Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another chapter of "That Time of Year!" I hope you enjoy it! =D
Chapter Twelve: Eggnog
December Twelfth
If Jack could describe the Guardians in just a few words, they would be strange, fun, and peculiar. The Guardians were an odd bunch, and odd might possibly be an understatement. But even though the Guardians were a strange group, Jack was very fond of the group, and he had grown very close to them in the past few months. He even considered them family, and he felt that the Guardians were beginning to see him as family too.
But out of all of the Guardians, Sandy seemed to be the closest one to "normal." The Sandman was quiet, patient, and ever so wise, but he had his own peculiarities as well. Jack noticed this as he spent more time with the Guardians. Sandy could sleep almost anywhere. Whether it was under a table or in the most precarious place possible, Sandy could fall asleep anywhere in any position. Jack had asked North why Sandy fell asleep so often, and the ex-Cossack had simply replied with: "Sandy iz master of sleep and dreams, so it makes sense that he vould be such a big sleeper. He iz partially made out of dreamsand after all."
The answer was enough to satisfy Jack. He didn't know much about the Guardians' backstories, but he knew that they would reveal them to him when they felt like it. He had heard Bunny mention that Sandy was a Star Captain back during the Golden Age, which sounded immensely interesting to Jack, but he hadn't found the time to ask Sandy about it during the hustle and bustle of preparing for the Christmas party and Christmas itself. There were just a few more days until the holiday, and that meant that North was extra busy. And since Jack wanted to help him out as much as he could, the winter spirit grew extra busy as well.
Jack still managed to spend time with the other Guardians though. And one thing he noticed about Sandy was his strange addiction to eggnog. Jack didn't understand why the Sandman loved it so much. The winter spirit had a taste of the drink himself and didn't like it as much as the little golden man did. Sandy drank at least seven (maybe even more) cups a day. Jack never counted how many cups of eggnog Sandy drank, but he did know that Sandy never went a day without at least one cup of eggnog. Ever.
Jack had asked Sandy why he liked the drink so much, and when he mentioned that he didn't like it, Jack had to sit as Sandy vehemently explained why eggnog was so good and why it's important. Jack had nearly fallen asleep during the lecture.
This led Jack to wonder if the Santoff Claussen had ever run out of eggnog due to Sandy's addiction to it. North shook his head and smiled.
"Eggnog production is sped up for Sandy," he whispered to the winter spirit when he asked.
"So, if I requested for Christmas cookie production to be sped up, would you do it?" asked Jack with an impish smirk.
"I vould!" said North, but then he paused. "But Tooth vould never let me. Especially if it came to your teeth."
Jack laughed. Tooth would never let Jack eat an entire jar of Christmas cookies after his overconsumption of them. Since the North Pole never ran out of eggnog, the winter spirit began to wonder: what if the North Pole ran out of eggnog? How would Sandy react?
And this thought was what led Jack to come up with one of the craziest pranks ever: to hide every last drop of eggnog in Santoff Claussen from Sandy for an entire day. Of course, he had to ask North for permission first, but he knew that the Russian wouldn't mind at all. In fact, he even joined Jack on the idea. He was curious to see Sandy's reaction to no eggnog as well. Jack and North planned the whole thing out in the study and the two high-fived once everything was set.
"Now the only problem is," said Jack. "Where are we going to hide all of the eggnog?"
North smiled. "Come vith me."
Jack followed North down one of the many hallways of Santoff Claussen. The winter palace was huge and vast. Way bigger than Jack had thought it was. There were several places he hadn't explored yet, which he realized when North had first revealed the party room. Jack hadn't managed to go through every room and every place, but he was getting there.
North continued to lead Jack through the halls and the two eventually came to one of the many storage rooms of Santoff Claussen. The place had lots and lots of things that needed to be kept in storage. North had said that there were at least over fifty fastidious organized storage rooms in the North Pole.
But this storage room wasn't like the others. This was the room where North kept his old treasures and collectibles from back when he was still a bandit. Some of the items were also from when he first became a Guardian and discovered the original village of Santoff Claussen. Jack looked around in awe at all of the magical trinkets and items that were placed on the shelves. The winter spirit followed North around and they passed many different things, including a metal robot man.
"What's that?" asked Jack.
"The Djinni robot," said North proudly. "It vas one of my very first inventions."
"Wow," said Jack in awe. "That's cool."
North nodded and he then spotted what he was looking for. He pulled down a large, red bag and announced, "This iz vhere ve vill hide eggnog!"
Jack stared at the bag skeptically. "Uhh…North? Didn't you say there is a ton of eggnog lying around here? We can stuff it in this tiny little bag."
