A/N: Hello readers! I am so sorry that there wasn't a chapter last week, it just wasn't happening and I didn't want to force it. I do, however, have a double update for you guys to make up for it! That's right, two chapters! I also finished designing all the Muses, so if you check out my RotG tumblr or my deviantART profile (both are linked on my profile), you'll find the designs there! The next design I work on will be Cupid, I think. I also finished a Halloween piece of Rowan and Jack.

I got so many awesome reviews for the last chapter, let me take a second to respond to some of them. musichick, Glad you're enjoying the Peter Pan stuff! I am about a season behind on Once Upon A Time because I suck, but I want to catch up and see the Neverland stuff. I do like that they're playing with Peter being a villain, as (though I'm sure JM Barrie didn't really intend it) Peter comes across as a bit of an asshole in the source material. soaringphoenix86, thanks for your comments on Jack's struggle in the last chapter! I'm always pleased to hear that readers approve of how I write Jack, he makes me a little nervous. And Calliope will totally be up for a vacation once all of this is over. an awesome anon, thanks for your review! And yeah, I pretty much make up the pirate story as I go along, and I took inspiration from other pirate stories I enjoy. halicandropss, what a nice review! It was very nice reading your thoughts, again, I love hearing positive feedback about how I'm portraying the canon characters. Their personalities are why I fell in love with this film in the first place! And yeah, I didn't want to go the whole "OC is so special they become a new Guardian!" route, and I'm having a lot of fun with the Muses so far, so I'm gad others seem to enjoy them too. Hope to hear more from you! ForeverACharmedOne, It's kind of ironic because I was useless in writing this lately due to homework, haha. Hope you got your work sorted out, glad I could provide worthwhile procrastination material! Also pleased you're enjoying Mel and Pitch so far, they're so delightfully unhealthy, I love them. Vicious Viper, Tanairy Cornelio, RealizeMyRealEyes, and DiaDeLosMuertos, thank you for your reviews!


Rowan didn't know what to say, and she didn't know how to feel about the fact that Jack didn't seem to either.


Chapter Twenty-Nine: Say You Will


Erato was delighted when the yetis presented her with a cup of tea and found that it was her favorite: peppermint, with just the right amount of honey. North's workers never failed to impress her with their astounding memory and attention to small details. Not to mention, she deeply appreciated that they seemed entirely unfazed by the fact that she had dropped by the pole unannounced. The last thing she needed was to deal with large, furry creatures kicking up a fuss.

She strolled leisurely through the buzzing factory, gracefully stepping aside several times in order to avoid tripping over one of the elves or a stray gift. As she sipped from the teacup, she sighed. "Even the temperature is perfect, how does he manage this?"

She didn't know of any other operation that possessed such efficient workers.

The Muse continued wandering around, working on her beverage before she found North examining a map with one of the yetis. North, pen in hand, marked a few locations on the map before the Yeti rushed off somewhere else with it.

"Hello, Nicky," Erato smiled, approaching him.

"Hello, Erato," North nodded, visibly blushing at the nickname. It was the entire reason she used it. "Are you stepping in as messenger with Urania out with the stars?"

"No, though we should really assign someone her responsibilities while she's gone, shouldn't we?" Erato said thoughtfully. Sometime to run by Calliope when they all met up with Tooth later, she supposed. "I'm just here to visit. Don't you ever get visitors unless there's bad news, Nicky?"

"Not recently," North chuckled. "Particularly not from the Muses."

"Well, we need to change that," Erato said, raising her teacup to her lips once more. "We used to visit all the time, I sort of miss it."

"Yelena is not here anymore to visit with," North said. His tone was not sad, but rather, he seemed to simply be stating facts.

"You are," Erato shrugged. "I mean, she wasn't the only reason we came."

North laughed. "You all hated me."

"You Guardians are always so hyperbolic," Erato rolled her eyes as they began walking around the factory, side by side. "Jack's the same way. 'Oh, all the Muses hate me!' It's not like that, it's just fun giving him a hard time. Besides, he reminds me of Cupid in a way, I can't entirely dislike him. As far as you go, well, we were very fond of Yelena, we were simply being protective. We warmed up to you."

"Some of you warmed up to me," North stressed.

