Author's Note: This is it, guys. The last and final chapter of "That Time of Year..." *Cries*
I had so, so, so much fun writing this story, and I'm still surprised by the amount of feedback it's received. I wasn't expecting this many favs and follows, and I'm really happy that you guys enjoyed this story. Thank you so much. =)
And with that, here's the last chapter of "That Time of Year." I hope you guys enjoy it! =D
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Joy of Family
December Twenty-Four: Christmas Eve
Jack waved his staff to create a light snowfall over his lake. The winter spirit added a couple more shimmering icicles to the tree branches, and tapped his staff against the already frozen lake just to make sure it was completely solid. It was an old habit that Jack had done since he first became immortal and after he saw his childhood memories, he understood why he did it, but Jack wasn't worried about the Guardians falling into his lake. Things would be perfectly fine and fun, and the winter spirit was looking forward to ice skating with his friends.
Jack looked around and smiled at his handiwork. He didn't know how long he and the Guardians would be ice skating, but he wanted to make the place look nice for the other Guardians of childhood. Maybe the decorating was a little unnecessary, but the Guardian of Fun didn't care.
Soon, the veteran Guardians arrived through a magic portal. Jack laughed as the Guardian tumbled out into a heap. North was the first to stand up, and he helped the others get to their feet as well.
"Hey, guys," Jack greeted with a smile. "I'm guessing that it was North's turn to pick the transportation."
North nodded. "Bunny surprised us with tunnel last time, so it was my turn. Since he said no to sleigh, ve did magic portal."
Bunny balanced himself but once he got to his feet he slipped in the snow. He sat up and frowned at the ice skate that was tied to his feet. "I forgot that I have these on," he said.
Jack helped the others get to their feet and balance. The winter spirit realized that this must be the first time the Guardians have ever ice skated. Jack smiled and said, "So, who wants to go out onto the ice first?"
"I'll give it a go," said Tooth. The Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies wobbled out onto the ice with Jack's help. Tooth managed to push herself a few feet out on the ice and managed to skate in a straight line. She grinned brightly. "Hey, I'm skating!"
Sandy went out next, and he seemed to be a natural at ice skating. He did a figure eight and joined Tooth out on the ice. She smirked at him. "Show-off." Sandy smiled impishly.
"I bet I can do better!" North announced. The ex-Cossack skated out onto the ice and managed only a few feet before slipping and falling. Jack laughed.
"Yep! That was so much better than Sandy!" the winter spirit said in between laughs. Tooth and Sandy helped get North to his feet and helped him keep balance. Jack turned to Bunny, who was looking out at the ice warily.
"Need some help, 'Roo?" asked Jack with a mischievous smile. "It's not that hard. You just need to get out on the ice."
Bunny snorted and turned to face Jack. "I don't need any help. I can do this myself." The Pooka walked out onto the ice, but it wasn't long until he lost control and began to slide uncontrollably across the lake. The other three Guardians slid out of Bunny's way before he crashed into the snow on the other side.
Jack flew over, stifling a laugh and asked, "Are you alright there, Bunny?"
"I'm fantastic," Bunny replied sarcastically. He pulled himself out of the snow and shook off the white powder out of his fur. He stood up once again and walked onto the ice, but had trouble keeping balance. Jack gave him a hand.
"Hold on," he said. Jack turned to the other Guardians and said, "How about we make a chain so we can keep balance?"
Bunny kept a firm grip on Jack's hand as he skated over to the other Guardians. The Pooka grabbed North's hand, and then North grabbed Tooth's hand. Tooth took Sandy's hand, and the Guardians began skating with each other across the ice.
"How about we speed things up a little?" said Jack with an impish grin as he increases his speed. The Guardians kept a firm grip on each other as Jack led them around his lake. They could tell that the winter spirit had done his best to make the place look presentable for them, and the Guardians were impressed by the simple beauty of Jack's lake. The icicles chimed in the Wind, and the light snowfall over the lake made things feel even more pleasant. The Guardians cried out in surprise when Jack did a sudden turn. He laughed and then turned to do another lap around the lake again, which the Guardians took pleasure in.
"We should do this more often!" said Tooth happily. "This is really fun!"
"I have ta agree with that, Shelia," said Bunny. "Even though I can't even stand up straight."
Jack laughed. "With practice, you'll get better. Besides, I don't think kangaroos were meant to skate this much."
