December 24…

The moon looked out on the city below. The streets were clear while the surrounding light created a glittery glint on the snow. Up above Roxy soared, loving the feel of the night air on her wings. She stopped atop a lamppost to survey the scene. She couldn't believe she was actually seeing Paris in winter.

The city is so beautiful at night. From her perch, she looked up and smiled. The Eiffel Tower was lit up for the Christmas season and the beauty of the lights reflected back on the surface of the River Seine.

"Madame Ange!"

Roxy looked up at the little boy staring at her from the rooftop. She used the wind to bring her up to the roof. The boy rushed to her side when she landed. "Quel est le problème, Kim?" she asked, bending down to his level. "Miss me already?"

Kim laughed. "I saw how high you flew. It was incroyable!"

"Better believe it, kiddo. That's why I'm here."

"It must be amazing. I wish I could fly like you."

"Oh, do you now?" Roxy smirked. She picked Kim up and swung him over her shoulder so he was secure on her back. "Hang on tight. It gets a little chilly up there."

Roxy summoned the wind to help her back into the air. She soared over the city until the lights below looked like a thousand fairies dancing in the night. Kim cheered behind her. Roxy could feel the joy radiating off him the faster she flew. Anywhere he wanted to go, Roxy gladly flew them. They soared over the Seine, through the streets and back up into the sky before Roxy landed back on Kim's rooftop. She set him down and watched as he ran about.

"Wow! That was amazing! Thank you! Thank you so much…" He turned around. "So then, it's all true then? All those stories my grandmother told me about. They are true, aren't they."

Roxy nodded. "Every one of them. I hope this means you won't give up now."

"Are you kidding? No way!" Kim cheered. "I don't care what John and the other kids say. Meeting you just proves that my grandmother's stories are true."

"I'm glad I could help." She felt the wind calling her. It was time. "Well Kim, looks like I need to be going. You should get on to bed before your parents find you missing."

"Do you have to go?" he asked, looking almost as sad as when she first meet him.

Roxy smiled, drawing the little boy into her arms. "I'll always be here when you need me. That's what guardians do. And anytime you feel like you're starting to doubt again, I'll come and play. Deal?"

"Deal! Merci encore, mon ange gardien."

"Vous êtes les bienvenus, Kim. Et rappelez-vous, ne jamais cesser de croire."

"Who're you talking to?"

Roxy blinked and looked around. She was no longer standing on a Parisian roof. She was in her room, sitting at the vanity with a brush in her hand. In place of Kim, she spotted Jamie staring at her from the doorway.

"I…was talking to someone?"

"Yeah." He gave her an odd look. "And you were talking funny too, like some other language or something."

"Oh, I-I don't remember." She hoped she looked more convincing than she felt.

"Weird. That's like the fourth time this week, Roxy," Jamie said. He shrugged. "Well, just came to tell you Mom said breakfast was ready. Better hurry."

"Okay." Roxy waited until Jamie was downstairs. She let out a sigh of relief before looking back at the mirror.

That's been happening a lot lately, she thought. One minute I'm doing something, then I space out without realizing it, and then it feels like I've been somewhere else. Maybe I should've talked to Jack.

She brushed her hair in thought. These odd dreams had occurred sometime after she had become a Guardian. At first, she had brushed them off. Then the random dazed states began. Now that they were happening more frequently, Roxy decided she should ask the Guardians about them. She was going to mention it to Jack, but with her mother's invite and discovering a new power, she had been sidetracked.

What if it's something to do with… Oh, I can't thank about that now! she thought, setting her brush down. She didn't have time to worry about this. All her focus had to go into tonight. It was Christmas Eve and she was bringing Jack over to meet her mother. The thought made her cringe.

"Okay, just breathe," she told herself. "You can do this!"

The pep-talk helped but it didn't calm the butterflies in her stomach. There were so many things that could go wrong.

Stop it, Roxy, she thought. You and Jack spent the entire day testing out your powers. The plan is full proof.

