Author's Note: Happy December twenty! Oh my gosh, only five more days until Christmas! *Dances around in a circle* I'm so excited! =D

Here's chapter twenty of "That Time of Year!" I hope you guys enjoy it! =D


Chapter Twenty: The Party Begins

December Twentieth

"Jack," came a soft voice that sounded distant, yet close. Jack could feel someone lightly shaking his shoulder. The winter spirit shifted and tried to fall back asleep again, but it was hard to do that with someone shaking his shoulder. Jack rolled over once again, mumbling, "Go away…"

The feminine voice giggled. "Jack, you need to get up. It's almost time."

Time? Time for what? Jack fluttered his eyes open, and he sat up slowly, yawning as he did so. The winter spirit looked up to see Tooth fluttering in front of him, a smile on her face.

"There you go," said Tooth. Jack noticed that she looked different. Tooth was wearing a light pink sari and a white scarf was wrapped around her neck.

"Wow, Tooth," said Jack, sleep still laced in his voice. "You look nice."

Tooth's wings fluttered. "Thanks! Anyway, I came to get you out of bed. The party is about to begin."

Jack's eyes widened. "Wait, really?!" he exclaimed. He looked out the window to see that it was night. The winter spirit guessed that it was probably around ten. Maybe even eleven.

Tooth laughed. "Yes! Sandy and Bunny are already here. We split up to find you and I came to check your room, and you're here." The Tooth Fairy flew over to Jack's closet and opened it. "You're going to want to get your formal clothes on. The party starts in a little under an hour or so."

Jack slipped out of bed and Tooth handed him his formal attire. Jack took it out of her hands and Tooth said, "We'll be waiting in the Globe Room. Come out when you're done!" With that, the Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies flew out of Jack's bedroom. Jack looked at his formal wear and sighed.

"The party will only be for a few hours," he said. The winter spirit shut his door. "It shouldn't be so bad."

Hopefully, he added silently.

Jack finished changing and he met Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny in the Globe Room. Jack had already seen what Tooth was wearing for the party, and he was curious to see what Sandy and Bunny were wearing as well. The Sandman hadn't changed much, but he did wear a bowtie that looked really nice on him. Jack didn't think that he'd ever catch Bunny wearing clothes, as he seemed to be perfectly comfortable with his boomerangs tied to his back and bracers. But here he stood, wearing a green, long sleeve vest, a button up shirt, and a red scarf was tucked under the collar.

"Wow, Bunny," said Jack as he approached. "I never thought you'd ever wear clothes."

Bunny shrugged. "Well, this is a party, and I couldn't come lookin' the way I usually do."

"Besides," said Tooth. "Bunny used to wear clothes all the time. He also used to wear—"

Bunny cut her off by laughing nervously. "Let's not mention that in front of Frostbite here."

"Not to mention what?" asked Jack. "Did Bunny wear something embarrassing?"

Bunny turned to Tooth and Sandy and said, "Don't answer that."

Tooth and Sandy chuckled, which left Jack even more bemused. He did remember back at the Tooth Palace while he and the Guardians were still fighting Pitch when Bunny told North not to mention something about him when he first became a Guardian. Jack had never found out what that was, but he had an inkling that whatever Tooth had mentioned was related to it.

As much as Jack would've loved to, he didn't prod any further. North still hadn't arrived yet, and the winter spirit hoped that he wouldn't be late.

"When are the other immortals arriving?" asked Jack.

"Sometime soon," replied Tooth. "The yetis will let them in, and we'll all start heading to the party room."

Jack nodded, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. The Guardians were still waiting for North to arrive, so he made the best of his time to think about what he was going to do at the huge celebration. He was definitely doing what Bunny had suggested earlier. Staying close to the Guardians would make him feel more comfortable, the winter spirit deemed. And who knows? Maybe the Autumn sprites wouldn't show at all.

Oh, who am I kidding, of course they'll be here, thought Jack. If they did show up (which Jack greatly hoped that they wouldn't), he decided that he would make up some kind of excuse to leave. Jack nodded to himself. It sounded like a good plan. But there was still North announcing his Guardianship. He couldn't just leave in the middle of the party and miss that!

Maybe I should just tell North to call it off, Jack thought. He knew that North would understand if he changed his mind, but he didn't want to hurt North's feelings either. Or break a tradition that all of the Guardians had done. Jack chewed his lower lip. He didn't know what to do.

"Ya okay there, Frostbite?" asked Bunny. Jack looked up and saw that Bunny was once again looking at him with a concerned expression.

Jack considered telling the honest truth, but he held it back. The Guardian of Fun cracked a smile and he said, "I'm fine, Bunny. Just a little nervous."

"Don't worry, Jack," said Tooth reassuringly. The Tooth Fairy laid a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine. We'll be there the whole time."

Sandy nodded and Jack felt a little consoled, but not much. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yeah. As long as you guys are there, I guess I'll be okay."

Tooth smiled and she turned around when a yeti walked in. It garbled something in its language and Tooth nodded as if she understood what it said.