"Okay, so it took some of us more time than others but we all love you now, you were so good to Yelena. You're always so good to all of us. I really do miss the impromptu visits," she said. "So when I was catching a ride on one of Sandy's dream creatures, I thought, 'I'm going to take a detour and see Nicky,' and thus, here I am."

"Where were you heading?" North asked.

"Oh, I was going to visit Tooth early. It truly is exhausting to have to travel and stay in daylight all the time, I'm glad we at least got that arranged for the New Moon," Erato explained. "Cupid's been getting on my case whenever he finds me somewhere at dusk."

"He cares very much for you," North said.

"He'd better, after everything I've done for him," the blonde smiled. "Everyone is just… stressing out so much lately, it's tiring."

"They are, I wish there was something I could do to ease everyone's minds," North said, shaking his head.

"Maybe we need a distraction," Erato said, fuchsia eyes lighting up as a magnificent idea came to her. North watched her suspiciously as they stopped at a nearby platform so that he could lend a group of Yetis a hand.

"What kind of distraction?" he asked, returning his gaze to the pulley system that needed his attention more than the Muse right now.

"The party kind," Erato said. "You haven't had the New Years Ball in centuries."

Some of the nearby Yetis seemed to light up at the mention, watching North eagerly for his response. North was focused on the Muse yet again, brow furrowed. "That ball was one of Yelena's projects."

"I know, but it was more than just Yelena playing host," Erato said, leaning against a pillar as she spoke. "It was this… fantastic gathering of mythical beings. It was a chance for all of us to catch up and enjoy ourselves, to celebrate and take a few hours to stop worrying about work."

"It will not be the same without her," North pointed out, releasing the pulley as another yeti came by to take his place.

"It doesn't have to be," Erato said. "I mean, unless Calliope still wants to get tipsy, that should definitely still happen. Drunk Calliope is my favorite version of Calliope."

"I think that is everyone's favorite version of Calliope," North laughed. "The ball did used to be a way to thank the Yetis for all their work throughout the year…" The Yetis immediately began to babble encouragingly once this was mentioned.

"Yeah, don't they deserve a party? Besides, that band they used to have was excellent," said Erato. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind a change of pace by helping prepare for a party rather than Christmas, too."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully, eyeing Erato as she finished off her tea and an elf immediately appeared to take her empty cup. She handed the elf her cup and saucer, patting his head affectionately before returning her attention to North.

"Despite the trouble with the Shadow People, there is quite a bit to celebrate this year," he said. Erato and a few of the Yetis immediately nodded. "Belief is very high despite the dark forces at work this year, Jack is Guardian now…"

"Sanderson's health, our solid alliance," Erato added. "It's been a very stressful, concerning time, but we shouldn't ignore all the good things that have happened… we should definitely celebrate them."

"Was that the whole point of you coming here, to convince me to revive this ball?" North asked, raising a brow at her critically.

"No! But either way, did I succeed?" Erato asked, smiling.

"Perhaps," North said vaguely.

"Oh come on, give me a yes or a no, Santa Claus, I've been a good girl this year," Erato pouted.

"We both know that is a lie," North smirked.

"Hey-! Well, yeah, okay, you're right."

"If we can work something out between working on the weapons… then you should expect an invitation," North said. The Yetis and elves cheered, Erato grinned.

"Oh, wait until the other Muses hear about this!"

"Is still up in the air, do not get anyone's hopes up," North said.

"I think you've already done that with these guys," Erato said, gesturing to the yetis.

"True," North sighed. After a beat, he said, "This will be the first one without her."

"She would've wanted it to keep going," Erato smiled.

"I just want to do it justice, you know if she were still here, she would never let me hear the end of it if I ruin her ball."

"Oh, you won't ruin it, look at the operation you're running here! I think you can handle a party," she laughed. She took a few steps closer to North, lightly placing a hand to his arm. "We all miss her, you know. It was a shame when she didn't make the transition."

"She wouldn't have wanted to," North shrugged.

"I don't think any of us wanted to," Erato said. "You just have to do the best with what you're dealt. Speaking of which, have you heard anything new about the Mortal Muse? … or her relationship with one Mr. Jack Frost?"

"Somehow I think you are more interested in the relationship aspect," North said.