It was true. They had learned many things about Roxy's new power. For one thing, hitting Jack with the snowball allowed him to be visible for an hour. To make the effect last longer, Roxy solidified a snowflake into an un-meltable charm. As long as Jack touched it, he could remain visible for a long time. However, if Jack used his powers, the effects wore off. Jack was ecstatic by the results but Roxy was still puzzled about why he turned human. They decided to perform another test, but they required further assistance. For that, Jack called in a favor.

First he contacted Bunnymund but got no reply. Then Jack tried the North Pole and Tooth Palace. Luckily, Baby Tooth had been in Burgess picking up an incisor and was able to meet them in no time. From the North Pole, it took a little longer, but North was able to spare one yeti, Phil. He also gave a note stating that Phil needed to return within the hour as it was the day before Christmas Eve.

That being said, Jack and Roxie had to experiment quickly. For the first trial, Roxy discovered that using an enchanted snowflake on Baby Tooth also made her visible. She flew around a mother out walking with her daughter. As Baby Tooth buzzed around, the little girl laughed and told her mother to look at the pretty fairy. The mother, however, simply smiled and said it was pretty, but while they were like fairies, hummingbirds were not actual fairies. Apparently, when enchanted by Roxy's magic, magical beings appeared before children but not adults.

They then tried it the same process Phil, thought they received different results. Unlike Tooth's fairies or Bunny's egg warriors, the yeti were not completely mythical creatures. Roxy already knew Phil as the famed "Bigfoot" so she was curious to see how her magic would effect him. She gave him a snowflake but nothing happened. Then a person happened by and after a double take, his ran of screaming about a bear attack. They all had a good laugh. They concluded there was nothing else needed for their little experiment. Once Baby Tooth and Phil left, Jack and Roxy worked into the night on a plan for Christmas Eve.

I just hope this works. Roxy shook her head. Now was not the time to be doubting herself. There was so much she still had to do. She grabbed her things and headed downstairs.

Mrs. Bennett smiled when Roxy made her way into the kitchen. "Someone slept in this morning," she teased. "You're usually up with them." She nodded over to Jamie and Sophie at the table.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep. Too excited!" Roxy said.

"Well, hope you're hungry. I made blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes."

"Pancakes!" Sohpie cheered. She had chocolate smeared all over her face.

"Jamie, mind helping your sister, please?"

"Okay." Jamie swallowed before grabbing a napkin.

"Looks great, but no time. Got to go." Roxy grabbed an apple from the table, taking a large bite as she made her way to the door.

"Whoa, hold on!" Mrs. Bennet intercepted. "What's got you in such a rush?" she asked. "It better be good to skip out on breakfast."

Roxy swallowed. "Got some last minute shopping to do before I pick up Jack."

"Who this Jack guy?" Jamie asked.

"Well, considering I only know one Jack, that should be obvious. You asked me yesterday if he might come to visit."

"Wait, what?! You mean Jack's coming? To our house?" he exclaimed, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Yep, Mom invited him to spend Christmas with us last minute. I asked and he said yes. Not that he really had a choice." Roxy smirked over at her mother.

Meanwhile, Jamie was still trying to process the situation. "No way! But I thought he was super busy with the other Gua–" He caught Roxy's panicked gesture to keep. "I mean… I thought he was busy?"

"Well, he…"

"Jamie, you know about Roxy's boyfriend?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

Jamie couldn't help the smirk as his older sister blushed. "Uh, yeah… I, uh, meet him…once. But I didn't know Roxy told you about him, Mom."

"Roxana," Mrs. Bennett berated. "You tell your little brother you have a boyfriend before your own mother?"

Roxy laugh nervously. "Sorry about that, Mom. It was sort of a chance thing," she explained. "Jack and I mad up last year when I was with Jamie and Sophie, so they got to meet him. He and Jaime really got along and Jamie's been asking when he was going to visit again. I wasn't sure when that would happen until you invited him over for Christmas. In any case, looks like you got your wish, Jamie. Jack says that he can't wait to see you again."