"Oi!" exclaimed Bunny. "How many times do I have ta tell ya? I'm not a kangaroo!"
Jack laughed again and he continued to lead the Guardians around his lake. Soon, the chain broke when Bunny slipped and fell, bringing all of the Guardians down with him. They all laughed and got back up, trying to skate by themselves. Jack gave them tips when they seemed like they needed some, and the winter spirit watched with a wistful smile as the Guardians continued to try and skate.
In his 300 years of solitude, Jack never thought that he'd have friends or a family. He never thought that he'd be cared for the same way that he had seen other families do in their homes. As strange as the Guardians were, as tough as their relationship started, Jack found that he could trust them. He could believe in them. The Guardians were there for him and had done so much for him; he wanted to thank them. Not with a gift, but in person.
"North! Yer gonna crash into me!" shouted Bunny as North came sliding in his direction.
North laughed. "I have complete control! Do not vorry!" At the last second, North spun out of Bunny's way. The Pooka sighed with relief and then slipped on his skates once again, crashing on the ice flat on the ice, which made the Guardians laugh.
Jack smiled at the small moment, and then he said, "Hey, guys? I need to tell you all something."
The Guardians tried their best to skate over to where Jack was standing in the snow but since they weren't the best skaters yet, they constantly slipped and fell. Well, except for Sandy, who managed to skate all the way over to where Jack was standing with no difficulty. The Sandman smiled at Jack and watched in amusement as the other tried to skate over.
"Toothy, you do now that you can just fly over, right?" asked North.
"I know, but I want to at least try and skate this distance," said Tooth determinedly. She slipped once again and landed on the ice.
Bunny shook his head and then turned to Jack. "Ya can tell us what ya want ta say from right there, right, mate?"
"Yeah, I can," said Jack. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say thank you. You guys have done a lot for me, and I never thought that I'd ever spend Christmas with others again. I know some parts didn't go exactly to plan, but I had a really fun Christmas with you all and I…" Jack trailed off and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. Should he finally say what he had been wanting to tell the Guardians since they had begun seeing each other as a family? How would they react?
"Ya kind of trailed off there, mate," said Bunny. He, Tooth, and North finally made it to where Jack and Sandy were standing and were waiting for what Jack had to say next. "What were ya saying?"
"I…I just wanted to say that I…" the winter spirit paused, and he looked up at the Guardians. North, who he saw as a father; Tooth, who he saw as a mother; Bunny, who he saw as an older brother; and Sandy, who he saw as a wise, patient grandfather were all waiting with patient smiles on their faces. Jack fiddled with his hoodie strings, and he let out a breath. He wasn't going to hold it back anymore. He had to tell them. He needed to tell them.
"I had a really amazing Christmas with you all, and I just wanted to say that I…I love you guys," Jack could feel his cheeks warm up. "You guys are amazing and you've given me so much and I—" Jack cut himself off when he felt Tooth tackle him into a hug. Jack stumbled back and was slightly surprised by the sudden embrace, but he returned Tooth's hug. It wasn't long until North crushed the two of them into a hug, and Jack could feel Sandy hugging his side. Bunny hesitated, but North pulled him into the hug, and the Pooka chuckled lightly.
"Ve love you too, Jack," said North. "And you've given us something that made this Christmas very, very special."
"I did?" said Jack. "And what's that?"
"You," said Tooth. "We've spent many Christmases together, but this one has to be the best one of them all thanks to you."
"And we're lookin' forward ta spendin' the next one with ya," said Bunny. He paused and then added. "After Easter, of course."
The Guardians laughed and pulled out of the group hug. Jack stepped back and grinned. For 300 years, he'd watched families spend Christmas together. He'd watch them come together under the warmth of a home and spend the days doing fun, festive activities with each other. He had always wanted that. He wanted a family. He wanted people to spend time with. And he had gotten all of that through the Guardians.
"So, wonderful family," said Jack. "Are you up for one more skate on the ice?"
"Let's do it!" said Tooth cheerfully. Then, the Guardians stepped out onto the ice once more. Jack had never had so much fun, and as he and the Guardians skated together on the ice, he found himself looking forward to next year's Christmas.
And all of the Christmases that were yet to come.
The End
Author's Note: And that's the end! *Tosses Christmas colored confetti* I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it, and I'll see you guys in my next one. =) I hope you all have a merry Christmas, happy holiday, and a happy, holly, jolly new year! =D
Until the next story!
-BeyondTheMon1203
