1 year old - Hope.
"Here we come a-carolling among the leaves so green/Here we come a wand'ring so fair to be seen/Love and joy come to you/and to you a Christmas too/ And G-d bless you and send you a happy new year/ And G-d send you a happy-" Sophie cut off as she came down the stairs and smiled when she saw her dear brother lying on couch asleep.
Sophie looked around carefully placed Jackie into the playpen tiptoed forward silently putting her index fingers to her lips Jackie laughed and clapped her hands, but miraculously Jamie did not wake up she bent over the back of the couch till her lips were just over his ear paused before she grinned.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" She shouted as loud as she could into Jamie's ear.
Jamie's eyes shot open and he fell off the couch as Sophie laughed, Jackie joined in with her.
Jamie glared at her from the floor, Sophie just smiled and waved. "Hey, big brother."
Jamie sighed. "Did you have to?"
Sophie chuckled and nodded. "It seemed to please Jackie."
Jamie turned his attention to Jackie before looking back at Sophie. "And what kind of example are you setting for your daughter?"
Sophie rolled her eyes but changed the subject. "So, when are we gonna meet her?"
Jamie looked away from her feigning nonchalance. "Who?" He asked stepping away and walking off to the kitchen.
"Isabella, I spoke to Pippa last week, she said that you and her cousin have been getting along lately," Sophie said following him into the kitchen.
Jamie rolled his eyes and started pulling cups from the counter.
"Should I start planning for the wedding?"
"Stop."
Sophie chuckled. "Or maybe you're going to elope?" She said. "I mean I would hate you if you didn't invite me to the wedding, but I can understand it," Sophie said. "This family just would not understand the love you two share." She said faking drama as Jamie turned to glare at her.
"A guy and a girl can be friends y'know," Jamie said pulling the carton of milk from the fridge.
"You and Pippa are proof of that, but Pippa implied a lot," Sophie said leaned against the kitchen wall. She watched as Jamie started pouring the milk. "Can you make me one too?"
"Pippa had no business-" Jamie started.
"Oh, hush. She thought I knew." Sophie said. "Why tell her and not me?"
"I didn't tell Pippa anything. Not that there's anything to say – but the girl is Pippa's cousin. Sometimes they talk."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, Pippa actually introduced us around Christmas years ago, we happened to meet again when I found out she and I working at the same Production studio."
"And you and she…"
"Are friends," Jamie stressed.
"Ok," Sophie said.
"We are."
"I believe you," Sophie said. "Really."
Jamie stirred the chocolate powder in the milk and passed it off to Sophie. Sophie smiled and scooped some of the sludge and ate it. "Yum."
Jamie instead placed his milk into the microwave and waited. "That's so disgusting."
"Says you," Sophie said taking another spoonful. "Now move, I need to feed my daughter." She poured some milk into a bottle."
"You're starting her on milk already?"
Sophie nodded. "Started her on dairy products on her birthday," Sophie said she also took out some mashed baby food that had been kept in the fridge to keep them cool.
The Microwave went off and Jamie opened it placed in some chocolate powder stirred it before taking a sip. "Where's mom and dad?"
"The two of them were up late last night wrapping presents," Sophie said. "Remember?"
"Surprised they didn't come down when they heard you screaming."
"Har, har," Sophie said. "Can you go wake them? I'm gonna start feeding my daughter."
Jamie downed the rest of his chocolate milk before he left the kitchen. "Just this once I guess." He said.
"Uh-huh" Sophie said.
"It's almost 8, why didn't you wake us?" Sally said as she made her way downstairs.
"You were up late last night," Sophie said. "After Midnight mass, and staying up to finish wrapping presents I thought you could afford to sleep in."
Sophie, Jamie and Jackie had gone to midnight services too, but after they had gotten back, they had immediately fallen asleep. Jackie had fallen sleep on the ride home and then stayed asleep when Sophie had placed her in her crib.