"Oh cool! Wait till he sees I lost another tooth." Jamie opened his mouth and pointed to the new gap.

Sophie jumped in her seat beside him. "Jack! Jack! Jack!"

Mrs. Bennett laughter she watched her two younger children. Clearly the boy Roxy was seeing had quite the impact on Jamie and Sophie. They only met him once and were excited he was coming, like he was an old childhood friend. It made her think that perhaps this boy wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay, enough you two. Let your sister be. I still need help getting everything ready, and now you know about our special guest. Roxy, try to eat something a little more filling before you head out." She brought over a fresh plate of pancakes and made Roxy sit at the table. "At least eat one pancake, okay?"

"Alright. I yield to mother superior," she teased. She ate a blueberry pancake and then started on her apple again.

"Okay. Since Roxy will be getting Jack, I'll need you two to help me finish cleaning up the house. Jamie, after you're done, I'll need you to get the cot from the attic and set it up in your room."

"What for, Mom?" Jamie asked, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"It's for Jack."

It was Roxy's turn to choke. "W-What?!"

"Now don't look at me like that, Roxy," Mrs. Bennett said. "You said yourself, Jack doesn't have a place to stay while he's in town. I see no harm in letting him spend the night. Besides, it's Christmas."

"Wow! This is so cool!" Jamie said. "Jack's gonna sleep in my room! I can show him all my new clay figures, and then we can even go sledding. And then we can do cool stuff Christmas morning."

Sopie was delighted. "Jack! Snow!"

"Mom, is this really necessary?" Roxy asked. She knew Jamie was excited but this was so out of character.

Mrs. Bennett laughed. "Roxy, I know it must be a shock that a mother would let her daughter's boyfriend spend the night, but it just doesn't sit well with me that a boy his age is traveling around on his own. So, you let Jack know that he is invited to stay. I won't force him if he's made other arrangements, but it would ease my worry as a concerned mother if he stayed over."

"O-Okay… I'll, I'll mention it." Roxy finished half of her apple before running out the door. Once again, her mother had thrown her a curveball. She was prepared for dinner with her family, but how was she going to explain, let alone handle Jack staying overnight at her house?

Well, she thought, it's not as though he hasn't done it before. She recalled how Jack used to look in on her at night. Sandi had sent him after noticing Roxy's recurring nightmares. Apparently, it was part of a side effect from having been turned into a Fearling. Pitch assured her it shouldn't last too long, though Roxy had been one of the rare few to ever become human again. He told her she should count herself lucky it was only nightmares she was experiencing.

That hadn't done much to ease her mind. She never remembered them, but she recalled waking up in a cold sweat. Her whole body trembling and it as difficult to breath. Jack would then slip into her room and hold her until her heart rate settled down. Sometimes he would stay up with her until she fell asleep. They talked about anything on their minds while Roxy clung to him. She loved the feeling of Jack's arms holding her as she fell asleep. Sometimes he would stop by even if she didn't have a nightmare. It was nice.

Once the nightmares stopped, Jack's visits became less frequent. He still had a job to do, after all. While she missed their nightly chats, this would be entirely different. This time he would actually be staying in her house. Sleeping in the next room. Roxy could feel heat creeping up her neck to her cheeks. She barely noticed that she had reached her destination. She was only brought out of her thoughts by a cold wind on her face. She looked up into Jack's blue eyes.

"Hey Snow Sprite. Blushing early today? Didn't know I had that kind of an effect on you." He smiled mischievously and kissed her nose. "Remind me what I did so I can do it more often."

Roxy felt her cheeks get even warmer. "Sorry, it's just, well…looks like the plans have changed again."

"Aww, did I get kicked out already?" he joked.

"No, just the opposite." Roxy twiddled her fingers. "Your dinner invitation has been extended. Looks like now you get to spend Christmas Day with us too."

Jack's smiled, delighted by the news. "And this is a bad thing?"

"Not really but it means we have some extra shopping to do."

Jack sighed. "You're still on about that? I told you, I don't need new clothes to meet your mom. There's nothing wrong with what I got."

