Hi guys, I'm back! I hope you missed me because this story really needs some love!

OK, I would like to thank the generous people who review this story and I'm happy that people actually do read this story.

Enjoy!

To Kozmotis's vast annoyance, Phil was the one who won the race. They lost sight of him about a mile from the house and Kozmotis whooped and laughed with glee at what he thought was his first win against the yeti, but when they turned the corner and came into his driveway they found Phil sitting on his front porch with his arm out, as if checking the time on an invisible watch.

"Bah!" Kozmotis said, rolling into the driveway and rolling down his window. "You may have won this time yeti, but I challenge you to a rematch as soon as this insanity is over!"

Phil yawned and mimed boredom. The children laughed.

"He beat you fair and square, Kozmotis." Jamie said, still laughing.

"Square fair! Square fair!" Sophie chirped, clapping her small hands and bouncing up and down in her seat.

"He won dad." Seraphina pronounced gravely. "You lost a race to a mythical creature."

"Yes yes I know!" Kozmotis said crossly, braking and parking the car. "You don't have to rub it in."

They all got out and, after picking up his and Sophie's bags and slinging them over his shoulders, Jamie picked up his little sister's hand and headed to the porch. Kozmotis went around back to pick up the grocery bags. It was just as well that they hadn't gotten ice cream. Even with the weird April chill, it would've melted. Seraphina asked of she could hold Sophie's hand as well and Jamie said sure. They walked with her to the edge of the steps and then swung her up one at a time, holding her between them.

"Weee!" Sophie squealed. "Weeee! Wee wee!"

"That's my girl," Jamie said, letting go of her hand once they reached the top step.

Phil held out his arms and Sophie, knowing Phil, ran into them laughing. "Phil!" She yelled with delight. "Phil! Phil Phil Phil!" eventually she hadn't seen Phil before.

"Yes, it's me little whirlwind." he said.

Sophie, who had picked up the language just as quickly as English, said, "I no wind! I Sophie!"

Phil nodded and smiled. "I see you've been practicing," he said. "Give me your best fierce roar!"

"RAWR!" Sophie roared in her little giggly voice, causing Kozmotis to jump and nearly spill the groceries.

"Sophie!" he admonished when he'd recovered himself. "You scared me out of my skin! Don't do that dear, I beg of you!"

Sophie frowned and gave him a queer look.

"What?"

"You still have skin." she stated, pointing to his hands. "I no scare you out of your skin. You still have skin."

Kozmotis glowered at Jamie and Seraphina, who had dissolved into helpless giggling. "Fine example you're setting for your sister," he grumbled as he stamped up to join them on the big porch. "Sara!" He called. "Has anyone tried the door? Sara! I'm home! And I've brought company!"

"AT BLOODY LAST!"

Kozmotis cringed as a door slammed somewhere deep in the house and hurried footsteps started towards them.

"I...don't think mom's happy with you dad." Seraphina said, looking nervously at the house.

"Why? It's only been about an hour, right?"

"Try three, dad."

"Three and a half." Jamie piped up. "Our clocks are fast."

Kozmotis groaned. "I'm dead."

"Kozmotis! Where are you?!" she yelled. She was closer now. Kozmotis tried to hide behind Phil but the big yeti just chuckled and moved behind the children.

"You're on your own buddy." he grunted.

"Kozmotis! Kozmotis where are the children?"

"Ya locked the door woman!" he hollered back. "I don't have the use of my hands currently."

She muttered a string of curses that, thankfully, were in different languages. "Alright, alright I'm coming." she called and, five minutes later the door was thrown open and Kozmotis Pitchner's wife stepped out. "Oh heavens, it's colder than a yeti's bum out here!" she said, taking one of the grocery bags from Kozmotis and picking up her daughter's hand with the other. "Come on children, let's get you all inside."

Phil grunted a "Hey!" At the yeti bum comment and she turned to see where it had come from. When she saw Phil her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream, but Kozmotis used his free hand to quickly cover it so the noise was muffled.

"Shh! Dear, listen, this is Phil! He's a friend of Jack's!" he said, trying got put himself between his wife and the yeti, just in case Phil would take offense. "He's harmless unless we hurt the children, which we wouldn't because we're good people! OK? He won't hurt us or them. He needs to get Jack back to the North Pole for proper medical help, so I told him to come with us. Jamie knows him and he can communicate with him. He's a friend."

His wife nodded dumbly, still staring at Phil. Phil didn't take this offensive at all, however, and nodded politely to her.

"Can we go inside miss?" he asked, gesturing to the door. "It's rather cold out here and I don't want whirlwind catching a cold."

"What did he say?" she asked breathlessly, looking at Jamie. It as clear she was freaked out.

"He asks if we can go inside. He doesn't want whirlwind- that's what he calls my sister, by the way," Jamie said, pointing to Sophie who was holding onto his and Phil's hands. "To catch a cold."

Sara Pitchner stared at Phil for another long moment, then she seemed to come to her senses and nodded. "Y- yes, of course. Come right in, children. Ah, Phil."

Phil nodded. "Much obliged."