"What, me, the Muse of Love Poetry? Interested in the relationship part? You don't know me at all, Nicky, obviously I would never meddle into someone else's love life," Erato said sarcastically, unable to keep a straight face as she spoke.

"Am I supposed to tell you what he told me so that you can run off and tell the other Muses?" North asked.

"I can't even argue that one because I would rush off and tell them," Erato said. Whenever it was said that the Muses were gossips, it was most certainly not a lie. "Well, maybe not Melpomene. But if I told Thalia, she would probably tell Melpomene, so."

"Jack seems to be more apprehensive around Melpomene than most people are," North commented, watching the Muse expectantly.

"Oh, what, I'm supposed to tell you what happened with Jack and Mel but you don't have to tell me what Jack told you about Rowan? Gossip doesn't work that way," Erato said, clicking her tongue on North disapprovingly. "Though I will say, I think it's adorable that he's confiding in you. It's so nice to see you acting paternal again, and I do think Jack could benefit from having a father figure around."

"He reminds me much of Peter," North admitted.

"Oh he's just like Peter, except with an even worse attitude. If Yelena were still around, she would have straightened Jack out ages ago. Well, to an extent. Peter was always a little angel around Yelena but once her back was turned…" Erato said, smiling at the memory of the St. Norths and their children. "Anyway, I doubt Jack told you too much that couldn't otherwise be figured out. I already know that he's falling for her, you don't need to be the Muse of Love Poetry to decipher that one. I'm curious about how she may feel for him."

"That I do not know, I have not even seen Miss Sawyer since we broke the news to her," North shrugged.

"It's not uncommon for Muses and Guardians to be drawn to each other, in platonic ways or otherwise," Erato said. "But then, you know that."

"I very much do," North nodded.

"Jack is cute, he exudes confidence, but she also tased him. It's all very interesting, I'd love to see them both in the same room to get a better idea of how they work," Erato said.

"I had almost forgotten about the tasing," North chuckled.

"Jack seems to be a bit of a masochist," Erato commented. She was beginning to wonder if yet another Muse would be capable of hurting the winter spirit.


The moonbeams never seemed very bright when they ventured into Pitch's lair, but they were especially dim now that the new moon was so close. The unfortunate moonbeam that had been assigned to Pitch was lurking close to Melpomene's moonbeam, both orbs seeming to keep a cautious distance from the pair.

"That was some deal you made with the Guardians," Melpomene said, taking a seat on the arm of Pitch's grand throne once more. Pitch was seated comfortably, watching the lights on the globe.

"You don't approve?"

"You didn't give yourself any room to do much of anything until this alliance gets called off," she said, eyeing the globe now as well.

"The whole point was to keep me living until the Shadow People are taken care of, and get to the Mortal Muse in the meantime to regain my strength," Pitch said, sounding very bored as he spoke, as though explaining this to Melpomene was a waste of his time.

"How are you supposed to do that with the conditions they laid out?" Melpomene asked, crossing her arms before her chest and watching the man skeptically.

"I promised that I wouldn't lay a hand on the Mortal Muse. And I won't. I don't need to touch her to give her a nightmare," Pitch said with a shrug. Melpomene rose a brow.

"You said you wouldn't interfere with anyone's dreams," she said.

"No, I said I wouldn't mess with the children's dreams. Rowan Sawyer is an adult. A young one, surely, but an adult, nonetheless," Pitch pointed out.

"Now you're basically a lawyer," Melpomene sighed. "Really, Pitch, there's so many occupations you're better suited for than Boogie Man."

"If only this were a path I chose," he said bitterly.

"What about the fact that you're not meant to actively work against anyone in this alliance? And the fact that the Sandman is now guarding her as well?" Melpomene asked, sliding from her place on the arm of the chair and into his lap.

"The Sandman will be guarding me during the new moon. If I behave myself… perhaps they'll let their guards down," Pitch said.

"Yeah, that'll happen," Melpomene laughed. "And in the meantime?"

"Rowan is still frightened. Very frightened, actually. I don't have to do anything right now," Pitch smiled.

"What on earth could she still be afraid of? After everything the Guardians are doing to keep her safe?"

"Jack Frost," Pitch said simply. "Her feelings for him terrify her."