"Wrong again, Mr. Frost," Roxy stated. "I told her you were a backpacker, remember? Now that you're spending the night, she expects you to have spare clothes and something to carry your stuff in. If you show up on my doorstep barefoot and caring only a staff, my mom will pitch a fit! Besides, it's not like you can just make clothes out of snow and ice."

"True, mice and fairies usually help in that department," he said with a chuckle. "Tried that once when my cape ripped, though. I don't recommend it unless you enjoy not moving and a bad case of frostbite."

"No thank you, but thanks for the tip." Roxy laughed. "Now, let's go shopping!"

Roxy conjured up a snowflake charm and passed it to Jack before she lead them into the outlet store. There was a particular thrift shop located within that Roxy knew had great bargains. She'd only planned to get a few items at first, but now that Jack was staying overnight, she had added to her list. The first thing they got were some socks and shoes. Jack seemed to cringe at the idea, but it was an essential. Bare feet and cold weather weren't exactly considered "normal" for most people. Next, they found a duffel bag and some camping equipment. Sleeping bag, pillow, pocketknife, portable kitchen utensils, and a few other essentials. Once he had the supplies of a backpacker, they went to the clothes bins. Jack found a couple cheap pants and shirts, just something to fill the bag. Roxy also found him sleeping attire, as well as one or two items Jack didn't see her slip into the basket.

When they finished, Roxy went to pay for the items. Jack surprised her by paying for part of the bill. He laughed at her shocked expression. When they left the store and started walking back toward the pond, Jack stopped.

"Hey, hold up a sec."

"Jack, we need to get your stuff together before three o'clock," Roxy reminded him.

"I know, I know. I just saw something I want to check out real fast," he said. "You go on ahead and I'll meet you back the the pond, okay?"

"Jack? This isn't going to be like with the Easter eggs, is it?"

Never going to live that down, he thought ruefully. "I promise, ten minutes."

"Okay but hurry." They parted ways, Jack disappearing into a shop. When he finished up his exploration, he left the town before reverting back to his wintry form. He quickly stuffed a small parcel into the pocket of his sweatshirt before flying off to find Roxy. He found her sitting next to the pond. She was carefully packing the item they had bought into the duffel bag.

"Wow! Someone's organized," he said.

"Very funny. Come on, time to change." She pointed to two piles of clothing and a pair of Vans sneakers. Jack rolled his eyes but complied. He looked at the clothes she had laid out. He decided on the dark wash jeans and wool socks. He grabbed them and headed off to change.

"Don't you want a shirt?" Roxy asked.

"Already got one. What, did you think I wore nothing under the sweatshirt?" He wagged his eyebrow suggestively at her.

Roxy laughed. "You wish!"

Jack shrugged before disappearing into the woods. When he came out, he almost look the same save for the different pants and the fact that he was wearing shoes. He looked really uncomfortable.

"Why do you people insist on wearing these?" He looked down at his covered feet in disgust.

Roxy just rolled her eyes. "Okay, just one more thing." She concentrated before unfolding her hands. A new crystallize snowflake appeared, this time on a silver chain. She held it up to him. "Thought a pendant would be easier than trying to hold onto a charm all night," she explained.

"Quick thinking." Jack bent his head so she could loop the chain around his neck. He looked it over. "I may have to start taking you with me when I create Winter. Your snowflakes look great!"

"Maybe next time," she replied, inwardly squealing at a chance to help him make Winter. "Right now, we need to go. Mom's expecting us at three, remember?"

"We still got time."

"Time for what? Oh!" Roxy's eyes widened as she was pulled into his embrace.

"Someone forgot to give me a kiss this morning." Jack lowered his head and connected their lips.

Roxy melted. Even in a human guise, Jack could not completely control his icy touch. His kisses were always chilled at first whenever they kissed, but it was a sensation Roxy loved. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing them even closer.

So they were a little late? she thought, her fingers tangling in his hair. At this point, she really didn't care.