"He says much obliged." Jamie said as they all trooped into the house, first Kozmotis and his family and then Jamie, Sophie, and Phil bringing up the rear.

Kozmotis and Sara led the party to the living room where Kozmotis invited them all to sit.

"Uh, I'll just go make us some, ah... tea!" his wife offered, obviously eager to get away from Phil. "Yes, tea, that's the thing for cold weather!"

Phil, who had just sat down, stood again and said, "Miss, I'd like to thank you for being so hospitable. Us Yetis have thick hide, but we all need warming up occasionally. However, I have a duty to Nicholas St. North to deliver Jack Frost to the North Pole as soon as possible, and I must complete my mission. I would, however, like to make you some hot chocolate as a thank you for taking care of Jack and watching over him. North Pole chocolate is the best on the earth, and even though it won't be enough for all the kindness you've shown Jack, hopefully it can be a start."

Everyone listened to this long speech, which was made in Yetish, politely and without interrupting. The humans in the room who couldn't understand Yetish, namely Kozmotis, his wife and daughter, understood only places and names like like 'North Pole' and 'Jack Frost'. When he was done, Sara looked at Jamie for a translation.

Jamie relaid the message and Sara, surprised by the big creature's manners, was quite blown away. "Ah, um," she stammered, not quite sure where to look. "Thank- thank you Phil. Uh, yes, Jack is in the bathroom down the hall. It was the only place my husband could think to put him where he would be safe. Um... Yes some hot chocolate would be lovely, but I'm not sure we have anything but the dark chocolate horde my husband keeps in the bottom draws by the fridge and thinks I don't know about it." Here she shot the aforementioned husband a look.

Jamie translated this and Phil laughed. "Miss, I am a yeti. I live at the North Pole. I can make hot chocolate out of anything." he said, smiling kindly. "but I have to check on Jack first, if that's alright with you."

Jamie translated this and she nodded. "Oh yes, I would expect nothing less! Uh, here I'll go show you. This way," she said, leading the yeti to the bathroom.

Kozmotis watched his wife leave and as soon as she was behind the wall and out of sight, he let out a sigh of relief and flopped down on the couch. "Saints alive, she didn't murder me for bringing home a yeti." he muttered, clasping his hands together in thanks. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Jamie smiled. "Yeah, they seem to be getting along much better than I thought!" he said, also sitting down. Sophie threw herself into the big black chair and laughed as it rocked. Seraphina sat gently down next to Jamie and smiled at him.

"I had no idea your yetish was so good." she said.

"Well, I've been learning for three years," Jamie replied modestly.

Kozmotis rolled his eyes. "Alright kids, let's get things situated. The food needs to be put in the kitchen, and we need to figure out where you both are sleeping tonight."

"Can't Jamie and Sophie sleep in my room dad?" Seraphina begged for the third time since she'd learned they two were staying. "Please please please?"

"We've been over this Sera, no." Kozmotis said firmly.

"Sophie can sleep in there," Jamie said quickly, sensing Kozmotis's reason for not wanting him and his daughter to share a room. It kind of irked him. For goodness's sake, he was eleven! But, hey, it was part of Kozmotis's job to be the over-protective parent. "I'll kick it out in the couch, in here."

Kozmotis shot him a grateful look but Sera pressed the issue. "Please dad?" she begged. "There's plenty of room!"

"Coal, it's OK." Jamie said. "Really, I'm good out here. Sophie can sleep in your room and I'll just curl up on the couch. I did it once before."

Both Kozmotis and Sera looked at him. "When?" they asked.

"Last night." Jamie said, looking at Kozmotis with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, when you brought me here to watch Jack? Remember?"

Kozmotis nodded. "Oh! Yeah, now I remember." he said, smiling. "Actually Jamie, we have a spare room."

"Nah, it's OK." Jamie said. "The couch will be enough."

Kozmotis shrugged. "Alright. Your choice." he stood. "Now we need to start on dinner. I bet you three are hungry."

"Hungwy!" Sophie proclaimed.

"I guess I wouldn't mind something," Jamie admitted. "but don't go to any trouble just for us, please."

"No trouble at all," Kozmotis said, heading for the kitchen with the bag his wife hadn't taken and set it on the counter beside the other one. "We're having spaghetti. Is that alright?"

"Yum!" Sophie said happily.

"Yes, spaghetti would be delicious." Jamie said. "And please, tell me if there's anything I can do to help."

Kozmotis nodded. It was uncanny, how polite and helping the young man was. "I will. Though you can help by checking on Phil and Jack right now. Ask Phil if he wants to stay for dinner."

Jamie nodded and left without another word.

"Seraphina, do you want to take Sophie to your room?" Kozmotis asked his daughter.

"Sure. What about it Soph, do you wanna come with me?"

"Yeah!"

Sophie scrambled out of her big chair and barreled towards Seraphina, grabbing her hand and then pulling her up and out of the room. "We play!"

Seraphina waved to her dad and, pausing only to grab Sophie's bag from the arm of the couch, followed the little girl to the hall. When they were gone, Kozmotis let out a sigh of relief. All alone in his kitchen. Just the way he liked it. "These next few days are going to be absolutely hectic." he muttered, pulling out the first ingredients for the spaghetti. "Now I know why I didn't want another kid."

