding behind the curtains as to not distract the audience. The room was entirely empty- except for one. Her eyes locked on his the minute they skimmed past the abandoned piano and landed on the lone figure.

When she said his name aloud, she could feel the pit of worry that had been building up vanish. "Jack."

He blinked, as if he had just noticed that she was there, then slowly, a grin crept on to his face. He turned away from the piano and opened his arms up wide. "Tooth."

Oh, how he said her name. One syllable, less than five seconds worth of his breath, but it was like having euphoria shot into her ears. In just her name, he put all of the love and caring tenderness that he had kept to himself, until last night. And it came flooding back to her in a rush of memories. It was all it all it took to send her flying into his arms. "Oof!" he gasped when she rushed into him with surprising force, but his arms were instantly around her, holding her tight to him. He smelled like freshly crushed pine and newly laid snow. Just like how he was supposed to. Like he was always supposed to.

They pulled back simultaneously, and as he laid his left hand on top of the keys, she saw him hesitate. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Tooth felt her heart stop. Is he regretting what we did last night? Is he having second thoughts? Oh, please, Moon, no! "It's just, I feel really guilty about leaving and not tell you," he confessed. Tooth sagged in relief. "But I felt like I...like I had to get out. That I couldn't just stay in that room, and just lay there." He shook his head. "Does...does that make any sense?"

"Of course, Jack. It makes perfect sense." She laid her hand on top of his and smiled.

He grinned back, then turned back to the piano and put both hands on to the keyboard. "So..." he drawled, "wanta do a duet with me?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"A duet," he repeated.

She glanced at the piano. Jack could see the faintest shadow of doubt in her eyes. "You know how to play the piano?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I do, actually. For a decade or two. There was this family I used to hang around before Jamie, and they had a grand piano in their parlor room. Patrick was learning the piano and-" he shrugged. "-I learned, too."

"Really?"

"Yep. Took only about, four, five years." He grinned again, then glanced at her. "Do you still want to do it?"

"Um, sure, I guess. What song?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll know," he promised, casting a mischievous look at her. He started to play, a soft, slow tune. It wasn't ridiculously slow, but it was clearly a ballad. An eighties ballad. Of course. He was ridiculously old-fashioned with his tastes in almost everything. Jack played for a couple more seconds, imagining the band are behind him, his eyes concentrated on the keys, determined not to mess up, then cleared his throat and looked up at Tooth as he began in a low, clear voice.

"If you say my eyes are beautiful,
It's because they're looking at you.
And if you could only see yourself-
You'd feel the same way too."

He nudged her with his shoulder teasingly, and she giggled. He continued,

"You could say that I am a dreamer
Who's had a dream come true.

Jack took a deep breath, then turned to her and looked her dead into her eyes. Wait, mistake. Big mistake. He couldn't concentrate. How was he playing without messing up? Her crinkled irises were trained on him, wide as the moon, locking him like a deer in headlights, and felt just as confused and slow as one. But just as mesmerized and enchanted. He just remembered the next two lines in time.

"If you say my eyes are beautiful
It's because they're looking at you..."

He turned away from her, back to the piano, and waited for Tooth to join in. He didn't have to wait long. He stifled a smile when she started to sing in that perfect, angelic voice of hers.

"If you wonder why I'm smiling.
It's because I'm happy with you...
And the warm sensations touch my heart
And fill me through and through."

She laid both hands on her heart as she sang, as if to demonstrate, then scooted close to him and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and laid her head on his shoulder as she sang on,

"I could hold you close forever
And never let you go.
If you say my eyes are beautiful,
It's because I just love you so..."

Jack cleared his throat again when she removed herself from him, then went on,

"Now, my heart is an open door-"

"Won't you come inside for more?"

He glanced at her, his grin back, before they continued together,

"You give love so sweetly, now,
Take my love,
Take me completely now!"

Tooth felt something soft and wet land on her feathered shoulder somewhere around the second line. The fairy looked down and saw a little snowflake on her shoulder just before it melted. She glanced up and saw hundreds of little snowflakes from the ceiling. She turned to Jack, who was smiling sheepishly to himself. She felt her heart swell, and heard her singing loudly, without even thing about it, without breaking contact with Jack,

"If you say my eyes are beautiful,
It's because they're looking at you...
And my eyes are just the windows
For my feelings to come through!"