North shook his head and chuckled. "Jack, my boy, this iz no ordinary bag. It can hold anything. It iz infinate!" To prove his statement, North pulled out a large box and stuffed it inside. The bag stayed the same size. "How do you think I put so many presents in the back of sleigh?"
Jack was impressed. "Wow, North. You really are mysterious."
North nodded and then took the box out and set it aside. "I have already told Phil and yetis to start gathering all of the eggnog in the North Pole. Elves are hunting for some too since they are experts in food. Ve'll hide all of it in this bag and put it vhere Sandy vill not be able to find it."
Jack grinned. "I cannot wait to see the look on Sandy's face! This is going to be freaking awesome!"
"Nyet, this iz going to be epic!" bellowed North heartily. And the two exited the room to scour the North Pole for eggnog.
…
It had taken a while, but North, Jack, and the large group of yetis and elves managed to find each and every container of eggnog and shoved it all into the infinite bag deep down in storage. Every drop of eggnog was wiped off the countertops and tables, and all of the eggnog ingredients were hidden from sight as well. All of the yetis and elves were in the secret plan, and Jack explained the prank to them one last time.
"Okay, Sandy and the others are going to come here for the daily Guardian meeting," explained Jack. "Do not bring any eggnog out. Don't mention anything about it until Sandy asks where it is. Just pretend that you ran out and that there aren't any more and we'll get to see Sandy's reaction."
The yetis and elves nodded in understanding and Jack smiled. This was going to be a blast. Jack had always wondered how Sandy would react at the thought of no eggnog, and now he would soon get to see it.
Jack checked the place where the eggnog was being hidden one last time to make sure that Sandy wouldn't be able to find it. Once he was sure that the Sandman wouldn't be able to track down the eggnog, he headed to the study where North was doing some ice sculpting. The Workshop was up and running once again now that Christmas was just in a couple of days. Jack sat across from North and asked, "Can I help you with anything?"
North set down his ice sculpting tools and smiled softly. "Jack, you have been so helpful these past few days, I cannot say how grateful I am for an extra pair of hands, but I vant you to be able to have some free time."
"But I don't mind helping, really," said Jack. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You've done a lot for me, and I just want to pay you back."
North nodded and tossed Jack an ice pick, which he caught with ease. He pushed a paper design of a toy castle and said, "Think you can manage this?"
Jack smiled and nodded. "After all of the tips you gave me, I'm pretty sure I can."
For the rest of the day, Jack and North spent time working on ice sculptures, organizing things in the Workshop, and making sure that no chaos broke out during toy production. Jack had become quite the master at ice sculpting over the past few days, something that North admired in the winter spirit. And Jack was able to navigate through the hustle and bustle of the Workshop, solving problems, making sure things were going along smoothly, and even helping out with constructing the toys sometimes. North was really proud of Jack, and he was very grateful for his help. The ex-Cossack wished that he had taken notice of him sooner, but he could always make up for all of the 300 years by being there for Jack right now.
There was also the thought of the huge prank that they were about to pull on Sandy, and Jack couldn't wait to see the Sandman's reaction. The winter spirit checked the hiding place of all of the eggnog multiple times, just to make sure that it was truly hidden well so that Sandy wouldn't be able to locate it and shooed out a few elves who were trying to dig into the large bag and sneak a sip of eggnog.
The day began to close as well as work in the Workshop. Once things were put away and all of the toys were wrapped and put in storage, North and Jack walked back to the study to clean a few things up. Jack placed the last few tools in the drawer and then shut it, patting his hands together once he was done.
"I think that's everything," said Jack as he looked over the room.
North pushed a book back into place and nodded. "Room looks spit and pan."
Jack blinked, and then he laughed. "It's 'spick and span,' North." he corrected.
North shrugged. "Iz vhat I say." Jack wondered if North ever got his use of expressions correct. The winter spirit found it amusing how the ex-Cossack couldn't seem to remember the right words for almost every single expression in existence. Jack and the other Guardians often had to correct him, and Jack knew that he and the others would probably have to continue doing so for a long, long time.
"Anyway," said North as he and Jack exited the room. "I vanted to thank you for your help in the Workshop today, Jack. You are very helpful, and I cannot say how much I appreciate your help."
Jack rubbed the back of his neck, smiling lightly. "It's no problem, North. Besides, Christmas is just around the corner. You need all the help you can get. I don't know how you manage to control all of this by yourself."
North shrugged. "You get used to it, and it takes lots of practice," he said. "But iz all worth it in the end."
