And I'm back! Happy New Year everyone! (I can't believe I wrote this completely before the end of the first day of 2015 :P)

So we're kicking the year off with SanctuaryInMusic's request for Jack to find himself feeling protective over his sister. I hope it meets your standards!

Disclaimer: IDORotG

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To Entice a Laugh

...

She was back again. It wasn't the first time Jack had seen the girl come to the lakeside and he highly doubted it would be the last. He knew she lived within the village – had seen her there on several occasions – and sometimes adults accompanied her (whom he presumed were her parents). But this time she was alone.

Like the last time (and all the times before that) she sat herself down on the lake edge and stared out solemnly at the frozen water. It seemed to be her default expression; he could recall only a few rare occasions he'd seen her smile, and even those had been small and weak. It was like someone had come along with a fun-destroying broom and swept it right out of her. And as someone who prided himself on having fun, it was almost insulting.

"Hey, Jack," the girl – Emma, he remembered – muttered quietly.

He knew it wasn't directed at him; he'd learned that the hard way the first time he'd seen her there. At first he'd been ecstatic – someone could finally see him! – but it was clear that her Jack was someone else when he'd talked to her and moved into her line of sight without garnering any sort of reaction.

"Hey, Emma," he replied anyway, dropping down from his branch. At least he could pretend they were having a two-way conversation, right? That way it would look like neither of them were insane and talking to themselves. Not that anyone could see him anyway.

"I really miss you," she said, her voice hitching as her eyes started to water. "It's just not the same without you."

Her words were almost identical to the last time she'd visited, and like the last time Jack found himself at a loss for how to respond. It was just as well she wasn't expecting one. But nonetheless a part of him pained to hear her grief, wanted to scoop her up into a hug, hold her close and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't. And it hurt.

"I ran into the Williamson boys again today," she continued quietly.

"Again? Don't those two know when to quit?" Jack frowned, taking a step across the ice towards her. "I should have known it was something like that; you have a habit of coming here to talk when you're troubled. What did they do this time?"

"It was the same old thing. They found out that I still come here to talk to you and they told me to stop being stupid. You're not here anymore and you can't solve my problems for me. They said that I should grow up and move on.

"But I can't! If it wasn't for me you would still be here! I can't just forget and pretend it never happened!" she curled in on herself, burying her head in her knees and hugging herself. Her next words were almost completely obscured by her tears. "Why did you have to die?"

"Hey," Jack frowned, closing the distance between them and kneeling down in front of her. "I don't know who the Jack you're trying to talk to is, but I have no doubt you were as important to him as he was to you. And even if what you say is true – that he's gone because of you – which I highly doubt, I'm sure he wouldn't see it that way. I'll bet he was just glad that you're okay. So don't cry, okay? What do you think he'd rather see; you crying or you with your beautiful smile? Don't listen to those Williamson boys; they're about as smart as a bag of rocks."

Ever in tune with him, the wind rustled her hair and clothes gently in a silent show of support. Emma slowly lifted her head and for a second their eyes connected and Jack allowed him that one moment to believe she could see him before the truth sank in and he realised she wasn't focused on him but the lake behind him.

...

...

Emma stayed at the lake for a long time afterwards, but when she did finally decide to head back to the village she didn't go alone; Jack trailed along behind her. Neither of them said anything; Jack knew he wouldn't be heard and Emma didn't know she wasn't alone (which upon reflection made him feel a bit like a stalker).

He'd thought he would just be silently escorting her home but they'd barely stepped back into the boundary of the village before three very familiar boys spotted her and, snickering to each other, began moving over. Jack glared at them but of course was ignored.

"What do you want?" Emma snapped with surprising hostility for someone who'd spent the last hour crying beside a lake.

"We were just wondering where you ran off to," the oldest of the three drawled, looking rather bored despite the wicked glee in his eyes. "Back to the lake to cry to your brother?"

"It's none of your business."

"Hey! You can't talk to him like that!" the second yelled. Emma glanced at him but only momentarily.

"I think she just doesn't want to admit that she went to tell her brother how she's such a big coward who can't fight her own battles," the oldest smirked.

"Leave her alone," Jack ground out, staff clenched in a death grip. He knew deep down he would never deliberately hurt a child but he would be lying if he said he wasn't sorely tempted right at that moment.

Emma's eyebrows drew together and she diverted her attention to her feet, but she made no move to deny the claims or defend herself.

"I'm right aren't I?"

"She just doesn't want to admit it," the youngest, around Emma's age, chimed in. "Just like she doesn't want to admit that it's her fault he's dead in the first place."

Emma's hands folded into fists, tears swimming in her eyes anew. She looked like she was either about to break down completely or hit them. If it was the latter Jack would happily cheer her on, but the chances of it being the former were too much for him to bear. Not to mention how fiercely he found himself wanting to defend her. He'd always want to protect the kids who got picked on, but with her it was so much stronger, so much more personal, even though it didn't even make sense to him.

So it didn't really come as much of a surprise when he found himself leaning down to scoop up a handful of snow, packing it into a snowball. One of the boys opened his big mouth to say something else and Jack took that as the perfect opportunity to strike.

The impact of snow in the guy's face was strong enough to make him stagger backwards and Jack quickly struck the ground around the boy's feet with his staff, easily turning it to ice and making him fall hard.

For a moment nobody moved, all staring wide-eyed as they slowly processed what had happened. And then Jack got the other two.

"Hmm, what do you think, Emma?" Jack grinned as he leered over the three kids who couldn't see him. "Think they need a bit of redecorating?"

Emma didn't reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said. The wind whipped around him playfully as it sensed his intentions, picking up loose flakes of snow and shaking the leaves on the trees. "Good idea, wind," he laughed, noticing the snow-loaded branches of the tree they were almost directly under.

It required patience – one thing he was not good at – but he managed to restrain himself until just the moment when they were almost to their feet again before striking the side of the tree with his staff. The branch happily released its burden, dropping a heavy pile of snow onto the boys and forcing them back to the ground on their backsides with a muffled 'oomph'.

A pearl of laughter rippled the air and Jack froze, his gaze instantly homing in on the source. Emma was surveying the scene with wide eyes and a grin to match.

"Did you just…?" Jack gaped.

Three heads popped out of the snow like daisies, expressions blank, and she giggled again, suddenly unable to contain herself.

"You laughed," Jack breathed. "You laughed!" He'd only 'known' her for just under a year but it was the first time he'd heard it. He decided he rather liked the sound and promised himself to try and draw it out again as often as he possibly could. She was so much prettier with a smile on her face.

Realising the three bullies were well on their way to getting back on their feet, Emma made a hasty exit, Jack following after, and both of them unable to stifle their laughter.

Having prided himself on drawing kids into snowball fights and fun of all sorts, Jack had seen many smiles of many varieties, and yet he didn't even have to think about it to know that Emma's was his favourite.

No competition at all.

Guest Review Responses:

WEast: Yup. Definitely going to go somewhere with that XD It took me ages to come up with that :P

Merry Christmas: Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you! OMG I WANT TO GLOMP YOU =^w^= *hugs you*

Cag: Yes. Avoid yak milk at all costs XD Heh butt calls are so awkward

Shamangirl1: Merry Christmas to you!