Disclaimer: I don't own rise of the guardians

Dream

Jackie was playing outside the snow palace as she often was, but instead of playing with just Sarah, Jonathan and Will (the occasional fourth member of their team) a fifth person had joined the fight. The Grim reaper who Jackie had met earlier that day: Jane.

They were having a snowball fight, Sarah asking the local wildlife to help her team combat the advantages that Jackie and Jonathan were going to have and that was another odd thing; Jackie was not on Sarah's side as she'd so often found herself, but on Jonathan's side with Sarah, Will, and Jane having teamed up together.

"Don't you want to be on my side?" Jackie asked gesturing to her and Jonathan.

Sarah looked at Jane and shook her head. "No," she told Jackie. "I like Jane and Will, I want to be on their side."

"What?" Jackie asked shaking her head. "But we…"

"Besides," Sarah said cutting Jackie off. "You don't want to be on my side," Sarah said, her voice taking on the strange lilt that always signified she was using her powers, but Jackie didn't feel Sarah's power wash over her the way it often did. "You want Jonathan."

Jackie turned to Jonathan, and he smiled at her. "We've been spending a lot of time together." He said. "Make's sense she would draw that conclusion."

"See?" Sarah said picking up a handful of snow, while Jane did the same. "It's ok, we grew apart. It happens. I don't blame you." Will grinned and threw a snowball at her, but Jackie was into much surprise to react.

"I-" She shook her head and glared at Jane, "This is your fault. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't brainwashed her against me."

Jane stared at her. "No. Jackie" she said. Jane walked toward, with Jackie taking several steps back, she looked at Jonathan and Sarah, but they just ignored her, as they commenced the snowball fight without her.

With every step Jane took towards her Jane's age regressed, her hair became wavier, her face rounder, her eyes wider and younger. If it hadn't been for the fact that the hair and eyes had stayed brown.

Jackie backed up to the wall of the ice palace and when she couldn't move any more Jane stopped and smiled. "It's yours."

Jackie startled awake, a blanket falling off her as she sat up. She wondered at the blanket for only a second before she looked up and saw Jonathan staring at her worriedly.

Her heart fluttered oddly, He stayed? Then she mentally chastised herself; this wasn't the time.

"Hey," Jonathan said surprised. "Are you ok? Bad dream? Should I get Sandy?"

Jackie thought of Jane turning into the smaller human version of her, she shook her head.

Desperate not to think of the implication that they gave her. "I'm fine. Just… the dream took a turn I wasn't expecting but it wasn't… it wasn't bad." Jackie lied through her teeth.

Jonathan stared at her suspiciously, but Jackie just changed the subject. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours," Jonathan said. "Want to go see your mom?"

Jackie thought about it for a moment before she nodded. She didn't really want to go to the party, but questions would be raised if they didn't, so with a reluctant sigh, she stood.

At least Uncle Jamie would be there and auntie Isabelle. They knew. They believed. Maybe she could talk to them, and they would have advice about what to do about Sarah and Krampus.

(It wasn't her fault. It wasn't.)

Still, even at her vehemence she couldn't help but wonder if maybe… just may be part of their distance was due to Jackie giving up too quickly.

A/N: Merry Christmas!

Please let me know what you thought of the dream? Was it too metaphorical? Not metaphorical enough. Would love to know.