A/N : Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I seriously didn't want to let you guys wait for so long. I haven't forgotten about you, the problem is I'm rather busy with my job, which claims pretty much all of my creativity. Also got a very annoying writer's block and lack of time because I was busy with other things. Even though I want to, I can't promise you that the next chapter will come faster. But I try my best and won't stop writing anytime soon. ^^
I'm always so happy when you people review and favourite my stories, it means so much to me!
This takes place right after the previous chapter.
Barely one week had passed since the boomerang incident. Jack knew that it would probably take a while until Baby Tooth got another day off from collecting teeth. But she deserved to have the fun day she had been looking for, before he ruined it due to his own recklessness. He was going to persuade the Tooth Fairy to expell her from work. Only a good reason was needed why they wanted to hang out again already. Jack was convinced that his hummingbird friend had kept the truth a secret, even if she hated to not be honest with her 'mother'. The scratch on his temple had healed a few days ago, so he didn't face the risk of having to explain what had caused it. Everyone was well aware of Tooth's overprotectiveness concerning him and how easily she got upset when something happened to him. Even if it was just a mild concussion thanks to one of Bunny's boomerangs.
When the Tooth Palace came into view he had to watch out to steer through the increasing hoards of tiny fairies and decided to reduce his speed, although he didn't want to let his tiny friend wait any longer. Better safe than sorry. He seriously wasn't in the mood for more accidents and Tooth surely wouldn't be amused by him colliding with her loyal helpers.
Finally he arrived at the top tower in the center of the intricate palace. Like so many times before, Toothiana was too busy with directing her fairies all over the world to notice him immediately. She was talking without a break, making it impossible for him to announce his presence. With an impatient sigh he floated towards her and the moment he was about to tap her on the shoulder she turned around to blurt another order to another fairy and almost bumped into him.
"Oh Jack! Sorry, I didn't see you! How are you?" she greeted him both delighted and hastily.
It was obvious that she liked to have him around but was incredibly busy all at once. Alright, then better get straight to the point, the winter spirit thought. As long as her good mood stayed.
"I'm fine, thanks. I wanted to ask if you could maaaaaybe give Baby Tooth…another day off?"
As he had expected the Guardian of Memories shot him a surprised and confused glance which literally screamed "How come? You spent a day together less than a week ago."
Before she could reply, Jack countered her unvoiced objection.
"I know, I know, she just had a day off. But she spent nearly all of it looking for me since I was neither at the North Pole nor in Burgess and when she found me there wasn't much time to actually do anything fun. It's not her fault and she really looked forward to it."
She listened to him but the next moment continued talking to her fairies again. Jack dearly hoped she was pondering his request while doing so. It wasn't typical for her to simply ignore him.
"Pleeeeaaase?" he added to direct her decision to his favour.
"Alright. To be honest, she appeared to be a little dissappointed after she had come back. She didn't say much at all, now that I further think about it."
Jack mentally heaved a breath of relief. So the little hummingbird seriously hadn't revealed any of the events to Tooth. One more drama averted.
"Yeah, that wasn't the best day. But we'll catch up, I owe that to her. Thanks a lot!"
"No problem, there's a lot to do around here, as you can see, but she's worked harder than usual lately. She deserves a little fun now and then." Tooth smiled.
The other fairies were too busy exchanging teeth with coins and memorizing the directions they were being told to notice what the discussion was about. Otherwise it would have sparked jealousy among them without a doubt. It was as clear as day that Baby Tooth was both Toothiana's and Jack's favourite.
"By the way, where is she?" the frost teen inquired.
As if it was the simplest thing in the world to keep track of hundreds of fairies the reply came without hesitation.
"She's currently in India to collect a left incisor, but she should be back any moment."
Speaking of the devil, Jack chuckled, as the fairy with the mismatched eyes showed up only a few seconds later. Her expression lit up when she spotted her best friend and dashed towards him. She squealed in astonishment and greeted him exuberantly, not having expected to see him again so soon. What was he doing here? Did he come to tell the Tooth Fairy what had happened at the Warren? No, rather not.
"You have the rest of the day off." the Guardian of Memories said softly.
"Just behave. And I mean both of you."
"Sure thing." Jack promised, not actually believing his own words.
Baby Tooth let out something that sounded like a very high-pitched "Woohoo!" before she also nodded and tried to look trustworthy. How could the taller fairy ever think they were up to no good?
"Hop on, we got a tight schedule." Jack grinned at the hummingbird as soon as they had left the Tooth Palace behind them.
The little creature returned the excited expression and whirred to his shoulder, where she landed and dug her tiny hands into the fabric of his hoodie.
"Ready? Then here we go!" the youth exclaimed.