Jack suddenly jerked up and stared straight into her eyes. Tooth felt chills run down her back when she looked into the icy, cold blue. But not because she was cold; oh, no. It was because they held more warmth and light that she never thought capable of him, or any person, to hold.

"And by far you are more beautiful
Than anything I ever knew!
If you say my eyes are beautiful-"

"If you say my eyes are beautiful!"

Tooth couldn't help herself as she joined in with him.

"If you say my eyes- my eyes are beautiful!"

"It's because," Jack continued, his fingers dancing across the keys.

"It's because," Tooth whispered.

"They're looking..." He stopped playing and turned his whole body towards her as they finished the last line together. Their eyes never wavered from each other, nor did Tooth want to. His eyes were, truly, the most beautiful that she had ever seen. No one could ever compete.

"At you..."

As they trailed off on the last line, Jack felt his arm raise up, and felt the soft skin between his fingers as he gently caressed her cheek. It was warm and soft, like a sun-kissed flower. A beautiful, amethyst gem-centered flower, with iridescent turquoise petals that shone blue and green in the sunlight. Unconsciously, he leaned towards the fairy, his hand around the back of her neck. Already she was less than two feet away from him. He closed his eyes, eagerly anticipating the tender, smooth lips on his own, ready to taste their sweet nectar. He had longed for her for what seemed like years, no, centuries. And he deserved it. For once, he actually deserved something good.

And they were on Jack's lip, as gentle and limp as a flower petal. They were soft and firm, though the touch tentative and hesitant. One of his hands circled the back of her neck gently, guiding her mouth to his. With his other hand he cupped her face, running his thumb gently across her cheekbones. He felt her arms wrap around her neck, her own fingers running through his hair. They snared on the locks and tugged on it, and it felt wonderful. He moaned into her mouth, and she eagerly drank up the sound, pressing her chest into his own, squashing the space in between them. He could feel her thrumming heart through his clothes and knew that they matched even inside of each other.

He pulled away only for a second for a quick refill of breath, then kissed her again, more boldly. His fingers unlatched themselves from her face and explored her body with wonder, trying to commit every single crease in the lines of her skin, every feather to memory. One of her arms re-positioned themselves around his throat, the crook of her arm nestling the back of his neck, her fingers playing in his bangs and tickling around his ears. "Please," she whispered when he pulled away again, her eyes wide, her lips swollen from kissing. "Jack-"

"Don't," he murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead, then her nose. Her eyelids closed, the long eyelashes flicking against Jack's skin as he tilted his head up and ran his lips just above her eyes. He heard her breath catch in the back of her throat as they butterflied across her eyelids, his tongue flicking out and running across the fragile skin before he pressed his lips back to hers. His arms constricted themselves around her waist, pulling her as close as possible to him. Now she was practically on his lap, one of her short legs thrown across his back, pressing her heel against him to press him even tighter against her. He could feel her struggling to keep her wings from taking off, wiggling on his legs as her wings fluttered once in a while. Her fingers wound themselves tightly in his hair and shirt as she struggled to hold on to him. It was becoming too much for him. He pulled back again, panting.

"Jack," she gasped, her fingers clutching at his face, to make sure that this was real, that he was real. Her violet eyes searched his almost desperately, looking deep into his soul. Jack searched hers, and could almost see the lusty desire in her own eyes. He felt a flicker of doubt.

"Tooth, I think-"

"No, Jack." She laid a finger on his thin white lips, silencing him. "Don't speak," she whispered, then, pressing the palms of her hands on his thighs, pushed herself up and kissed him with so much passion it made his head spin. Propping himself up with his hands against the the bench behind, he leaned into her, though he knew that that wasn't the best idea.

"Tooth- Tooth, wait," he gasped between kisses. "Tooth- let me- we have to-"

"No," she growled, her lips munching hungrily on the crook of his neck, making his head roll and a ragged moan tore itself from his throat. Don't get distracted! a voice shouted at him, snapping him out of his reverie.

"But-But someone might see us," he protested, trying to scoot away from her. But her hands pinned him firmly where he was. He swallowed hard, and started to talk rapidly. "Tooth, everyone's looking for me, and they don't even know about us-"

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

And her mouth was against his again, wiping his mind blank like a clean slate. Her fingertips danced across his pale cheeks, the cool skin sending shivers up her spine. The feeling of her shivering on top of him was undeniably wonderful. Even though he knew he shouldn't have, Jack returned her touches, his hands gliding over her shoulders, murmuring against her lips as he teased her by gently tugging on the feathers, not quite pulling them out but slightly worrying them. She moaned into his mouth, pulling tighter against him.

