Look! A new chapter! Finally! Yes, this story is still alive. Sorry it took me so long. Thank you for your patience and reviews and have a Merry Christmas! Enjoy! -Britt
It was about 11 o'clock when Jack finally returned to the living room. He swooped into the room and circled around the Christmas tree. He was just about to land, but was forced to pull up short when a boomerang whizzed by, nearly clipping him on the head.
"Hey!" he shouted, hurriedly getting out of the way. "Watch it!" He called, assuming it was Bunnymund.
"Sorry!" Joy called up to him. Bunnymund was next to her and patted her on the back. The rabbit had been trying to teach her how to throw a boomerang correctly for the past while.
"Now you're getting it! Aim for his back next time." Joy kept practicing, but now was aiming for snowballs that Jack flung at her. Tooth was sitting on the couch having an animated discussion with Baby Tooth. Sandy was busy floating amid the rafters, fast asleep.
Before long everyone was following the Sandman's example and they were all sleeping.
No one knew what time it was when they were awakened by a huge BOOM that shook the entire room. Joy sat up, startled, and only had a moment to be embarrassed that she had fallen asleep on Jack's shoulder before the largest man (with the largest beard), she had ever seen burst into the room.
"Merry Christmas!" North shouted in his deepest Russian accent. Baby Tooth shot into the ceiling with surprise. When she realized that it was only North, she fluttered back down and landed on Tooth's shoulder. Bunnymund jumped up and kicked Jack in the face at the same time Jack jerked awake and hit the rabbit on the head with his staff. Sandy was the only one who managed to stay asleep.
"Elves!" North called loudly. "We need breakfast and eggnog! And don't forget ze cookies!"
"What time is it?" Jack asked rubbing his nose.
"Who cares?" shouted North. "It is Christmas!" Then he noticed Joy.
"Who is this?" He turned to Tooth. "Is it her?" he asked excitedly.
"I'm Joy," she said, introducing herself. "I'm the Imaginary Friend." North shook her hand vigorously.
"Ah, that makes sense. Jack! Good to see you made it too."
"Frostbite was the one that brought the Shelia," Bunnymund said teasingly. North nodded in understanding and gave Jack a completely unsubtle wink. Jack glared at Bunny who gave a smug smile in return.
"Right!" North said, clapping his hands together. "Breakfast first and zen I have plans. Big plans!" The other Guardians and Joy looked at each other uneasily. This man was Santa Claus, and if he say he had big plans, then who knew what would happen.
Joy had to admit, that was the most entertaining breakfast she'd ever experienced. It's started out pretty normal; pancakes, cereal, cookies, along with some traditional Russian food. Everyone dug in and it was quiet for a while. Then Jack decided it would be hilarious to ice over the Easter Bunny's pancakes. Bunnymund bit one and almost broke a tooth.
"Why you little..." he growled and was about to lunge at Jack, but Tooth put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Oh, honestly Bunny. All he wants is a rise out of you. Don't give it to him."
"Ah Tooth. That's no fun," Jack protested while he leaned back in his chair.
"He's right," said the rabbit and then he flicked a spoonful of some Russian goulash at him
Well after that, the whole thing was lost. The meal finally ended when Sandy had knocked everyone out, but himself, Tooth, and Joy and that was only because they had hid under the table. Now that the open fire had stopped, they peeked out and immediately began to giggle. North's beard was more porridge and eggnog than hair. Jack's face was currently resting on a rather squished muffin and he had syrup in his bright white hair, which almost dyed it back to it's original color. And Bunny... to put it simply, Bunny had an icicle beard. Sandy was dusting his hands off, looking at the carnage around him, and feeling satisfied. Tooth's eyes were shining with excitement.
"I guess we should wake them up," she said. Joy grabbed her arm.
"Not so fast! This is a perfect opportunity! When else are we going to have these three unconscious? I have some ideas." She turned to Sandy. "Will you make sure they stay asleep?" He saluted and she laughed. Joy grabbed Tooth's hand and started flying towards the workshop.
"Come on. There are some things we need to get."
Toothania and Joy looked at their work and had to admit it was spectacular.
"So now we just wait for them to wake up?" the fairy asked.
"And film their reaction. Can't forget that," Joy replied with a smile. Even after only knowing her for a day (not to mention that whole thing with Jack), the Tooth Fairy had a feeling she and Joy would be good friends.
"Can I do your hair while we wait?" Tooth asked, absentmindedly playing with Joy's ponytail.
"Sure." Joy pulled up a chair while Tooth simply hovered behind her and began to twist her hair into intricate braids. Little girls had always loved to play with Joy's long hair, but Toothania actually knew what she was doing.
"I used to do my little sister's hair all the time," Tooth said quietly. Joy shifted a little.
"Who were you before... all this?" she asked. Tooth smiled gently, remembering her own childhood. Quietly, so not as to wake the other Guardians, she began to tell Joy her own story.
When she was finished she said, "You should probably know, you were chosen too."
"What do you mean?" Joy asked.
"Just before you and Jack arrived the Man in the Moon chose another Guardian: you."
"Me?!" Joy asked incredulously. "It can't be me. I'm nowhere near as special as you and the others." Tooth thought for a moment and then replied.
"One thing I've learned from my time as a Guardian is that everyone is special; everyone has a spark inside them. It just shines differently in each person." Joy pondered her words.
