Author's Note: Happy Holidays, everyone! Even though it's only December first, I'm already in the Christmas mood! =D I was blasting Pentatonix Christmas songs while I was writing this first chapter. XD
For the holiday season, I'm writing this ROTG Christmas story that will be updated once a day throughout December. =) "That Time of Year" will seem a bit like a one-shot collection, but it isn't. There is somewhat a plotline! =D
On that note, I hope you enjoy this first chapter of "That Time of Year!"=D
Chapter One: First Christmas
December First
Jack had always loved Christmastime. It was a glorious season where everyone came together, no matter how different they were. People would give each other presents, cook giant meals and invite family over, decorate trees with cheery ornaments, and play in the snow. Jack always made sure to give the children white Christmases, and his heart would swell when children woke up and spotted snow—his snow—outside and cheered. Jack was never seen or heard, but he still was glad that the children noticed the snow that he left for them for Christmas.
But now, things had changed. Jack was a Guardian. The Guardian of Fun. And he had believers. He was no longer invisible to most children, and even though he only had a handful of believers, Jack was still happy to finally have some kids that believed in him. He remembered when Jamie hugged him the day he became a Guardian. Jack wasn't used to physical contact, but he returned the hug and found that he would eventually get used to being touched, seen, heard.
And loved.
Jack's relationship with the other Guardians of Childhood had started out rough. Jack didn't know much about them back then, but he did know that they were well-known in the realm of immortals and were said to be very kind. Jack had spent a lot of his immortal life trying to break into the North Pole or get at least a glance at the Tooth Fairy. Jack tried to get their attention, but that resulted in the Blizzard of '68, which sparked his and Bunny's decades long rivalry. Jack and Sandy knew each other, but didn't properly get introduced until Jack was brought to the North Pole to become a Guardian.
Not brought. Shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal, thought Jack with a soft smirk. The Guardians were a strange bunch, and Jack often described them that way. Tooth was absolutely obsessed with teeth, Bunny was the Easter Bunny and yet he couldn't eat chocolate and had a very strange addiction to eggs, Sandy slept almost all the time, and North loved to blast Russian music at max volume. Jack remembered walking into North's study to ask him politely to turn the volume down, but instead, found the ex- Cossack dancing—dancing—to his Russian music. The sight was so ridiculous that Jack had to leave, laughing loudly as he walked back to his bedroom.
But even though the Guardians were a peculiar bunch, Jack found that he was very fond of the four that the world knew as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy. Jack had even started to begin seeing them as more than just friends. He saw them as his family. And he loved them.
He hadn't admitted that out loud yet. Jack wasn't quite used to having people care for him, let alone see him, but the winter spirit knew that he'd eventually admit that he cared for them just as much as they cared for him. Jack had no idea when that would be.
The Guardian of Fun stepped out of his tree and breathed in the cool, winter air. Icicles hung from tree branches, sparkling like diamonds in the sun. The lake was frozen over, as smooth as glass, and Jack's glittering snow was all over the ground. Jack smiled. Winter was a beautiful season.
Jack swung his staff on his shoulder and shoved his hand into his pocket as he walked out on the ice, admiring his work. He had waited months for this, and even considered starting winter in the middle of November, but Mother Nature had strictly told him when he could start making it snow. Jack sometimes wished he was back to being a free spirit when he wasn't held back by rules, but he knew that the rules were in place for a reason, so he waited until December to start spreading winter.
Jack chuckled. He may have made it snow in Burgess just a little before December arrived, but no seasonal spirit had caught him. Jack smiled as the Wind swirled around him, bringing with her snowflakes and the comforting breeze that Jack had always loved.
"Hey, Wind," Jack said in the voice that he only used for his longtime friend. "It's about time winter started, huh?"
The Wind ruffled Jack's hair, making it stand up straight and Jack laughed. He ran his hand through his hair, changing it back to its usual shaggy hairstyle and said, "So, what should we do on the first day of winter? Start a snowball fight somewhere? Annoy some summer spirits? Oh, maybe we can see if Emily Jane will let us extend winter until May!"
The Wind shoved Jack as if to say, "As fun as that would be, you know you can't do that."
Jack pouted. "Okay, fine, but we have to at least extend winter somewhere."