A strong gust of wind engulfed them and literally catapulted them away from Asia. Even though she had joined him on his flights around the globe numerous times, Baby Tooth kept being amazed at how fast he could actually fly. Curiously she gazed down at the continents and oceans below, wondering where they were headed. And most of all, what he had planned for the day. Thanks to the white-haired spirit's impressive speed they had reached their destination in the wink of an eye, even though it was on the other side of the planet. She had no idea what they were going to do in Canada, but she trusted Jack it would be worth it.
"Almost there!" he shouted joyfully as they where crossing an extensive forest.
It didn't take Baby Tooth long to figure out the reason for his excitement, when suddenly a town appeared in the distance, followed by a field which was covered by countless brightly coloured thrill rides, carrousells, toy and candy stalls. A funfair!
"Let the fun begin!" Jack announced and chuckled when his tiny friend let out a delighted squeal.
Since it was an early Thursday afternoon and the fair had just opened there weren't many people walking around yet. Now and then a child gazed with wide eyes when they spotted the fairy, but most of the time no one noticed her among all the colours, blinking lights and scents of food which were overwhelming their senses. Some of those who saw her also thought she was only a common hummingbird. Jack wasn't seen either, so the both of them could freely choose what to do next.
After starting with a merry-go-round as warm-up they continued with a wave swinger. Despite several empty seats Jack found it funnier to hang on to the chains with one hand to feel the motion and the wind even more intense. Baby Tooth prefered to stay in his hood where she could safely enjoy the ride. "Safely" didn't appear to be the right word when they switched to a rollercoaster, a rather wild one with loops and spirals at that. While the adrenaline-loving Guardian of Fun gave a whoop of joy after another, the terrified fairy clinged to him for dear life and let out less joyful screams. When she had successfully survived, Jack noticed her ruffled feathers and the still tense expression on her face.
"Sorry, you're not the thrill ride type of person, huh?"
Baby Tooth shook her head sheepishly before she tried to act as if it wasn't a big deal. Suddenly a loud noise, the honks of several cars, gained their attention. Now this was more to the petite hummingbird's liking. Purposefully the two friends rushed to the bumber cars where more and more people had gathered. None of the cars was empty and the moment a driver left another one was ready to take their place. Even if Jack had the chance to drive one, it would probably be pulled out by a staff member because they thought a car which moved on its own had technical problems. Instead he jumped on the back of the nearest bumber car, a purple one with orange flashes painted on it, driven by a brunette boy.
"Come here, this is our ride!" he grinned at his feathery friend and gestured towards himself.
They stayed on the vehicle and cheered their driver on, who wasn't even aware of their presence, until he had to leave and another child took his place. To enhance the action Jack hopped on and off between the driving bumber cars, trying to do it without the help of the wind, so he had to wait until they were close enough to jump on. Baby Tooth giggled about his playfulness and joined the game by pointing at the car she wanted him to choose next.
In the course of the afternoon they checked out pretty much all of the other fun rides until they decided it was time for a break. As they were sitting on a nearby hill and overlooking the bustling activity down on the funfair a faint sound of someone's stomach growling reached Jack's ears.
"Guess you could also need a little snack, huh?" he chuckled.
Baby Tooth blushed and tried in vain to suppress the embarassing noises, but they kept coming the harder she focused on keeping them back. Eventually she sighed defeatedly and nodded. Something to eat would by very nice indeed. All those aromas of various kinds of food had woken her appetite.
"I expected that. Let's go somewhere where you'll get all the good stuff you can imagine!"
This was heaven! The winter spirit had brought her to a food fair! In her hungry condition it was the best place she could have dreamed of. She prefered sweet things ever since Jack had let her taste the cookies the elves had baked. Much to the Tooth Fairy's dislike, as long as it wasn't fruit or only some nectar now and then. But she wasn't here right now.
"Dinner is served, my lady." the Guardian of Fun smiled and seemed as overwhelmed as his friend.
So many delicacies to choose from. Even he knew that there was no way he could try them all. But curiosity still guided him to each of the countless booths to at least take a look at the exotic foods. People from all over the world had gathered here and brought the typical meals and treats from their countries. Warm meals, snacks, drinks, desserts and candy.
Baby Tooth's first choice were tropical jams made of oranges, passion fruit, lemons, papayas and berries she had no idea where they were from or how they were called. It wasn't any surprise that Jack had landed in the candy section right away and was tasting one cookie, cake and pastry after another. Since the hall was crowded and he sneakily took the snacks from the plates no one took notice of them vanishing in mid-air.
The more he ate the more he wondered why he hadn't visited an event like this before. Actually it had been plain coincidence that he had hung out in this town and noticed someone posting the bill which advertised the fair.
After a while he deemed it appropriate to also check out the heartier treats and met Baby Tooth in the Caribbean corner where she was trying an exotic dish. It looked like a kind of stew, with fresh vegetables and a light brown sauce. The smell was alluring, so Jack took a spoonful of it when none of the humans around him were paying attention. To his delight it tasted even better than he had expected. Coconut milk and lemon grass where obvious ingredients and small pieces of tender meat where mixed into it. Realization dawned on him and he stared at the hummingbird-fairy in mild shock.