Jack nodded. For over 300 years, he admired how North managed to deliver thousands (maybe even millions) of presents around the world to each and every child, how he was able to keep the entire group of yetis and elves under control in the Workshop, and on top of all of that, lead the Guardians of Childhood and host the daily Guardian meetings that they had. It seemed like an impossible feat, but North was known for being the Guardian of Wonder, so he was known for making impossible things possible!
Jack subconsciously rubbed at his eyes, realizing how tired he was after a long day of working and building. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay."
North looked around in bemusement. "Udarit' seno? Hit hay? The only hay around here are the ones in reindeer stables. And vhy vould you vant to hit hay, my boy?"
Jack shook his head, laughing until tears began to fall. "Oh my moon, North. Expressions and you are impossible!"
North, still slightly confused by the "hit the hay" comment, just shrugged and smiled as he walked Jack to the bedrooms. The winter spirit stopped in front of his door and turned to North.
"I can't wait to see Sandy's face tomorrow," he said, mischief dancing in his blue eyes. "Should we tell Tooth and Bunny?"
North shook his head impishly. He laid a hand on Jack's shoulder and said, "This vill be secret ve keep between us," North smiled. "Ve vill tell them afterward."
Jack nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said. The winter spirit opened his bedroom door and said, "Goodnight, North!"
"Goodnight, moy mal'chik," said North. Jack smiled back and entered his bedroom, closing the door behind him.
…
The Northern Lights danced across the sky, alerting the other Guardians of Childhood that it was time to head to Santoff Claussen for a gathering. Tooth looked up cheerfully and smiled when she noticed the red and green streams of light weaving through the sky and trilled to Baby Tooth and three other fairies to accompany her on her trip to the North Pole. Tooth and her fairies fluttered out of the Tooth Palace and began to make their way to Santoff Claussen. Tooth fluttered through the open window and found North and Jack already waiting in the Globe Room.
"Hi, North! Hi, Jack!" Toth greeted happily as she hovered next to the two. "How are things going in the Workshop?"
"Things are going great!" said North with a smile. Jack nodded, affirming the ex-Cossack's statement. "Ve are actually ahead of schedule thanks to Jack's help."
Jack shifted on his feet but didn't suppress a smile. The winter spirit wasn't used to being praised or complimented. He had been alone for 300 years and was mostly yelled at for making snowstorms and blizzards. He was rarely ever complimented in his entire immortal life. But now that he was a Guardian, he was complimented almost all the time by the others, and the children that could see him would always say how amazing a snow day was when he flew by.
Tooth smiled and turned to Jack, her wings never missing a beat. "That's great! Maybe I should ask Jack to come help out at the Tooth Palace sometime!"
Working with Tooth and the other fairies sounded like a lot of fun. Baby Tooth nodded her head enthusiastically. She liked the idea of Jack working in the Tooth Palace with her and the other fairies."
Jack laughed. "I'd be happy to stop by and lend a hand at any time, Tooth."
The trio turned their heads when a tunnel appeared, and Bunny hopped out of it. He shook the snow out of his fur and said, "Crikey, North! It's bloody freezing outside!"
"Vell, it iz winter," said North. "And iz like this all the time here."
Bunny bounded for the fireplace, sighing in relief as warmth returned to his large, furry feet. "I don't know how ya manage without freezin' to death out here."
"It's just a little cold, Bunny," said Jack with a smirk. "And you have fur. Isn't that enough to keep you warm?" Jack's eyes widened. "Hey! Maybe we should give Bunny a coat for Christmas!'
Tooth giggled. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea!"
North ran a hand through his beard. "You know, maybe I could make Bunny a coat. Something like mine perhaps—"
Bunny shook his head. "Oh, no. If North is makin' me a coat, I now without a doubt that it's gonna say somethin' about Christmas being better than Easter. And I'm not wearin' anythin' like that."
Jack shrugged. "Well, I guess that just leaves you and your fur, then."
The last Guardian to arrive was Sandy. The Sandman came flying in on his usual dreamsand airplane and landed in the middle of the Globe Room, greeting each of the Guardians with a smile. Jack and North shared impish looks, small smiles spreading on their faces that went unnoticed by Sandy but were noticed by Bunny and Tooth. The Pooka and Sister of Flight turned to each other, wondering what the winter spirit and ex-Cossack were up to.
North clapped his hands together, beginning the Guardian meeting. "Alright, everybody! Meeting starts now!"