The Wind picked up Jack and flipped him in the air, then carried him over the city of Burgess. Jack waved at a few children who were building a snowman at the statue that stood in the center of town. The children shouted with glee and pointed to Jack as he flew through the air. Jack smiled. He couldn't believe that kids could finally see him.
"Look, it's Jack Frost!" shouted a blonde-haired girl with fierce blue eyes.
"I wonder what he's up to," said a brown-haired boy.
"I hope he makes it snow on Christmas!" squealed a red-haired girl. Then, she gasped. "Or throughout all of December so there's no school for the whole month!"
Jack laughed. "I would do that, but you kiddos need to go to school. Education is important!" he shouted down to the children as he flew by. "But I will make it snow on Christmas. I promise!"
The children waved at Jack cheerfully and then resumed building their snowman. Jack did a lap around Burgess and then flew to Jamie's house. The Bennett home was already decorated with Christmas lights, and Jack cocked his head at the large, inflatable snowman that sat on top of the house roof. He poked at it with his staff and shook his head.
"People are so weird with their decorations these days," Jack said to the Wind. "Why not just build a real snowman on top of the roof?"
Jack flew down to the side of the house and up to Jamie's window. He tapped the tune of "Deck the Halls" on the glass and Jamie looked up from his desk with a smile. He ran up to the window and threw it open.
"Hi, Jack!" Jamie said cheerfully. The brunette was wearing an oversized Christmas sweater with a reindeer wearing glasses. Jack snickered.
"Nice sweater," Jack said. Jamie rolled his eyes.
"My grandma made it. Mom said I had to wear it," Jamie explained. Jack flew inside and perched on the end of Jamie's bed. "Adults go crazy around Christmas time. You did see the inflatable snowman on our roof, right?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, you didn't do an inflatable snowman last year."
Jamie sat down in his chair. "Yep. Mom and the neighbors across from our house are in some kind of decorating competition. They're trying to top each other off. So far, I just think we're making our house look like an exaggerated version of the North Pole."
Jack chuckled. "Well, I hope you win."
"I don't care if we win," said Jamie. He picked up a pencil and scribbled on his piece of paper. "Besides, there's the trouble of taking a bunch of decorations down after putting them up. There's no way Mom would cover up the entire house."
Jack shrugged. "You never know, kiddo."
Jamie stood up from his desk and handed Jack two pieces of folded paper. "Can you give this to North? It's mine and Sophie's Christmas list."
"Sure," said Jack. He slipped the papers in his pocket and asked, "But why don't you just send them to Santoff Claussen?"
"Because why give your Christmas list to the post office when your best friend is friends with Santa Claus?" Jamie said with a grin. Jack chuckled. He had a point there.
"Okay, Jamie. The Jack Express will deliver both Christmas lists to Santa Claus in due time. That will be one thousand dollars," Jack said in a fake British accent.
Jamie laughed. "I don't have a thousand dollars!"
"Fine. I'll give you a discount," Jack said with a grin. He then looked around Jamie's room. "Where is Sophie, anyway?"
"Downstairs helping Mom with Christmas cookies," Jamie said. "I can save some aside for you if you want."
Jack smiled. "Thanks, Jamie. Make sure to leave a whole tray aside for me.
Jamie giggled and he watched as Jack flew to the window and opened it. The winter spirit turned around and said, "I'm gonna deliver these to North before I lose them.
"But I thought you said that your delivery service was reliable!" Jamie exclaimed.
Jack smirked mischievously. "I never said that."
"Don't lose them!" Jamie said.
Jack laughed. "I won't, I won't." Jack opened the window and called on the Winds. "I'll see you later, Jamie!"
Jamie waved back. "Bye, Jack! Merry Christmas!"
Jack flew out the window and into the winter air above. The Wind propelled him toward the direction of Santoff Claussen. Jack couldn't stop smiling. He had a feeling that this Christmas was going to be a great one.
…
Jack flew through the window that was always left open for him and into the wondrous world of Santoff Claussen. Yetis were bustling around in the Workshop below and Jack had never seen the large, furry creatures so occupied. The yetis were either carrying finished toys, models of toys to be made, or parts for toys. Some of them were painting completed toys while others were constructing toys that were to be painted. The elves were being...well, elves. Running in between the yetis' large feet and mostly getting in the way, carrying trays of Christmas cookies or tinkering with old Christmas toys. Jack spotted Dingle and his group carrying a tray of fresh cookies and Jack flew down and snatched one of the Christmas treats before the elves noticed.