The flight back to the Sawyer residence was silent and sort of uncomfortable. Rowan hadn't begged Jack to stop being so reckless as they returned; Jack hadn't been cracking his usual jokes. The kids had provided a decent distraction immediately after their near-kiss and forced some normalcy, but now?

Rowan didn't know what to say, and she didn't know how to feel about the fact that Jack didn't seem to either.

"Done working for the day, Dad?" Rowan asked as she set her snow-covered boots near the door after locking it. Jack was already busying himself examining the family pictures again. Bill was seated on an armchair with a magazine held at arm's length as he squinted.

"Yeah, I finished pretty early, thought I'd finally read last month's issue," Bill said, brow furrowed as he attempted to hold the magazine even further away from himself.

"I can see that's going very well," Rowan said, glancing between her father and his reading material. "Mom still at the office?"

"Yeah, she's trying to get as much done before Christmas as possible, so she'll still be a little while, I'm going to start dinner soon," Bill said. He finally sighed and sat his magazine in his lap. "Angel Face, will you do me a favor?"

"What's the favor?" Rowan asked.

"My reading glasses are on my desk, can you get them for me?"

"Can't do it yourself, hm? I figured I had a good few years before I had to start taking care of you guys to such an extent," Rowan teased.

"This is just training for when your mother and I are too old and weak to walk up the stairs in this silly house we decided to purchase," Bill smiled.

"All right, I'll be back," Rowan said, walking toward the staircase. Jack was quick to follow her, and she was careful to keep her gaze forward. She hadn't looked Jack in the eye since the almost-kiss.

She couldn't stop thinking about it; the brief conversation with her father had been her only moment of peace since the incident. Jack was going to kiss her. She was going to let him.

Hadn't she already decided that liking Jack was a bad idea? Hadn't she already made the decision not to pursue anything because heartache was inevitable? He was immortal, she was not. This whole situation was much too complicated already.

But then she'd stare into his icy blues and his fingers would brush up against her, and she'd forget all of that. She was going to let him kiss her, and then the kids interrupted.

She hated this conflict, she hated that she couldn't look at him now.

If she looked at him, she'd meet those puppy dog eyes again. She'd forget all logical arguments and just remember lying with him, talking about their past heartaches. All the stories they shared, all the times he made her smile and forget just how much danger she was in.

She flipped the light switch in her father's office and stepped inside. It was small, and appeared much smaller thanks to the amount of collectables cluttering the walls. There was even a mannequin in the corner, donned in the far-too-expensive-for-a-coat Malcolm Reynolds replica coat. Rowan walked toward the desk directly ahead of her where, sure enough, the thick-framed reading glasses resided. Chancing a glance toward Jack, she found him examining her father's extensive action figure collection on the far shelves.

"People seem to really like this guy," Jack said, pointing to the nearby figure of Captain Kirk, as he was portrayed in the more recent film adaptations.

"Captain Kirk or the actor?" Rowan asked. It was the first time they had spoken since they left Burgess. She supposed Jack chose the action figure as a topic because it was neutral ground. It was nice that the silence had finally been broken, but she still couldn't help but think about their moment in the woods earlier.

"The actor," Jack said. "Something about him throws me off, though."

"Yeah?"

"I think it's his voice," he said. "It's really familiar but I can't place it."

"I hate when that happens," Rowan said, forcing a smile. The conversation seemed to die quickly after that, with each of them avoiding eye contact, shifting uncomfortably. She held up the glasses in her hand. "I, uh, gotta take my dad his glasses."

"Right."

She stepped outside the office and Jack followed, turning the light off as he went. Everything was so stupid now, so tense that they had held hands and almost kissed. It was such an innocent occurrence, hell, it was hardly an occurrence at all considering that nothing had actually happened. And yet here they were, having barely said a few words to each other in the past ten minutes.

How could they share a bed and be fine but the moment hand-holding and a kiss come into the picture? Oh no, that's much too forward and awkward.

Rowan needed things to start making sense again, and soon.

"I bring you the gift of sight," Rowan said, handing Bill his glasses, which he gladly took and put on.

"Thank you, you're my favorite daughter," he smiled, turning his attention back to the magazine.

"I'm your only daughter," Rowan said.

"So it's a good thing you're my favorite, just think how awkward it would be otherwise," Bill chuckled. Not anywhere near as awkward as whatever was going on with Rowan and the boy in the corner that Bill couldn't see, that was for sure.