Suddenly, there was a huge crash. Jack's mind was suddenly returned to him, and he yanked himself away from her, panting. Tooth must have come to her senses, too, because she flew away from him hovering above the ground, and whirled around just in time as North charged into the theater room. "Jack, m'boy!" he cried, spreading his arms wide as he ran towards him. Jack winced as he wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug before slamming him back feet-first on the ground. "We have been looking everywhere for you!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been? And Tooth! Why did you not call us when you found him?" he demanded when he saw her by the piano. Tooth and Jack exchanged a guilty glance. She opened to mouth to speak, but Jack hurriedly cut her off.

"I was just playing on the piano when Tooth found me," he said hastily, shooting a keep-it-cool glance at Tooth. "And she was just explaining to me why I shouldn't have run off this morning. I am soo sorry, Tooth," he added to her.

Tooth immediately understood what he was doing. "You better not scare us again, Jack," she scolded, poking him in the shoulder. "Almost gave us a heart-attack!"

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry," he apologized. "But were you guys really looking everywhere for me?"

"Yes, Jack! We were frighten for you!" North exclaimed. "We thought maybe Pitch had come and-" He froze, worried that the mention of the boogeyman's name would send Jack spiraling back into his nightmares.

But he only raised an eyebrow at him. "That Pitch what? Got me again? Please," he scoffed, leaning against the piano. "Did you see Phil and Bob at my door? I doubt he could get past them."

North breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, as it may be, Jack, we still need to get you back into the infirmary. You are still ill."

"Aw, come on, North! I've been stuck in that room for ages," he complained. "Can't I walk around a bit, get some fresh air or something?"

"Jack, don't be difficult," Tooth warned.

"I'm not being difficult!" he exclaimed. "Just let me walk around for, like, an hour, no, half an hour, then I'll go back to my room. I promise."

North pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb and closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes. "Fine. But one hour. If any later, than you stay in room in Fourth of July. Kapeesh?"

"Got it! Thanks, North!"

"Oh, and you will need this." The big man tossed Jack something from out of nowhere. Jack caught it in both hands, and knew without looking that it was his staff. The wood felt like the handshake of an old friend, melting and curling to his touch, the familiarity something he had missed. He pressed the staff to his cheeks, grinning, as he rubbed it on his face. "Oh, staff. How I have missed you!"

Tooth rolled her eyes. Jack caught the look. "What's wrong, Tooth? Jealous?" he teased, a gleam in his blue eyes. She gritted her teeth, but didn't reply.

Jack spent his hour wandering the halls of the West Wing with no true destination. He was simply enjoying the feeling of being able to walk without the worry of falling unconscious or the fear of worsening the injuries in his legs. For once in what felt like years, no, centuries, he felt fine. He didn't have to lean on anybody for support, he could easily leap from one side of a great hall to the other, landing as light-footedly as he had always been. It was as if what had happened a couple weeks ago had never occurred.

He wandered from hall to hall, peeking in on rooms and chambers, though cautiously. Tooth had told him about her incident when she accidently barged in on a pair of yetis doing something very intimate, and he planned not to make the same mistake. But there wasn't many places that deemed worthy of Jack's interest, and at first found himself very bored. Then he happened to stumble on to a secret workshop that focused on trying to make nonfatal bombs for children to play with. Jack became even more interested when he realized that North knew nothing about this. At first, the yetis were alarmed, and tried to shove him out.

"Hey, hey!" he protested as one of the bigger ones picked him up by the armpits and attempted to carry him out of the secret room. "Put me down!"

The yeti trumpeted his apologies, but didn't put him down and headed towards the door. Jack, thinking quickly, went boneless. The yeti stopped in surprise, and as soon as Jack felt him loosen his grip, he slipped out of his huge hands and darted on to the rafters above them, perched like a cat ready to pounce. He laughed at the yetis' surprised faces.

"Don't worry, you guys! I'm not gonna tell." Then Jack grinned mischievously face as he laid down on the rafter, one leg propped in a 45 degree angle on the wood while the other dangled, a hand propping his face up. "As long as you let me join you guys." They all glanced at each other, then, by some weird yeti-telepathy-thingy, they decided to let him stay.