Jack munched on his cookie as he flew to North's study. There was no loud, booming Russian music playing today, and Jack wondered if North was reading. The winter spirit knocked on the door.
"Hey, North? Are you here?" called the winter spirit. Jack opened the door and looked around in awe. North really was the Guardian of Wonder. Shimmering ice sculptures lined the tables, and Jack ducked as a model airplane flew over him. Jack looked around and saw that a Christmas tree was decorated with sparkling ornaments, and several ice creations of robots, soldiers, and dolls walked around freely in North's study. Christmas lights hung from the ceiling like icicles, shining brightly. From the ice sculptures to the smallest ornaments on the Christmas tree, North's study looked absolutely wonderful.
"Wow," Jack said. The place looked amazing. Almost alive. Jack looked around, trying to locate North, but Santa Claus didn't seem to be in his office. Jack scratched his head. Where could North be?
Jack exited North's office and walked around. He spotted the ex-Cossack at the Globe Room and Jack called on the Wind to fly him there. Jack landed nimbly on his feet and walked up to North, who seemed to be deep in thought as he watched the lively Workshop below. He wasn't aware of the young teen behind him. Jack smirked impishly to himself and snuck up behind the man in red. Then, once he was close enough, he yelled, "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"
And North screamed. Louder than Jack had ever heard him scream before. The winter spirit doubled over in laughter. North clutched a hand to his chest as he watched the laughing winter spirit in front of him. North shook his head with a smile, realizing where the sudden shout had come from and began to chuckle himself.
"Vell, hello, Jack," said North. "You gave me quite a scare!"
Jack smiled. "I couldn't pass the chance," the young winter spirit snickered. "And I think I got you pretty good."
North nodded and then turned back to the control panel and activated the Northern Lights. Jack cocked his head.
"We're having a Guardian meeting today?" asked Jack. The winter spirit normally tried to stay on schedule with the appointed meetings, but Jack still arrived late most of the time. Mostly because he either forgot that a meeting was on that date or because he got caught up in spreading winter, but the other Guardians never seemed to mind. They knew that transitioning from a regular free spirit to a Guardian would take some time for him, so they never scolded him for being late...Except for Bunny when he got impatient, but he was never too harsh about it either.
North shook his head. "This iz not Guardian meeting, but an announcement!" he said with a flourish.
"Really? What is it?" asked Jack.
"I vill tell you when others get here," North said with a wink, which only made Jack even more curious as to what North was going to announce.
…
When the Northern Lights began to dance across the sky, the other Guardians had come almost immediately afterward. Tooth was the first to arrive with her usual troupe of mini fairies. Baby Tooth was amongst them. The yellow-feathered fairy fluttered up to Jack and chirped a cheerful hello. Jack gave her a small pat on the head in greeting.
The next to arrive was Sandy. He came in his usual dreamsand airplane through the same window that Jack used to enter Santoff Claussen. He gave everyone a friendly wave once he landed. Bunny came soon afterward, hopping out of one of his many tunnels holding a half-painted egg and a paintbrush.
North clapped his hands together. "Alright, everybody! I have important announcement to make!"
"What is it, North?" asked Tooth, her wings fluttering anticipatingly.
"First, Christmas iz better than Easter," North said, flashing a smirk at Bunny. The Pooka's ears flattened against his head in irritation, but before he could respond, North continued, "And, you are all invited to Christmas party on Christmas Eve!"
Jack's eyes widened. North's Christmas parties were always the talk of the immortals after Christmas day. Jack had heard from spirits of all kinds that out of all of the parties that North threw, his Christmas ones were the biggest, greatest, and absolute grandest of them all. Jack had tried several times to break into one of these parties, but he was always caught by the yetis.
The winter spirit had never been invited to a party before. Now that Jack thought about it, he had never been invited to a party that was this big before either. Jack knew that he would have to be on his best behavior for the celebration, but the party was on December twenty-fourth, so he didn't have to think about that at the moment.
Tooth smiled. "I'm so excited!"
Sandy nodded and produced the image of a party horn. The Sandman was looking forward to the party too.
Bunny looked up from his egg, a slight frown on his face. "Ya're not gonna spend half the time braggin' about how Christmas is better than Easter, are ya?"
North shrugged, an impish gleam in his eyes. "I make no promises."