Rowan forced a smile, though her father was focused on his article, before turning away and walking through an arched walkway to the kitchen. She rummaged through a cupboard for a glass, filled it at the sink and slowly took a drink, eyes fixed on the window above the sink. The snow was falling gently outside.

"So, are you just not going to look at me anymore?" Jack asked. He sounded hesitant. She kept the glass to her lips, if only to buy herself more time before she had to respond.

What was she supposed to say? Why were words failing her so fantastically right now? She was a storyteller, wasn't she? Why couldn't she come up with a single thing to say?

What could she say? That she had feelings for him but the idea of actually acting on those feelings terrified her? That her heart would simply not stop pounding, that its beats were the loudest thing in the world right now?

Setting her glass down, she slowly turned in order to properly face him at last. She had been certain that her heart couldn't beat any faster, but the moment their eyes met, she found that she was wrong.

She'd never found a shade of blue so frustrating in her life.

"We can't just… act like nothing happened," Jack said after it became increasingly clear that Rowan wasn't about to say anything.

"Nothing did happen," Rowan said, tones hushed though she as certain her father wouldn't be able to hear anyway. Whenever he was reading, he seemed to tune everything out.

"Something almost did," Jack said. "Until the kids showed up."

"But nothing did," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, well," Jack mumbled, gesturing to the ceiling. Rowan raised a brow before glancing up and finding mistletoe secured above them. Of course. Of course. It was as though the universe was trying to make her "don't act on any feelings for Jack" plan fail spectacularly. She sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes or run away.

"My dad," she said sheepishly. "He, uh, puts that there so he can sneak up on my mom when she's doing the dishes, he's… really ridiculous."

"Well," Jack said, lightly placing a hand to her cheek. "I think we've already established that I'm also ridiculous."

"Jack," she started, unsure where exactly she was going from there. This entire thing was ridiculous. They were in the same position they had been in earlier, her father was reading a magazine in the next room, and how had she forgotten about his stupid mistletoe? He put it in the same spot every year.

She wanted to kiss him, more than anything she wanted to kiss him, but she was too afraid to lean in and do it herself, to be the one that closed the distance between them. Mistletoe was such a silly ritual. All of this was so silly. If they were smart they'd back away, they'd pretend that none of this happened.

And yet, if you're going to kiss me, just kiss me already, was all she could think of, unable to bring herself to utter it aloud. She remembered again that even Peter and Wendy had gotten a kiss. It seemed that no sooner had the thought passed her mind that Jack was leaning forward, head tilted just enough so that their noses wouldn't awkwardly bump.

Shivering, she closed her eyes, realizing that yet again, she was doing nothing to stop him. She knew very well that this was going to end terribly, but in that moment she simply didn't care.

Heart pounding in her ears, the air chilled as he inched ever closer, her breath fogging before her. Once again she could smell the wonderful scent of pine on him. He was much too close now. There was no longer an escape route.

His lips were cold, as expected, but gentle. She could feel her own lips growing cold, slightly numb, as the kiss continued, frost forming down her chin and quickly melting away.

She couldn't help kissing him back, shivering slightly as their lips moved, unsure if the cold could be blamed alone for her goosebumps, for the chills rushing up and down her spine. There was something simply electric about this contact. She'd never had a kiss quite like this. It ended much too soon.

When Jack pulled away, he was halted in his attempts by their lower lips sticking to one another, much like one's tongue might get stuck to an ice cube. Brow furrowed, he pressed their lips together again, perhaps in the hopes that her body heat would correct the situation. This kiss was far briefer, though her body reacted in much the same way, with goosebumps and electricity. Their lips made a clean break when he pulled away the second time.

"That, uh, last part wasn't supposed to happen," Jack laughed nervously, his cheeks taking on a pink tint. Rowan bit her lip and glanced away, her heartrate refusing to slow.

That whole thing wasn't supposed to happen! What on earth had she been thinking? There was nothing about this that was going to work out; she couldn't be kissing the immortal, mythological being that had been assigned to guard her from Shadow People. There was a reason, several reasons actually, that she had made a decision not to take this anywhere. All of those reasons, all those insecurities, crashed into her like a tidal wave.