"Uhm, you know that this is chicken, right? Isn't that...some sort of cannibalism?" he asked not entirely serious.
Exactly that moment she was swallowing the bite she had just taken and almost choked on it. Her tiny face turned pale when the words sank in, causing her to stare in horror at the bowl of stew in front of her.
"Hehehe, just kidding! It's no big deal...I guess. Let this just be another one of our little secrets, alright?" Jack laughed and winked at her.
Baby Tooth breathed in deeply and nodded when she had regained her composure.
"You know what you need? Sugar! I just discovered the most awesome cookie ever! Gotta show you!"
Curiously the miniature tooth fairy followed the frost teen to a booth with a wide variety of freshly baked goods. Jack handed her a piece of the darkest cookie on the table.
"Chocolate dough with three kinds of chocolate chips and liquid chocolate filling. Trust me, this is the best thing you'll ever eat!"
One bite was enough and she was addicted. It tasted like an entire chocolate bar at once and it made her long for more. Greedily she finished the whole piece and immediately lunged herself at the remaining ones. All Jack could do was stand there flabbergasted and ask himself how a petite creature could devour so much.
Sugar was what he had promised her and sugar was what she got...more than plenty of it. When she had reached the point where she couldn't take in a single crumb anymore she already had the sugar rush of her life. Random thoughts ran through her mind at the speed of light. She, a fairy, had visited a funfair and a food fair. Fairy, funfair, food fair. Fair enough!
Jack raised his eyebrow at his giggling friend and slowly realized that the suger overdose might have been one of his less well-conceived ideas.
"You okay?" he inquired as if her current condition wasn't obvious.
At least she didn't seem to mind. Quite the contrary, she kept squealing in amusement about whatever was going on in her head. Suddenly, as if stung by an adder, the fairy darted high up into the air and dashed from one booth to the next one. She wasn't hungry anymore nor was there any space in her full stomach, but that didn't stop her desire to check out everything the exhibitors had to offer. Even if it meant just looking at the food and enjoying the smell. Jack had a hard time keeping up with her, not because she was so fast, he could handle that. But the tiny creature easily got lost in the crowd and it proved to be difficult to spot her when she was hurrying around. She would get such a hangover later, he thought.
After they had left the fair and were flying across the Atlantic ocean Baby Tooth lay curled up in the hood of Jack's shirt and took a nap. Her frantic bustle and the sugar rush had led to an urge for water followed by an abrupt wave of drowsiness. Peacefully and with a content smile on her face she overslept the whole journey back to Asia. When they arrived at their destination Jack woke her up gently. Tooth's little helper yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. Gradually she noticed that they weren't at the Palace yet. It was night already and they had landed on a pompous Asian temple. There was a wide field surrounded by a park in front of it, where a good deal of people had gathered to cheer at a parade. It consisted of dressed up artists, musicians and a large yellow, orange and red dragon which was moved around by at least ten men inside it. Baby Tooth stared at the colourful costumes and the wonderfully decorated park.
"We're a little later than planned, but still just in time." the blue-eyed boy explained.
Once again the fairy's gaze drifted off to the festival below them. The parade had reached an end right in front of the temple and the brassy sound of a gong rang through the air. Everyone stopped talking. Then she noticed that each person was holding a paper lantern and lighting them. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Another stroke of the gong was to be heard and the lanterns were released. More and more joined and soon the entire sky was brightened. The sight was breathtaking, like something out of this world.
Baby Tooth was still mesmerized when she felt a cold finger carefully poking her to gain her attention. She turned around and her eyes widened at the miniature lantern the Guardian of Fun was holding in his hand. If she hadn't known about his talent concerning crafts she would have doubted that he had made it himself. But under these circumstances there was no doubt about it. In awe she mustered the paper lantern, which was the perfect size for her and took it in her tiny hands.
"I thought you'd like to join this." Jack spoke warmly.
With a swirl of his staff and the resulting breeze he guided one of the regular lanterns towards them and cautiously held it still, focusing on not freezing it, so Baby Tooth could use its small flame to light her own. When she had succeeded at doing they glimpsed at each other for a short moment before smiling and letting go of their lanterns as well. Higher and higher they floated, catching up with the rest of the flickering lights. It was beautiful.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed this day." Jack sincerely told her and didn't have to wait for long when an excited and overly happy squeak reached his ears.
The hummingbird fairy buzzed closer to his face and nuzzled her head against his cheek affectionately.
"I'll take that as a yes." he chuckled and tenderly patted the petite creature's had.
Baby Tooth uttered something that sounded a lot like a purr and continued to hug her best friend.
This day had indeed been perfect.
A/N : I originally planned to let them witness a firework at the end, but then thought lanterns are more appropriate. Yes, it reminded me on "Tangled", too. XD
Reviews brighten my day as usual! ;D
