Merry Christmas! Hope you're having a great day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians

Eavesdropping

"What are we going to do tonight?" Sarah's eyes widened at hearing Ella's-one of Amelia's charges- voice on the other side.

"Hopefully by tonight we'll have an idea where Krampus is, but if not… the same thing we did last night." Came Amelia's voice, as they heard weapons clanging together. "Thomas, fix your grip, it's too loose."

"Do you think we three can help?" Came Thomas's voice, they heard woold hitting flesh, and Sarah winced. "Wha- hey Gretch- chill out."

"You were distracted." Came Gretchen's unimpressed tone.

"She's right." Ella said, "But Gretch, he's not a demon, you don't have to take advantage of his distraction."

"He can't afford to get distracted. Not with Krampus." Gretchen said. "Right Amelia?"

"Right," Amelia said. "Don't think this means your getting out of extra sympathy training, I still don't like the way you spoke about Sarah."

Dylan, Travis, and Sarah heard Gretchen groan, and Sarah had to bite back the smile at Gretchen being punished for being rude.

A small laugh sounded. "You were mean before I got little Sarah to sleep." Sarah heard Ella say.

"Yeah," Thomas said, and the sound of wood hitting wood commenced. "I heard she did some pretty nasty things to pry the information out of Jack Frost."

Sarah looked down her stomach already clenching.

"None of that." Amelia said, "She'll already be dealing with punishment when she gets home."

She said. "I'll not make anything worse, by entertaining gossip. But yes, she knows about Will and the epiphany deadline."

"Ouch." Thomas said, "That's got to be hard, she must be chomping at the bit to get home."

Sarah felt someone grab her shoulder. "We should go," Travis said. But Sarah shook her head, something telling her to listen for more.

"I want to hear this."

"She's promised to wait," Amelia said.

"We really should go," Dylan said, sounding anxious, but Sarah refused to budge. Behind her, she heard a rift opening.

"And Jane has made Travis and Dylan swear that they won't help Sarah escape," Jane said.

"Let's go!" Travis whispered, "We shouldn't be hearing this." Practically dragging Sarah away.

"Even after she learned that with every day that passes Krampus will take another child. Until the Epiphany?"

Sarah's eyes widened as she heard that, and in shock, Travis and Dylan were able to drag her through the rift and they all fell into another room in the Grims' house that Sarah didn't recognize.

"What?" Sarah said her eyes widening, "More children will be kidnapped if I don't-?"

"We'll stop him when he comes forward." Dylan said, "You don't have to-"

"Oh, like you stopped him this morning?" Sarah hissed.

"You promised you'd wait until the Epiphany." Travis said, staring at her, "Are you going to break it?"

"That was before, I realized that you hadn't told me the whole truth," Sarah said.

Dylan and Travis looked at each other before they knelt in front of her. "No one else is going to be captured," Travis said.

"We promise." Dylan finished.

Sarah stared at them, "You can't promise that. You already failed once."

"No one expected William to run up to Krampus like that."

Sarah glared at them, "That makes it better?" She hissed. "You still failed."

Dylan sighed and reached out his hand. "I know you're scared." He said, "I know that this wasn't the circumstances that you were promised. But sacrificing yourself is not the answer." He said.

"It shouldn't be. You're a child."

Sarah shook her head. "But I'm not." She said. "I'm the exact same age, you were, when you died and became reapers."

"Even at the age of 16, you're still a child in many places."

"Not here." Sarah said, her voice becoming deeper, she grew taller, and her hair grew longer "Here, I am old enough wise enough to lead children to the afterlife. But not old enough to protect them from hell?"

Dylan and Travis stared at her. "Not with the training you have." They said.

Sarah glared at them before she stood. And blinked in surprise she was taller than she remembered. "What happened?" She asked.

"You said you were 16," Dylan said he removed a small pen from his pocket, and it grew into a mirror and showed it to her. "You believed it so strongly, you're body changed to match."

"I've never been able to affect myself before. Or anyone's physical reality." Sarah said looking at herself in the mirror, her face more angular, her hair longer, her body taller and was she… was her body more mature now?

"I don't think it was you. Or just you. The Gate has power, that power mingled with your magic, and created this."

"We should talk to Jane about this," Travis said.

Sarah's eyes hardened and she looked away. "I don't want to talk to her right now."

"Sarah-" Dylan said, but Travis put his hand on Dylan's shoulder and shook his head.

"We don't have to right this second," Dylan said. "What do you want to do?"

Sarah opened her mouth, but Travis cut her off. "Besides disobeying our mentor who's already angry with us."

"So that's why you were so eager to distract me," Sarah said. "Hoping to get out of whatever punishment, Jane set, by keeping me from thinking of escaping."

"No," Dylan said but the look he shared with Travis told Sarah that what she'd said was at least partially true.

"Whatever," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. Then she closed her eyes, remembering what she's seen Katherine do when Katherine wanted to change her age. "I believe I'm 13, I believe I'm 13, I believe I'm 13," Sarah said. She remembered 8th grade, remembered being in the same class as Jackie, and it helped bolster her belief and she shrank back down to her original height.

"I want to dance," Sarah said, before rolling her eyes and Travis and Dylan's shock. "Oh please." Sarah said with a grin, "You just said that me calling myself 16 is what changed my appearance, you're surprised that I attempted to use that exact same magic to return myself to normal? My grandmother has the exact same ability to age and regress herself."

Dylan and Travis looked up to the ceiling.

"Now." Sarah said, "Since you 2 are being completely unreasonable," She said, "How about a dance?" She said holding her hand out to Travis. "That is what this room isn't it?" She asked. She looked around, it was a giant room, with polished floors, and a small raised platform. It screamed dancefloor.

Travis smiled and took her hand and twirled her around, "How about music Dylan?" Travis said.

Dylan obliged and within 5 minutes music was filling the hall, and Travis was twirling Sarah around.

Travis was so happy at having calmed Sarah down that he didn't even notice Sarah loosening the ring on his finger.

A/N Uh-Oh. Sarah knows about the second half of that ultimatum. What is she going to do now?

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Merry Christmas! And have a Wonderful day.