He reached forward to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers brushing against her cheek made her knees weak. He was leaning in again, oh God, he was leaning in again.

She had to stop this.

"Look, Jack," Rowan said, stepping aside, eyes darting to his chest rather than his eyes, unable to keep focus there as she forced out the words. "Maybe… um. Well, maybe…"

She couldn't finish her sentence. The fact was that she wanted to kiss him again, she wanted to be with him, but he was immortal, she wasn't. No one else could see him. There was nothing working in their favor, nothing but the strong want. There was nothing saying they should do this.

"Maybe what?" Jack asked.

"Just… Maybe it's for the better that we got interrupted earlier," Rowan said, glancing to the floor. The words tasted bitter. She gripped the edge of the counter to keep her hands from shaking. Anxiety was building up in her being and she hated every minute of it. She hadn't felt this terrified since she found out she was the Mortal Muse. "Maybe we shouldn't have done that."

She insisted to herself that this was the right thing. This was what she should do, despite her stomach turning as she spoke.

"Am I misreading things?" Jack asked, confused. He leaned over, attempting to catch Rowan's gaze, still on the floor. "I mean… I thought that we had something. You kissed me back."

His tone was already beginning to sound defeated, which made her heart sink. Did they have something? Obviously. Part of her was absolutely thrilled that he had taken her hand, that he had attempted to kiss her earlier and had succeeded moments ago. Combined with the conversation they were having now, it confirmed that he returned her feelings.

This should have made things easier. It didn't. At least if he only thought of her as a friend, then she could try to move on and stop with her back and forth. Because then there would be no chance of anything happening. But now there was.

He was immortal, she wasn't. She was going to grow old and die. He was going to stay the same. There was no hope for them. Why even bother?

Because she wanted to. She wanted to so badly. She wanted to have more days like this one had started. Talking to him with no reservations, so comfortably, more comfortably than she'd ever spoken to anyone. Walking with him, laughing, holding his hand.

"It doesn't matter, it wouldn't work," Rowan forced the words from her throat, still not meeting his eyes.

"How do you figure that?" Jack said, leaning against the counter beside her, now staring at the ground as well. Eye contact seemed impossible. When he spoke again, he was very hesitant, nervous, which took Rowan by surprise. "I mean, you have feelings for me, right? I, um, I have feelings for you."

There. He'd said it out loud. She finally looked up, though he was focused on his staff in his hands.

"It's not that easy," she said.

"Why can't it be?"

Jack had to know why it couldn't be easy. Rowan hadn't stopped thinking about why it couldn't be easy. She had gone through so many scenarios in her head where if just one thing were different somehow, they could give some kind of relationship a try without all these supernatural oddities getting in the way.

He had to know why. Did he just want to hear her say it?

"Because you're immortal and I'm not," Rowan said weakly, Jack finally meeting her eyes, her voice trembling. "I mean, unless I die in a way that's deemed 'inspiring enough' by a big ball of gas in the sky, and I don't want that. I'm not cut out for that."

"So you're mortal, so what? We're not the first people to be in this situation," Jack said.

"I'm not Yelena," Rowan said.

"And I'm not North," Jack said. "But we can't just-"

"Who's Yelena?" Bill said as he entered the kitchen, reading glasses now situated on his head. Jack and Rowan each briefly took on an expression of horror before Rowan faked composure as well as she could, turning her attention to her father. He was rummaging through one of the cupboards for a pot.

"What?" Rowan said.

"Who's Yelena? You just said 'I'm not Yelena.' Sounds Russian," Bill said, still sorting through the cupboard.

"I didn't say anything, Dad, I think you're hearing things, going crazy in your old age," Rowan said, forcing a teasing tone in the hopes that he wouldn't notice her discomfort.

"You say that like I'm not already crazy," Bill chuckled. Rowan sighed in relief. Great. He let it go.

If Dot had been around, she wouldn't have. She would have noticed Rowan's nerves and kept pressing until she got answers. Rowan was in no state to be coming up with even more lies now.

She was reminded, yet again, why this wasn't going to work. Could she really keep lying to her family?

"Angel Face, where's that big red pot?" Bill asked.

"Dishwasher, I think," Rowan said, taking Jack by the arm after being certain that her father was distracted and dragging the boy to the staircase.

They would have to continue this terrible conversation upstairs.