Sophie scooped out another spoonful of Jackie's breakfast and turned to Jackie. "Come little one. Eat up." Sophie opened her mouth and Jackie copied her; Sophie placed the spoon into Jackie's mouth. "There you go."
"I can take over if you want," Dad said.
Sophie smiled. "No, it's ok. I like doing this."
"Alright," Dad said. "The rest of us should probably eat too. How about pancakes before we open presents?"
"Oh yes please." Sophie and Jamie said together.
Dad chuckled.
Jason Bennett's Pancakes were always awesome. He tended to Personalize his pancakes with things he knew the recipients enjoyed. So, Sophie got a chocolate pancake in the shape of a snowflake, Jamie got blueberries in his pancakes that were specially made into the shape of a yeti that he adored when he was younger. Sally preferred regular ordinary cupcakes – as did Jason (though he preferred his cupcakes in quantities of three or more)
After a few moments, his wife joined him in the kitchen. He gave her a small kiss on the lips. "Hey."
Sally looked out through the window in the kitchen out at their daughter who was feeding her baby girl.
Sophie had never revealed the father's name. Never revealed where he went, only that he had moved away before she had realized that she was pregnant and because they had broken up, they hadn't seen the necessity of exchanging information.
She had given a name. 'Jackson Overland.' But the name 'Overland' had died out years ago, but no matter how hard Jason had pushed Sophie refused to talk about it.
The only person who seemed to know anything was Jamie, but Jamie refused to say anything about the issue. Citing that as it was Sophie's child, Sophie would reveal when she was ready.
It did not seem right to Jason. A father deserved to know about their child, to decide for themselves if they wanted to be apart of their child's life. To remove the father from the equation seemed wrong, and he thought that he had raised Sophie better than that.
A part of him had wondered if the reason Sophie was being so secretive was that Sophie believed the child's father to be a danger to the child's health.
But Sophie wasn't the type to go after guys like that… was she?
"Do you think Sophie is telling the truth when she says that she just lost contact with the father."
"I do," Sally said. "It's a small-town Jason it's not like she can actively hide the fact that she had a baby. If problems had arisen from this, we would know about it."
"But still lying about the father's name…"
"Stop," Sally said. "I have spent the last year walking on eggshells with her, especially after the scare we had this summer I am not risking the tranquillity of this household because you want to rehash an argument about Jackie's father. She'll reveal when she's ready and not a moment before that." Sally sad. "Rehashing this argument when she has made it clear she does not want to talk about it, will not get anyone anywhere. Please, Jason… leave it alone."
"You know you could do with taking your own advice, right?" Jason said referring to the fight Sally and Sophie had had in the summer.
Sally gave him a kiss. "Why do you think I'm giving it to you now?"
Thirty minutes later he and the rest of the Bennett's were seated at the table eating. Sophie dragged the highchair over to the table so the entire family could be together.
Sophie gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before she sat down.
"Snowflake shaped pancakes?" Sophie said. "Aww, thanks Dad." She started cutting into her pancakes.
"And… yetis." Jamie laughed. "Yes! Thank you!"
Jason chuckled. "Anything for my two children."
Sophie smiled and stuck another piece into her mouth.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Jamie asked. "Christmas Party?"
"Actually, we decided to have a small family time alone," Sally said. "Especially after what happened last year."
"Aunt Lissa was out of line, and considering what had happened, I was downright civil," Sophie said.
"Oh, trust me, you're not at fault," Jason said. "Your mother got angry when she and Aunt Lissa talked on the phone two days later."
Sophie's eyes widened and she turned to mom. "What?"
Sally shrugged. "She under minded you and then tried to drag me into it, I told her that it was inappropriate and then we never spoke again."
"Ok… but what about Mike and Ike?" Jamie asked. "Or our Grandparents?"
"Mike and Ike decided to go to Europe this year, my parents aren't up to travelling this year and…"
"And I just didn't want to clean the house this year." Mom said. "Last year, everyone wanted to see Jackie, and it was her first Christmas… so I felt it necessary. So, we're going to make a bunch of phone calls to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but we're going to spend the Christmas here." Sally said. "Unless the two of you want to do something else?"
Sophie and Jamie turned to look at each other. "The park?" Sophie said. "All my friends are spending time with there family today, but I think Jackie could do with some fresh air today."
Jamie sighed but did not say anything. Ever since her birthday she had taken Jackie out for around an hour every day, however, while Sophie had argued that it was because Jackie was part winter spirit ergo the cold winter air did Jackie well, Sophie couldn't help but admit that Jamie had a point.
Jack had not appeared at all the winter before but Sophie could not help but hold out hope that Jack would appear this year. Jack could not avoid Burgess forever, (Or at least that's what Sophie told herself). If she just held out hope she would be able to see Jack again, and he would hopefully help her take care of Jackie.
Yet after his lack of appearance last year, Sophie couldn't help but admit that her hope was dwindling.
Still, she smiled at mom. "I think it would do her good," Sophie said.
"Yeah," Mom said. "Yeah, I do too. After we open gifts and make our phone calls we can go out and play, and then maybe have lunch out."
Sophie bit her lip. "Jackie can't have anything too warm. And I haven't started her on solids yet."
Mom nodded.
"I'll bring along a few different containers of baby food just in case," Sophie said nodding to herself. "As well as a few bottles."
"Great," Jamie said. "Can we start opening presents now?"
Sophie decided to play 'Santa's Elf' this year. She handed out several presents to everyone. Jamie got a book on mythical creatures, around $100 in cash, and blown up a photo of Jamie and Sophie in the snow (surrounded by the guardians… not that any of the parents could see that.)
"Awe." Mom said. "That's adorable Sophie, you and your brother."
The picture was taken when the guardians had visited Burgess one day. Jamie himself was 16 years old and they had announced that he was becoming told to believe in the guardians, and Jamie who had been rightly bitter about the fact that the guardians weren't going to visit anymore had asked that they at least take a picture to commemorate that day. Sandman had created a sand creature to take the photo and they had crowded together to take the picture.
Both Sophie and Jamie had been given a copy and Jamie had been upset when he thought he had lost it. So, Sophie made a copy of her own and decided to gift it to her brother. The frame was coloured in gold and red and green and purple and sky blue. Jamie just stared at it quietly, the parents couldn't see the guardians. Jack had an arm around Jaimie or Sophie clutching Bunny's paw. Or Toothiana flying above, or Sandy sitting on a small bench made of golden dream sand. Or North his mouth open and his head thrown back as he laughed.
Their parents couldn't see the guardians, but even they found the beauty in the photograph. Seeing two siblings holding hugging eachother.
Jamie became quiet just holding the photo to his chest.
As much as Sophie had lamented the fact that the guardians no longer visited her, Sophie often forgot that Jamie had been without them for far longer then Sophie had. And that Jack had been his last connection to the guardians and his best friend.
Maybe just maybe this photo could help remind him of better times.
Sophie saved her gifts for last, and she continued to hand out gifts to the parents. Sophie and Jamie had pooled their money together to buy their parents a couple of tickets to the Opera Carmen (where they had gone for their first date.)
"Thanks, sweeties!" Sally said hugging both of her kids.
Jackie had gotten several different toys and clothes. But like any typical baby, Jackie immediately started playing with the box.
Sophie laughed before she started opening her own gifts. Jamie had gotten her a camera, while mom and dad had given her some money.
Sophie had spent a little extra money on a gift from Santa. In case North had skipped over the Bennett house this year. Sophie had written a letter to Santa in the hopes that he would read it (despite having told her when she was 15 that he wouldn't be reading her letters anymore) but unfortunately North had appeared to not have visited no matter how much she looked, she could not find a gift from him.
Instead of voicing her complaints however she and Jamie just shared a look before she smiled stood up rubbed her hands together. "Ok, who do we call first?"
After making phone calls to literally everyone in the family (and some of Jamie and Sophie's friends). The Bennett family dressed up, in their coats, scarves, hats and boots and headed off to the park.
Sophie took Jackie to the swing set, pushing her up and down on the swing set as Jackie shrieked her giggles. Sophie just smiled as she swung her little winter sprite forwards and backwards on the swing set.
On the inside she was worried. This was the second Christmas after Jackie had been born that North had not visited. Was something wrong? Was this some kind of punishment for getting pregnant so young? Since when did North care about what the parents had done? It was always about the children. Or… did it have to do with Jackie's immortal parentage? Did the fact that Jackie was part winter sprite stop the globe from showing her light? Was that it?
Sophie hated to think that Jackie would miss out on Santa for a misunderstanding. More then that if she couldn't get through to North then she feared she was really and truly alone. When North hadn't responded she had thought that meant that he had faith in her, but if it was just the fact that he had thrown it aside after reading the return address…
Sophie shook her head and pushed Jackie again. Waiting was getting her nowhere. The summer alone had proven to her that she had no idea what she was doing.
But maybe… she still had two Snow Globes that Santa got her. Maybe… she could visit them herself? Try to explain what had happened.
"Uh-oh," Jamie said walking about to her. "You have your 'thinking face' on."
"Do you remember the snow globes that North gave us as his last gift to us?" Sophie asked.
"Uh… yeah?"
Sophie nodded. "North skipped over Jackie again."
Jamie nodded. "I know, what are you thinking?"
"Well, maybe we should visit," Sophie said. "Explain what happened, cause Jamie what if… what if the reason he hasn't visited is that she's part spirit?"
Jamie was silent for a moment and stared down at Jackie. "Are you sure about this?"
"I'm human," Sophie said. "There is a chance – a small chance, but still a chance – that she could develop powers. No matter what I will still love her and help her but I know that she will have her best chance if I can get the Guardians' help. As her mother, I have to give her, her best chance." Sophie said.
Jamie smiled and hugged her as she pushed Jackie again on the swings. "I know you do. But Jackie more then anything needs her mother. Don't let this drive to find the Guardians pull you away from your daughter."
Sophie turned. "Mom!" She said waving her arms. "Want to spend time with your granddaughter?"
Sophie couldn't tell her mother's expression but from the way she walked forward that the answer was 'yes'.
Sally took over pushing Jackie while Jamie started to walk a little way away to the lake, where Sophie and Jamie had spent so much time with Jack and the other kids. It was the place where Sophie had her first kiss with Jack. Where Jack had saved her when the ice started cracking under her feet… where he had told her about his little sister.
Sophie knew that the Guardians were Jackie's best chance and that she had to strive for her best chance, but she also knew that the Guardians were not Jackie's only chance at a good life. If she spent so much time trying to get a hold of the guardians, she would miss parenting her daughter.
"One last try," Sophie said. "And then I'll put it all behind me." She said. "We'll only use two Snow Globes, save your two for a rainy day, a day where we will need them. But one last try, to get a hold of the guardians and then I'll let it go."
Jamie held Sophie. "I'll come with you."
"It might not be so bad," Sophie said. "North might listen to me."
"We'll leave tonight," Jamie said. "Tell Mom and Dad that we want to walk around for a couple of hours."
"We'll leave Jackie here," Sophie said. "I don't know if she'll be ok in North Pole Weather, and I don't want to risk her health."
Jamie nodded. "Are you sure? That the Pole is best? And today of all days"
"Tooth is always busy, as is Sandy, Bunny after today will likely be hibernating, The Pole is where they'll likely all be given that, since Pitch's banishment, they've been celebrating Christmas together."
"Maybe you can get a hold of Jack too."
Sophie looked away. "Maybe I'll get a hold of someone who'll listen," Sophie said but Jamie noticed her hopeful tone.
Jamie hugged her again. "We'll go together."