"What else did the Man in the Moon say? Why is he the one who decides?"
"Manny was the first Guardian. When Pitch came, he called North. As time went on, he called the rest of us. Manny told us he called you to fight Loneliness and Despair." Tooth sighed. "Times really are changing." Joy nodded in agreement.
"I don't know much about fighting, but I've had plenty of experience with loneliness and despair." Joy had definitely seen children who were lonely; they just didn't have any hope left. So she became their friend. Joy tried to give them hope. The strange thing was, she wasn't entirely sure where those words came from. Joy felt they went deeper than the last hundred years and into her past life.
Why can't I remember? Then she remembered what Jack had said.
"Tooth? What are you the Guardian of?"
"I'm the Guardian of Memories," she replied.
"And how exactly do teeth fit into that?" Joy asked.
"The teeth hold the memories of childhood," she explained patiently. "It something everyone goes through and so we collect them. When someone needs to remember what's important, we help them."
"That's wonderful." Joy fell silent after that, thinking on the Tooth Fairy's words. Was it possible? Did Tooth really have everybody's memories? Including hers?
At about this time the other Guardians were starting to wake up. Tooth quickly grabbed the mirror that they had brought to show the others what they looked like, and held it up to Joy instead.
"What do you think?" she asked. Her long, golden, blonde hair was done up in two long braids draped over her shoulders. It wasn't anything fancy, yet Joy was speechless. After opening and closing her mouth a few times she finally managed to speak.
"Someone… someone used to do my hair like this all the time. But, I can't remember who." Joy closed her eyes and put her head in her hands, straining to remember so long ago. For a moment, Tooth saw beyond her always happy facade and saw the deeper layers of frustration and desperation.
"Do you not remember who you were either?" she asked gently. Joy shook her head and sat up.
"No. I don't." She shook her head once more and placed her normal smile back on her face. "Come on! They're waking up." Sandy set the film rolling and they all waited anxiously.
Bunnymund was the first to wake up.
"Oi, what happened? Oh, right... Sandy was that really- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he screamed. He was hopping around the room, properly freaking out, at the fact that the two girls had dyed his fur a horrendous shade of pink. Tooth and Joy were giggling madly, hovering just out of his reach. Jack was next to wake up. He promptly burst out laughing.
"That color really suits you, Bunnymund. Pink. I never would have guessed."
"Shut it Frostbite. Take a look at yourself." Jack glanced at the mirror resting on the table and stumbled back in shock. Tooth had liberally applied mascara, blush, and lip stick to the winter spirits face and he was not pleased. He chuckled mischievously and waved his finger at the girls.
"I will get you. When you're least expecting it and probably in your sleep, I will get you back." North rubbed his eyes and blinked blearily at the others. He laughed jollily once he could make out the details.
"Lighten up you two! It will wash off." Jack held up the mirror and North made a sound similar to Phil the yeti.
"It suits you mate," Bunny said. Joy had applied glitter and small Christmas ornaments to his beard making it look like a small Christmas tree. Santa turned on Sandy.
"And what was your role in all of this?" Sandy held up his hands in a placating gesture. Joy called down to them.
"Calm down you guys. It'll all wash off. The stuff is waiting in the bathroom." Bunnymund hopped out of the room, muttering about obnoxious Shelias. North followed him and told Joy and Tooth, "That was very thoughtful." Jack followed them, but not before shooting a spoonful of goulash at Joy who ducked just in time.
"Your hair looks great," he said and kinda half smiled at her. Joy's heart jumped a little.
"Thanks." Once he was gone, Tooth turned to her.
"You're blushing," she said. "And you have goulash in your hair."
"Now!" North shouted once they had all regrouped in the globe room. "I said I had plans and we are going to do these plans." He slammed his hands down on the console and smiled. "Now, who wants to have a race?" Jack and Joy high fived. Sandy gave a thumbs up too.
"What d'ya mean, mate? Outside? It's freezing out there!" Bunny said.
"Ah, you'll survive. Besides, you have fur," North said and clapped him on the back. "Here is the course I have planned out." One of the yetis handed him a large scroll and he opened it.
"See, we start here at ze pole and we make zis huge loop going through ze Arctic Caves and across the Snow Plain. It will be fun! What do you say?" Everyone gave their affirmation (Bunny with a little peer pressure).
"Right! Last thing we need is to decide what to race with and what ze prize is." North rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I, obviously, will use ze sleigh. What about you, Jack?" Jack smiled mischievously.
"I have an idea... What about you, Joy?" She was playing nervously with the sugar in her pouch.
"I'll think of something," she replied.
"Oi you lot with your cryptic answers," the Easter Bunny said. "I'll run. I'm part Rhosgobel rabbit, you know," he said with a hint of pride.
"We'll fly," Toothania said, referring to herself and Baby Tooth. Sandy made a picture of an airplane above his head.
"Right! It is settled. As for the prize, whoever wins will get to pick anything from my workshop as an extra Christmas gift," North said. The Guardians exchanged glances. Anything? That was a big prize.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Joy asked. "Let's go!"
Yeah, I know. Kind of just a filler chapter. The next two chapters though are really going to get things going with the plot. Thanks for reading! And I'll post the new chapter after I get three reviews (is that fair?)!