Disclaimer: DreamWorks owns RotG, not me.

He mentioned it casually, over a small dinner of bread and baked potatoes. Jack knew Mrs. Overland was less likely to panic if Emma was in attendance.

"So," he said with feigned nonchalance. "There's a new group of travelers at the Inn. They're a bit odd, and I heard they're gonna be here for about a week, maybe more."

Jack saw his own internal horror on Mrs. Overland's face. Emma, however, was pleased by this.

"Ooooooh, Jack, what are they like? You said they were odd? How odd? How old are they? Do you think they-?"

"Slow down, Em!" Jack tried to laugh away his unease. "They're just some people staying at the Inn, I really don't know much about them," and I don't really want to "but, as a matter of fact, I ran into one of that group at the market."

Mrs. Overland's eyes widened and he could see the silent question in them. Do you think…?

"There are four of the people in the group, three men and a girl. I ran into the girl." He laughed. "Well, she ran into me."

Emma was grinning. "A girl, huh Jack?"

He looked at her seriously. "Yes a girl. I have met some before, but I'm not so sure about you!"

She took the bait. "Jack! I am a girl!"

"Jack knows that perfectly well," Mrs. Overland intervened. "He's just teasing." She turned to Jack. "So, a girl bumped into you, did… anything happen?"

"Yeah Jack, did anything happen?" Emma was grinning, and Jack knew for a fact she picked up that particular grin from him. Emma was not supposed to look that mischievous.

"She knocked me over and offered to pay for the apples I was buying." He gave Emma a hard stare. "She introduced me to her companions when I served them at dinner, and that's when I found out they were sticking around for a while."

Mrs. Overland looked thoughtful. Emma, not so much.

"This is great!" She said, beaming. "Do you think I'll get to see them? Nothing ever happens in this town, nobody ever stays." Emma huffed in frustration, her face scrunching up. "If I don't see them by the end of tomorrow I'm going to find them myself!" she took a bite of bread, face set, as though that sealed it.

"Emma, that might be an invasion of…"

As Mrs. Overland tried to convince Emma that just marching up to strangers wasn't the smartest idea, Jack pondered the possible reasons that Tiana's group could be staying. There was a chance that it was no big deal, just a stop in a quaint little town. It was far too likely, however, the reason would threaten him. Or Emma.

"Jack?"

He looked up at Mrs. Overland, who had interrupted his musings. He noticed Emma was gone, and so were the bread and butter.

"Could you help clear the table?"

Jack smiled at Mrs. Overland. "No problem." He stood up and collected the plates, then carried them into the kitchen for washing. He started scrubbing the plates back into cleanliness. Emma exited the room, and came back with the glasses they had used. As the two did the dishes, Emma broke the silence.

"Jack?"

"Hmmm?"

"Just because there's interesting strangers at work, you'll still come home and play hopscotch, right?"

Jack barely managed to keep from busting out laughing, but a few snickers escaped.

"Jack! It's not funny!" Emma had paused in scrubbing the bread plate to glare at him.

"Sorry," he gasped out. "It's just funny you would even think I would abandon you for some 'interesting strangers'." He made air quotes dramatically, and Emma giggled too. "You're way more fun. Promise." He tweaked her nose.

"Jaaaaack!"

The middle of the night was dark, and the snow was cold on the ground, but Jack hadn't bothered to wear shoes. He would be scared walking out like this, but the lake was protected from prying eyes by trees. He nimbly climbed the small rock cliffs overlooking the lake, and sat on the highest one. He looked skywards.

The waxing moon sat up in the sky, and Jack was certain it saw him as much as he saw the moon. This clearing was safe, trees that protected people from seeing him out, but didn't block out the light of the moon, which banished the darkness.

Jack considered the moon, the way its light reflected off the frozen lake and the snow on the rocks and trees. The clearing wouldn't be as luminescent if it wasn't winter.

Jack absentmindedly scooped up some snow, rolling into a ball and tossing it up into the air. He exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. Even his breath captured the moonlight. Jack stood, hopping off the rocks and onto the lake, landing lightly.

Giving another glance at the lake, Jack made his way back to the house, his bare feet leaving no imprints in the snow. Definitely not dark at all.

His nightmares were wrong.

"The moon is bright tonight."

Aster glanced at North, who was at the window. He was right, the moonlight was pouring into the room they were currently sharing. Aster joined him at the window.

"This would be bright for a full moon, mate. This moon is only a gibbous."

The two stood in silence for a minute. Aster sighed.

"North, why're we doin' this? There's probably plenty o' people named Jack, and the one Tooth found is just a kid."

North turned to look at Aster, surprised. "Just a kid? Bunny, you forget. Children are having as much power as anyone else. Sometimes they understand more than adults. I'm certain you remember the girl who once figured things out first." With that bit of wisdom imparted to his companion, North got into bed, his snores filling the room not long after.

Aster stayed at the window for a bit, unknowingly considering the moon the same way someone else was at a certain lake.

"I hope you know what you're doing…" he muttered, before he, too, turned in for the night.

A/N: So, I'm heading into exams, and most likely won't update for another two weeks, at least. That said, there's some food for thought in this chapter. One thing that bothered me in the movie was how reflective winter is. There is honestly a better chance of getting sunburned during the winter than people might think, the clouds, snow, and ice are all very reflective. Anyways, reviews!

Guest: Yeah, this Jack likes to think he's doing a good job hiding, but he's just being really suspicious. I always thought the guardians would be pretty nosy if it were to achieve a mission. Are the others hiding? Maybe... Don't be giving my secrets away!

HikariCruz: You're right! We're getting sort of close to an issue...

The purple hippocampus: Oh, I have a few things planned for Jack (which he probably wouldn't like).

So, how was this chapter? Giving a good critique is always helpful to me, feel free to leave one! Also, did anyone notice the reference to the beginning of the movie?

Until next time!