A group of elves and three yetis brought out some Christmas cookies, milk, and cups of hot chocolate. Bunny grabbed a cup of milk and a cookie, Tooth picked up a cup of hot chocolate, and Jack picked up two cookies and grabbed a cup filled with hot chocolate as well. Sandy picked up a cookie and scanned the options, looking for the cups of eggnog that usually were also brought out by the yetis. A question mark coiled over Sandy's head.
"Oh, ve ran out of eggnog," said North as he picked up a cookie. It took the man in red a lot of willpower not to laugh at Sandy's shocked expression.
Jack nodded. "The elves went a little crazy last night with the eggnog," he said, trying his best to keep back laughs.
Bunny shook his head. "How do ya even live with them, North?"
"They are helpful when they want to be," said North.
"And they make awesome cookies!" added Jack.
Sandy was still surprised. Eggnog? Out? Gone? That couldn't be true! North always had eggnog, even when the elves went insane over it. The thought that there was absolutely no eggnog in the North Pole was shocking to the Sandman. He once again created a question mark and a picture of eggnog.
North shook his head. "No, there iz no more eggnog."
Sandy put up the image of a kitchen and then eggnog again. "Can't you make more?"
"There are no more ingredients," replied North. "The elves used them all up."
Sandy put up the image of the storage room and a question mark. "Are there any ingredients in storage?"
North shook his head. "Nyet."
"Don't worry, Sandy," said Tooth reassuringly. "North will probably be restocked on eggnog by tomorrow!"
"Actually, ve vill be out for quite a vhile," said North. "Since Christmas iz almost here, there iz not much time to get ingredients."
"Where will there be more eggnog?" asked Jack. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from bursting out in laughter.
North wove a hand through his beard. "Hmm…two months maybe.
Two months?! Sandy dropped his cookie in shock.
"Two bloody months?!" exclaimed Bunny. Even Tooth was surprised by the long wait until eggnog would be available in the North Pole.
North nodded his head. "Yes, two months. Maybe even three."
"Or four," added Jack.
"Maybe even five," said North, sharing a laughing look with Jack.
The winter spirit snickered. "Who knows? North might be busy making new toy designs for next year's Christmas. Maybe there won't be any more eggnog for six months."
Sandy looked back and forth between the winter spirit and ex-Cossack. Something was definitely up. The Sandman left the Globe Room to scour Santoff Claussen for eggnog There had to be some eggnog lying around somewhere. Once Sandy left the room to hunt for eggnog, Jack and North burst out laughing. Tooth and Bunny stared at the two in complete and utter bemusement.
"What the heck is goin' on?" asked Bunny.
"I have a feeling that you two are in on something," said Tooth as she placed down her mug of hot chocolate.
Jack stopped laughing. "Oh, yeah. We're in on something." He turned to North. "I can't believe that worked! And Sandy's face…" Jack burst out laughing again. "Priceless! Oh, I wish I had a camera!"
North was still chuckling. "That vas great idea of yours, Jack! Ve should've done this sooner!"
"Do you two mind explain' what's goin' on?" Bunny asked again.
Jack nodded and said, "You guys all know how Sandy's addicted to eggnog. So, I came up with the idea of hiding all of the eggnog in Santoff Claussen and pretend that it ran out. I told North and he was in on it too."
"And it vorked!" North said.
Tooth and Bunny were surprised and slightly impressed. How North and Jack managed to hide all of the eggnog in the North Pole, they didn't know, but they did know that as North and Jack were laughing together and chattering about how they were going to tell Sandy that they had just pulled a prank on him, the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny saw a father and son. The Guardians were beginning to see each other as a family, and it was nice to see Jack and North acting that way with each other in the short moment.
Tooth smiled. "I wonder what other pranks they'll team up on."
Bunny shuddered. "Oh, crikey. I'm already dreadin' what they may have up their sleeves…" The Pooka already had his fair share of Jack's pranks, which were mostly harmless but still rather embarrassing. The thought of North and Jack teaming up to pull pranks made Bunny wonder if he should lock up his Warren for the rest of the winter season to avoid any tricks from the two.
A crash could be heard from down below. All four of the Guardians looked down the balcony and saw bursts of dreamsand coming from the kitchen. The four Guardians looked at each other.
"Ya two should probably tell Sandy that there is eggnog lyin' around here before he tears the place down," said Bunny quickly.
"Yeah, let's go do that right now," said Jack. The winter spirit flew toward the kitchen with North following not too far behind.
Author's Note: I think Jack and North would be a pranking super duo. X) I hope you guys enjoyed chapter twelve! =D
Udarit' seno means "Hit hay" in Russian. =)
Until the next chapter!
-BeyondTheMoon1203