So for about twenty minutes, he focused on trying to help them reach their goal and attempted to make a nonlethal bomb. Problem was, Jack had a nasty habit of freezing things, even on accident. He had been fitting the wires into their proper place, tying them neatly with thin wire, then was reaching over the side of the bench he was sitting on to the toolbox on its other side. His fingers slightly brushed against one of the fuses that led to a small hand-set bomb that a yeti named George was working on. Just as George was setting its timer, Jack accidentally froze the wire. The ice rapidly crept up the string, to his alarm, and froze the bomb. George was picking at it in confusion with one of the screwdrivers, and while he was jabbing through the ice to pry it off, he mistakenly pressed the button that started the countdown.

Five minutes later, there was a loud bang! and the room was covered in bits and pieces of metal and soot.

All the yetis, now all a sooty black, turned to glare accusingly at the ice spirit, who had been the only one able to dodge the blast and being covered in soot.
"Uh, oops?"

Jack was pretty sure that they had found a new hidden room after that. But he wouldn't know, because George had proceeded to immediately grab him and launch him out of the room as gently as he could manage. Gentle as it was, he still flew through several rooms and hallways. When his feet finally touched the ground, he was sliding on cold marble floor. He waved his arms wildly for a couple seconds, trying to regain his balance. His feet skidded on the smooth tiles until he finally came to the carpet, managing to slide to a perfect stop on the wool carpet.

He sighed in relief as he wiggled his toes into the soft carpet, glad for a stable surface. Then a glint of light caught in the corner of his eye made him glance up. Just several meters away from him was a huge sliding door to a balcony that jutted out into the deep canyon that they were in. Glints of red and orange sunlight were flitting through the stained glass, which was probably where the light came from. Jack tilted his head to the side, his eyes regarding the balcony, his curiosity flitting up. He stood up straight and approached the door. He pulled open the door, and was welcomed with a blast of air.

Eyes watering, he struggled past the cold wind that fought to keep him back inside, somberly remembering the days when he would let it do so, and finally managed to pull himself out into the balcony with the help of his staff, and slid the door closed. The wind still beat against him, but not as hard as before. Jack sighed as he felt the welcoming swirl of the wind curling around him, snowflakes dancing in the currents. It had been so long since he had been outside, to feel the cold air on his skin, to have the nice, gentle ray of sun on his face. He had never liked the sun, but now he appreciated its worth in contrast to his coldness.

Jack walked forwards, looking up and around with obvious admiration, and leaned forwards on to the railing, getting an eyeful of the majestic surroundings around him, noting that the blizzard that he had brought when he had first arrived(actually, it was more like his presence had triggered the already-building snowstorm)had finally ended. The balcony was over-looking the deep canyon, which seemed to be bottomless. Snow covered the rocky edges on the other side of the ravine, which glinted spectacular colors in the sunlight. The setting sun was peeking shyly over the tundra, red and gold rays stretching beyond its limits, tinting the snow and hitting the toy factory, purple and pink streaking the baby blue sky. Puffs of white dotted the sky above him, a few by the horizon, stained brilliant shades of purple. It was truly a spectacular sight to hold.

The balcony itself was beautiful. On the floor which Jack stepped on was a painting of a cozy log cabin, with lamplight flickering in the windows and smoke clouding up above the red-bricked chimney, surrounding by leafless, snow-covered trees. Jack wondered how North or the yetis had manged to make the whole think to come out so even. And then behind him, on the huge wall where he had come from, had a mural with happy little children running around the inside of a snug-looking house, rushing eagerly down the stairs, reaching excitedly for the brightly decorated boxes underneath the adorned Douglas Fir, clapping their hands in delight as they held up toys in front of the roaring fireplace, as a man and a woman sat on the sofa, watching in amusement and adoration at the light and wonder in their children's eyes.

Without realizing it, the corners of his lips were turning up into a smile, warmth flooding him as he remembered his own Christmases. They might not have been as spectacular as the mural on the wall, with fancy toys or a nice house, but they had always been one of the most happiest days of the year. There had been so much laughter, so much joy, so much love...He remembered his parents looking at him in that same way, the creases in their faces becoming more pronounced as they grinned and laughed. Emma's ring of laughter tinkled in his ear. No twinges of pain or wishful thinking interrupted his memories; there was simply no point in letting the past get in the way of the present. They had happened, and all they should do was help him benefit from it. Tooth had taught him that.