"What did he say?" asked Jack.

"I don't know," answered Tooth. "But I'm guessing that it has something to do with North."

The four Guardians walked to the sleigh hanger and were pleased to find that North had returned. Jack smiled when North hopped out of the sleigh; he didn't seem the least bit tired. In fact, he seemed even more energized. Jack guessed that his believers must have increased.

That explains why he doesn't feel so tired after Christmas, thought Jack.

"Welcome back, North!" Tooth said with a grin. "The other immortals and spirits are about to arrive, but you still have some time to get ready."

North smiled. "That iz great! I'll be done in a couple of minutes. Until then, you all can head to party room and wait for guests."

The other Guardians nodded and began to make their way to the party room. They entered and Jack realized that the room seemed to look even better at night. The lights on the Christmas tree were on, the buffet was filled with almost every single kind of food and dessert imaginable, and the Moon was shining, round and full, through the middle. Jack glanced at the stage and chewed his lower lip nervously.

Announcing my Guardianship shouldn't take that long, right? Thought Jack. To be frank, he didn't know how long it would take. He wasn't expecting much from the immortals and spirits when he was announced as a Guardian either. Maybe a few reluctant and hesitant claps, and then he'd walk off the stage.

Jack grabbed a cookie from the buffet table and chewed. He thought that as long as if he stuck near the Guardians, he'd be fine. Bunny had said that they'd be there the entire time, which brought some sort of solace to the winter spirit.

Besides, thought Jack. The night will run by…er…fly by. Jack popped the cookie morsel into his mouth and joined the other Guardians on the other side of the room. They were talking amiably about the past few Christmas parties that had taken place, and other things like how their jobs were. Jack joined in the conversation, occasionally throwing in a question on how things would go during the party, and the others reassured him that things would be perfectly fine, but Jack still felt hesitant. Anxious. Apprehensive. Maybe even a little fearful.

Jack shook his head. He would be fine. He'd be perfectly fine. And that's what he told himself as he and the other Guardians waited for North to arrive. The ex-Cossack soon burst through the doors with a flourish, wearing his usual hat and coat along with a red formal vest and black pants.

"Okay, everyone! Party iz about to begin!" announced North. Jack felt a flutter of slight excitement and nervousness. North turned to Jack and smiled. "You vill do fine, moy mal'chik," he added as if he could sense Jack's thoughts.

The winter spirit nodded and managed a smile. He would be fine. He just had to make it through the entire party and his Guardianship announcement. He could probably even take time to prepare for it while he walked around the festive celebration.

Bunny's ears twitched and he turned to the door. "Sounds like the others are here," he said.

Tooth's wings fluttered excitedly. "Oh my moon, it's been a while since I've seen the other immortals."

Sandy nodded and produced the image of a flapping calendar, further emphasizing Tooth's statement.

Jack shrugged. "Well, get ready for a giant reunion."

North left to go and greet the guests, and the Guardians stood in the party room, waiting for the huge flood of immortals to walk in. Jack gripped his staff. He hoped that some of the immortals that he hadn't gotten along with wouldn't recognize him. The winter spirit sighed.

Stop worrying, and just have fun, thought Jack.

"Here they come!" exclaimed Tooth. And at that moment, hundreds of immortals and spirits flooded in, and the party began.

There were a lot of immortals. Some that Jack recognized and others that he'd never seen before. Jack watched as all of them congratulated North for delivering thousands of presents around the world and when they saw the buffet table, everyone ran over to grab a bit of the cookies and food. Everyone then began to talk amongst each other while some Christmas music played in the background.

At first, Jack had no idea what to do. Should he just stand in one place and nibble on cookies, or should he try to mingle? Jack felt a little lost until a familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hello, Jack." The winter spirit turned to see none other than Emily Jane standing in front of him. She still wore her usual green dress and cloak, but a red poinsettia was pinned in her raven-black hair. Mother Nature gave him a small smile. "How is the party going for you?"

"To be honest, I don't even know," replied Jack. "How are things going for you?"

Emily Jane folded her hands behind her back in a similar manner to how Pitch would. "Pretty well. I'm due for a meeting with some other elemental spirits after this, but I'm hoping to enjoy myself here until then."

Jack nodded. "So, I've been wondering if I could extend winter for just a couple of days. What do you say?"

Mother Nature shook her head, chuckling lightly. "You already know the answer to that."

Jack sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Emily Jane smiled, and then wandered off to talk with some of the spring spirits that stood on the other side of the room, leaving Jack standing alone. The winter spirit looked around for the other Guardians, but he couldn't seem to find them anywhere.

Oh, great. What should I do? thought Jack as he looked around. The Guardian of Fun felt a little uncomfortable standing in the middle of the crowd. No one walked up to him to say hello, and no one made an effort to start a conversation with him. It was as if he was invisible all over again.

Jack sighed. Maybe he should've just stayed in his bedroom with a jar of cookies to snack on until the party was over. The winter spirit was about to head to the buffet table when Bunny appeared at his side.