"Sophie! Jamie!" They both turned to see Sally with Jackie in her arms. "It's time for lunch let's go!"
Sophie and Jamie nodded to each other and headed out.
Sophie laughed as the five of them sat in the Restaurant plates of food surrounded them Jackie had a bottle of milk and was currently drinking it deeply. "Seriously, how did the other fisherman not kill him?"
Dad nodded. "I don't know, I left before I could hear the rest of the conversation."
"Well yeah" Jamie said, "Complaining about catching nothing but Muskie to a fisherman who had likely been trying for years to catch a muskie was probably stupid."
"There's no 'probably' about it." Sophie agreed. "What happened after he got back to the cottage?"
"He complained about how people could be so rude." Sophie and Jamie laughed.
"Cause of course he did."
"What about you mom?" Jamie said. "Any funny stories?"
Sally thought for a moment then she sighed and delved into her own story about how her own parents had met.
The family listened enraptured laughing and crying for the rest of the meal.
At 10 PM just after Jackie had been put to bed, Sophie and Jamie bundled up and declared that they were going to go out for the night. Mom and Dad had asked that they be careful and had assured Sophie that they would keep an ear out for Jackie should anything happen.
"Go out have fun." Mom said. "Be a teenager just be back before midnight."
Sophie nodded clutching her purse tightly before she grabbed Jamie and they headed down to the pond.
Sophie took one last look around hoping that she would see Jack but when she didn't, she pulled to Snow Globe out of her purse she swallowed closed her eyes and believed with all her heart. "North Pole," She said her voice barely above a whisper. The Snow Globe fell from her fingers and for a moment she saw a building made of wood surrounded by snow and ice before it disappeared and a swirl of colours appeared before her.
Sophie took a deep breath clutched Jamie's hand and together they jumped through the portal.
Unfortunately, they hadn't teleported into the factory because that would have just made things so much easier. Fortunately, they hadn't teleported too far away.
Still, the cold was exceptionally biting that day. Within seconds Sophie could feel the cold through her thick coat. Still, she and Jamie walked toward the factory.
It took only a couple of minutes but by the time they hit the factory, Sophie was already half-frozen. Still, she raised a gloved hand and knocked on the wooden door as hard as she could and stood there shivering in the cold.
After a minute the door opened revealing Phil the yeti. Phil stared down at the two siblings and nearly closed the door on them.
"Wait," Sophie said. "Please."
Phil waited a moment.
"We're Sophie and Jamie Bennett, I need to talk to the Guardians. It's important it's about my child." Sophie said. "Please."
Phil stared at them for a moment before he shook his head closed the door. Grunting at them in the language of the Yetis.
"Please!" Sophie shouted. "It's about my daughter. Please, I need your help."
The Yeti came back a little while later grunting at them angrily before he closed the door leaving Sophie and Jamie out in the cold.
Sophie bit her lip to stop herself from crying. She stayed by the door for a moment placing a hand on the door.
She wanted to try again. But her veins were slowly turning into ice and she was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be going back.
So, she fumbled into her purse before pulling out the snow globe. She whispered into it. "Burgess" smashed it into the ground.
The cool winter air in Burgess was summer compared to the ice-cold frozen air of the north pole. Sophie stayed by the pond for another moment before she broke down in tears against Jamie's jacket. As in her heart, she put her desire to tell the Guardians – tell Jack - about her daughter, to rest.
A/N Ok for those confused: "Muskie' is a type of fish. It's a fish that can grow up to like 6ft (though most are like 28-48 inches) according to Wikipedia anyway.
As for Sophie's attempts to contact the Guardians, they decreases drastically after this night. Though she'll make a couple more attempts when Jackie loses her teeth, this night forces her to basically give up hope. Jack is not seeing this moment, as Moon shows him moments to give him hope and this would just give fear a bigger grip on him.
As for what Phil was doing. He went to check the Globe when he found that Burgess had no knew lights he came back to yell at them for lying before closing the door on them