Jack turned back to the sunset over the icy landscape across from him, the half-smile still on his face, as he gazed across the gorge. For the first time, he noticed himself. Truly noticed himself. He wasn't as tense as a spring, ready to flee at a moment's notice. He could barely feel the aches and pains of his wounds, just the wind tossing his white hair into disarray. His body was relaxed, loose. No shaking or trembling or weak knees. No flashbacks since Manny knew how long. He sucked in a deep breath of the cool, crisp, clean mountain air. And now the mental stage of healing is done, he thought.

The whole time he was making an assessment of his actions, he didn't notice Tooth, who had spotted him from inside when wandering the toy workshop, probably looking for him, though would deny it when he asked her later, open the door and quietly fly towards him. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice say from besides him, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He smiled wider, not having to look to know who it was, recognizing the voice instantly. "Yeah, it is." He turned to Tooth, the smile still in place, and leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips before pulling away. It was the same one as last night, as quick and innocent as a child's, but beneath it, there was the surety of what was between them, there there was indeed a love between them, one that stretched through time, more stronger and surer than any metal or force.

Tooth sighed contentedly as he pulled away, and laid her head on his shoulder, her feather rubbing against the side of his head, mixing in with his white hair. "Can you imagine anything else so perfect?" she asked.

"I don't know, I can think of a couple things," he replied.

She frowned, lifting her head up. "Like what?"

"Well, a cloud shaped as a tooth, for one." That earned him a thwack on the shoulder. He dodged it, laughing, and continued, "Um, a couple of shooting stars, a blizzard behind us-"

"Of course you would, Jack Frost," she said, rolling her eyes.

"-and maybe our version of the mural," he finished, then flushed a dark blue. He didn't know what made him say that. They had only been together for-what? Less than a day? And already talking about having kids? What was I thinking?! he thought. But it was too late now. There was an awkward silence between them; Jack looked away awkwardly as Tooth stared down at her fingers.

Finally, Tooth spoke. "Jack...," she began hesitantly. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the reprimand. "...I think that would be wonderful."

His eyes flew open. He whipped his head around to face her. "You would?" he said incredulously, his eyes wide with disbelief.

She nodded her head, and Jack turned back to the ravine, then, inexplicably, began to grin. "But Jack-"

"Yes?"

"I-I don't think I can," she admitted. "I mean, when I changed I was only twelve, and I only had my cycle once, and then I changed and I haven't had it since and-"

He silenced her with a kiss. Immediately, she melted against him, going limp on him. Jack grunted in surprise, and caught her before she could fall, his arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her against his chest. When he was sure she wouldn't fall, he pulled away, and cupped her chin and tilted her head up so that he could stare directly into her eyes. "It doesn't matter. We'll try. That's what counts." Tooth smiled uncertainly, but nodded. He grinned and reached over and kissed her on top of her forehead, then wrapped both arms around her, and tucked her head under her chin. The fairy lifted her own arms and twined them around his back, and leaned into him, breathing in his icy scent.

They were silent for a while, then Tooth asked, "Does this mean you're ready for sex?"

He rolled his eyes. "I thought it was the guy who was supposing to be constantly asking for it."

"Well, you won't, so someone has to."

Jack groaned. "You are, by far, the most weirdest and most ridiculous person I have ever met."

"And that is why you love me," she declared, snuggling her head into his neck.

He rolled his eyes again, but laughed and hugged her tighter. "And that is why I love you."

I like to think that Jack loves Tooth because she likes to be who she is. Which I guess is the same thing, when you think about it. :P

Also, has anyone noticed that Jack is REALLY slender? I mean, he is just really thin and lanky. I would say the same thing about Shaggy from scooby-doo, but he has some pretty broad shoulders. I think I have bigger shoulders that Jack. He has little-to-no muscles(I can't really tell that because they show absolutely NO skin in the movie besides hands, feet and neck upwards)and has small hips and small shoulders and is just REALLY small. But his smallness is what makes him so wonderful. O.O

And I just recalled something. I was looking up pictures of Tooth as a human(nobody wanted to send me pictures:( )and I found out that she would of looked A LOT like Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dameif she had grown up. Just with differently shaped and colored eyes. Hmm...I must use this to my advantage!

If you say my eyes are beautiful- Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson