Jack woke to a snowball in the face that knocked him from his tree, and was followed by the insane cackling of his first believer.

"Since you gave us a snow day, our school was canceled!" Jamie said excitedly "Now we have time to listen to the story!"

"Come on Jack you promised!" Cupcake giggled, helping the winter King up from his faceplant in the snow. Jack shared in the laughter while holding his hands up in surrender and climbing the Story Tree (the name of the tree dubbed by his believers) and grinned down at them.

"Alright alright!" he giggled, "Well, Mother wasn't too happy with me, and so she decided to punish me by giving me a servant."

He glared at the creature before him. It was neither beast nor boy, but a combination of the two, like the Tooth Fairy. But instead of the greens and blues and various other cool colors, he sported reds, golds, oranges, and yellows. His wings were a marvel to behold. They were eagle wings or hawk wings, but made of crawling feathers of flame, translucent, and for the moment, folded into his back. He stood about Jack's height, and his fiery eyes were downcast in respect. He kneeled,

"I am at your service, Winter King."

So this was his punishment? A phoenix? Jack smirked. He detested these creatures because they were his polar opposites. He guessed to keep one as a pet would be preferable, but wondered exactly how this was a punishment.

"I don't exactly want you. So go um...guard the doors or something."

"I cannot. My orders from Mother Nature state that I must stay by your side at all times."

Ah so this was the punishment! Jack sneered and gestured to the far corner of the room.

"Can you at least go that far? You're melting my throne!"

The phoenix bowed to him and complied. Jack was annoyed. He wanted to go and spread winter, but he couldn't because his new pet would melt his snow.

"So I was stuck in my palace with something that could kill me if it wanted to. You may even say I was grounded. My heart as frozen as it had become, grew bitter. Tired of being confined, one night I snuck out and unleashed a devastating blizzard. Not as bad as '68, but pretty close. That's when it happened..."

There were no agonized wailings. No shiverings, no hypothermic casualties...nothing that usually followed the Winter King's punishing storms.

"Who dares mess with my deadly punishment?!" The Winter King raged, looking around in scalding anger. He went in closer, and spotted tongues of flame surrounding each of the victims in his blizzard. Flames that were translucent. In the middle of the town was a giant bird of flame, also translucent, the wings spread to cover the entire town with their warmth, protecting it from the harsh wrath of his storm.

"Jack Frost..."

Jack instantly stopped the story and stood at attention. "Mother?"

"Yes my child., I know you are in the middle of Phoenix's origin story, but I am afraid your time has run out. Your servant is here with the new Autumn Spirit."

Jack yelled his happiness, then turned to his believers.

"Let's meet them shall we? After all, I hsve it on good authority that-"

As Jack lay eyes on the new Autumn, his voice died in his throat, and he fell to one knee, panting heavily. Kind, brown eyes looked curiously at him as he looked them straight on, his breath coming in short gasps.

"Pippa?" he asked, reaching out to the little form that danced within his tearing eyes "Is it really you?"

The little girl now dressed in Autumn's garb giggled happily and reached up to him, then leaped into his arms, knocking him over, her joy ten times his own as realization hit her the same time it did him.

"Jack!"

"It IS you! Pippa!" Jack's eyes filled with happy tears as he clutched the little girl he had died for in his arms, the world now looking ten zillion times brighter to both Overland siblings, everything else dropping into nothing as they reunited, two halves whole again. Snow began to fall, mixing with a sudden burst of Autumn leaves, but neither noticed. Neither cared.

"I missed you Jack." Pippa said, burying her face into her brother's shoulder like she always did when she was snuggling him.

"I missed you too, Pippie." He replied, hugging her close, never wanting to let go again "I just forgot for a little while. But none of that matters now. Not when you are here...I have so much to tell you...so much to say..."

"Jackie?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and hold me."

Jack laughed and complied.

Someone I would approve of, eh Mother? What an understatement...