"Hey, mate," he said. "How's the party goin' for ya?"

Jack shrugged casually. "It's going okay, I guess. I just talked to Emily Jane."

Bunny nodded. "Asked if ya could extend winter?"

"How did you know?" asked Jack.

Bunny smirked. "I just do."

Jack shook his head, a small smile crawling onto his face. "Anyway, I don't really know what to do now." The winter spirit looked around at all of the chatting immortals. Some were grouped together and talking amiably. A group of fairies burst into laughter in a corner, and North was talking with the Spirit of the Forest. Several elves were camped out near the buffet table, and they were currently in an eating contest with a group of trolls. Thankfully, Jack didn't see any sign of the Autumn sprites.

Bunny shrugged. "Well, ya could start with talkin' around."

Jack blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah," said Bunny. "Ya aren't gonna get anywhere by just standin' here."

"But no one even wants to talk to me," said Jack. He glanced around nervously. "Besides, where would I start?"

"With 'Hello'," replied Bunny. He walked the winter spirit over to a group of spring spirits. Jack tried to stop him, but Bunny ignored him.

"Come on, Bunny!" hissed Jack. "I'll just stand next to the Christmas tree until it's time to announce my Guardianship. Simple!"

"Naw, mate. Ya need ta start gettin' out there," said Bunny. The Pooka stopped Jack in front of the group of spring spirits, who were laughing about something that Jack didn't know. Bunny cleared his throat and the group looked up, smiling.

"Hi, Bunnymund!" greeted the one that stood in the middle. She had blonde hair that was tied into a long braid, which had several different kinds of flowers weaved into it. Her green dress touched the floor and had various white flowers blooming on it. She looked like the leader of the group, and she didn't seem to notice Jack. "It's been a long time! How have you been? Is Groundy still causing you trouble?"

Bunny's ears twitched at the mention of the Groundhog, and Jack couldn't keep back a snicker. The Pooka shook his head.

"Nope, Groundy, thankfully, hasn't turned up yet, May," said Bunny. Jack remembered Bunny mentioning at a Guardian meeting that Groundy the Groundhog had been making surprise "visits" to his Warren, reminding him that if his shadow was seen, that he'd have to start spring early. Bunny didn't like being told what to do, and Groundy's visits were a bit too surprising and unexpected.

The lead spring spirit, whose name was May, nodded. "Well, I hope he doesn't cause you any trouble this year. I managed to try and talk to him earlier, although I don't think he got the message."

A spring spirit that was sitting to May's right shook her head. Her curly red hair bounced around as she did so. "I can't stand Groundy. He can be so annoying. Like, how does a shadow determine when spring starts and winter ends? Or, when winter ends and when spring starts? It makes no sense!"

"Exactly!" the other spring spirits agreed.

Wow, they can't stand Ground as much as Bunny can, remarked Jack.

Bunny nodded and then he said, "Anyway, I'd like ta introduce someone ta ya who isn't a big fan of Groundy either. This is Jack." The Pooka gestured to Jack and the winter spirit smiled sheepishly. The spring spirits' gaze turned to him, and Jack felt as if he was being judged whether he was worth talking to or not.

"Jack? As in Jack Frost?" asked May. The look in her eyes wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't friendly either.

"That's me," said Jack.

May nodded slowly. She turned back to Bunny and asked, "So, anything new planned for Easter?"

Jack faltered. He turned to Bunny, his blue eyes reflecting a "What now?" look. Bunny turned back to May and said, "I have a few things in store. I got a couple of new chocolate flavors in the makin'."

"Oh, fun!" said another spring spirit. Her black hair was straighter than a line.

Jack nodded. "He has a whole list of flavors," he added, but his comment went unnoticed. The spring spirits seemed more into talking with Bunny than him. Jack shifted uncomfortably as the conversation went on, and the spring spirits eventually went off to talk to the summer spirits, who had just arrived. Bunny turned to Jack, a remorseful look on his face.

"Well, that went well," said Jack sarcastically. "I got a nod from May, and a couple of glances. What a wonderful conversation."

Bunny sighed and laid a paw on his shoulder. "Sorry, mate. I guess they didn't exactly want ta talk with ya."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

Bunny shook his head. "If they took the time ta get ta know ya, I'm sure they'd like ya."

Jack shrugged. "I guess—" the winter spirit cut himself off when he looked at the door. He stiffened and his grip on his staff tightened when he saw the next few guests that walked in.

"Jack? Are ya okay?" asked Bunny, but Jack didn't respond. The winter spirit's cerulean eyes were glued to the entrance as he watched who had just entered.

The Autumn sprites. The Autumn sprites had just arrived.


Author's Note: ...Welp, the Autumn sprites have arrived and...that's not good. =/

So! If any of you are wondering what a sari is, it's an outfit from South Asia. They're really beautiful, and since Tooth is from an Asian country (a fictional kingdom called Punjam Hy Loo. Yet another book reference. =)), I decided to give her something that lined up with her culture. =D

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys tomorrow with the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

-BeyondTheMoon1203