Bunny rolled his eyes and Jack smiled. The constant argument whether Christmas was better than Easter seemed to be a quarrel that would never be resolved. Jack felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see Sandy. The little golden man produced the image of a question mark.
"Oh, I'm excited," said Jack. He swung his staff onto his shoulder and shoved his hand into his pocket. "It's just that I've never really been to a party this big before...or any party for that matter…"
In all of his years alone, Jack remembered how much he wanted to be a part of the Christmas celebration. But being unseen and unheard made that an impossible feat. Jack remembered watching families inside of their homes sitting next to a decorated Christmas tree, opening presents and drinking hot chocolate. Families feasting together at a table full of different foods and people decorating their homes with bright, merry decorations. And then there was caroling. Jack loved it when people caroled. The winter spirit could hear the melodious voices from his lake, and he always sang along when he flew over the carolers, even though no one could hear him.
Jack didn't have anyone to spend Christmas with. He was alone for 300 years with no one but the Wind to keep him company. As nice as it was to have one friend, it still didn't fill the empty space that Jack wanted. What he needed.
Jack had done his best to get into the festive spirit. He spent his time by his lake decorating it with icicles and even created ornaments made out of ice. He sometimes created a small family of snowmen just to make it feel like he wasn't alone, but the winter spirit still felt lonely. And he never received a gift from Santa on Christmas morning. Jack knew he was always on top of the Naughty List, but he never received a lump of coal either.
Jack was pulled out of his thoughts when a large hand was laid on his shoulder. Jack looked up and saw North standing beside him.
"Jack, this party iz even more special since you vill be there," said North. Jack didn't miss the slight hint of remorse in his voice, and the winter spirit knew that North was sorry for not realizing how alone Jack was for all those years. "And ve vill be making even bigger announcement at party."
"Bigger announcement?" repeated Jack.
"That you are Guardian!" North bellowed happily.
"Is that really necessary?" asked Bunny.
"Iz tradition," said North. "Cannot stop it now."
"Wait...tradition?" asked Jack. He turned to the others. "You mean all of you were announced as Guardians at North's Christmas parties?"
"It wasn't like we had a choice," said Bunny as he frowned at North. He jabbed his paintbrush in the ex-Cossack's direction. "He insisted."
Tooth smiled and laid a hand on Jack's shoulder. "It's a little tradition that we have," the Tooth Fairy squeezed his shoulder lightly. "You don't have to have North announce your Guardianship if you don't want him to, Jack."
North looked surprised. "Ve have to! Jack deserves it."
"Yeah, but if Jack doesn't want ta, then we won't force 'im," Bunny said. "We don't have ta stick ta tradition."
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn't that he didn't want North to announce his new role as a Guardian, it was just that it would mean having to stand in front of a bunch of immortals who he didn't get along with in his 300 years of loneliness, or a lot of immortals he didn't know. Jack wasn't a shy person, but with just recently becoming a Guardian, getting used to being seen, and having a family was a lot to adjust to in just a short amount of time. And Jack wasn't exactly in the mood to face people that didn't like him very much. What would they say when he was announced as a Guardian? That he didn't deserve the role? Jack looked at North's direction, who seemed to really want to announce Jack's new role as a Guardian. Jack decided to let North stick to the tradition.
"It's fine," said Jack with a smile. "You guys can announce that I'm a Guardian at the party."
North cheered and patted Jack on the back. "Great! I vill start making preparations!" the man in red then turned to the others. "I also vanted to ask if you all vould like to help with decorating since yetis and elves are extra busy in Workshop."
Tooth grinned brightly. "We'd love to!"
"I'll get the Easter decorations," said Bunny with a joking smile.
Jack laughed lightly, but he knew that Bunny would try to sneak at least one Easter decoration while they were decorating Santoff Claussen.
"Great!" said North. "Vhy don't ve start now? Decorations are in storage room."
The Guardians began to walk to the storage room, and Jack couldn't help but smile. It was a Christmas of firsts. His first party, his first Christmas with others, and his first Christmas that wasn't spent at his lake alone.
This Christmas is definitely going to be a great one, thought Jack.
Author's Note: Yes, Jack! It will be a great one! (Or will it...?).
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. X) This Christmas is going to be a great one for our favorite winter spirit, but, of course, there's going to be a lot of misadventures between all of the party preparations. =D I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter of "That Time of Year!" =D
Until the next chapter!
-BeyondTheMoon1203