Jamie came back a few minutes later however, just when Kozmotis was setting the pot to boil for the noodles.

"Phil says that what North won't know won't hurt him. He says he'd love to stay for dinner." he reported, smiling.

"Thank you Jamie." Kozmotis said, washing his hands in the sink. "Your sister is with Sera in her room, though if you don't want to be roped into playing tea party you'd better stay out here."

Jamie's eyes widened in horror. "Oh dear goodness no, thank you!" he said, sitting down at the dining room table that sat between the kitchen and the living room. "I've been subjected to that horrible fate more than once. It's absolute torture!"

Kozmotis laughed as he dried his hands and set about wrestling the pot for the sauce from it's cupboard. "I've had my fair share." he admitted, smiling. Adding under his breath, "Stupid stubborn pot! Leggo!"

Jamie smirked. "Yes but tell me, did Coal ever force you to dress up in a crown and fairy wings and then sneak pictures on your phone?"

Kozmotis turned around to look at him. "You're not serious!"

"Deadly. She even emailed them to my best friends at school and I was getting fairy post-it notes in my locket for weeks." he replied, straight faced.

"Dear goodness," Kozmotis said, turning back to his sauce. "My blood runs cold at the very thought."

"I got her back for it though," Jamie said, smirking. "On her next birthday I bought an exploding cake on Ebay. She had frosting all over her hair and I had to stick her in the tub for an hour to get it all out!"

Kozmotis turned around again. "How did you buy an exploding cake on Ebay?" he asked quizzically.

Jamie suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Uh, I, um. . ."

Kozmotis's eyes narrowed. "Jamie. . ."

"Uh, I lied!" Jamie said, much too fast for it to be the truth. "Yeah, I- I lied. There was no exploding cake. I just wanted to sound cool or... something." he finished lamely, not looking Kozmotis in the face.

Kozmotis sighed. He believed the boy was telling the truth about the exploding cake. There probably had been one, but he knew from the way he acted that Jamie was lying when he said he was lying. "Jamie, you know I'm a good man right?" he asked, taking a few steps until he was right in front of the boy.

"Yes." Jamie mumbled.

"And do you know that I used to make it my profession to help young children, particularly ones with family-oriented problems?"

"Yes. I read the paper."

Kozmotis nodded. The city paper had published several pieces on him and his work with children. "Well, then you know that I'm only trying to help when I ask you these things. It's nothing to be ashamed of if your parents can't provide for you."

"But she does provide for us!" Jamie burst out, looking up at Kozmotis for the first time. "She sends us money every month no matter what!"

Kozmotis nodded. "OK, but why is she not home with you? Doesn't your father work?"

Jamie hung his head again. "Dad. . ." he hesitated, lacing his fingers together and fidgeting nervously. "Dad died a long time ago. Right before Soph was born."

Kozmotis nodded again. "I see. So it's just your mother supporting you, is that correct?"

"Yeah. And. . ."

"And?"

"And me."

Kozmotis frowned. "You? You're not old enough to hold a job Jamie."

Jamie looked up. There was a small smile on his face and a little of the old sparkle back in his eyes. "You'd be surprised how many places would give a kid ten bucks to go some chores. Your pot is boiling over."

Kozmotis swore and turned back to the stove. Steam billowed from the lid and bubbling water spilled out, making hissing sounds as it hit the stove. "Damn!" he said, switching off the burner and grabbing the noodles. At that heat, the noodles would be cooked far too soon. After a few seconds he slit the top of the package and poured the first one in, then the next. Then he turned the burner back onto low and turned back to Jamie. "Sorry about that," he said. "Now, where were we?"

Jamie smiled. "Talking about me." he said. "Which, if I'm honest isn't the most thrilling of topics. Why don't we talk about you?"

Kozmotis shook his head. "Oh no, don't think you're getting rid of me that easily James Bennett." he said, waving the wooden stirring spoon. Jamie ducked as a globule of hot water flew towards him.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," Kozmotis said, putting down the spoon. "But my point remains. What did you mean when you said places would hire you to do grunt work?"

"I didn't say that." Jamie said, sidling over to the counter and looking at the sauce jar. "I said they'd give me some money, generally a tenner or a fiver, to do some small stuff. Sweep, organize, cover while they go on coffee or smoke breaks, you know. Thank kind of thing."

"Grunt work."

"I prefer to think of it as... Gopher work. You know, go for this, go for that. Do this, do that. Simple stuff. But it gives me some spare money to stick in my account in case I need it."

At this Kozmotis dropped the pot, which, thankfully didn't have the sauce in it, swore, and then picked up the pot, staring at Jamie with an incredulous expression on his face. "You have a bank account?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep." Jamie said, sticking his hand into his picket and proudly pulling out a small wallet. He flipped it open and there, next to a student ID, a medical card and a punch card for the local espresso house, was a blue and gray bank card.

Kozmotis was stunned. "How?" he demanded, snatching the wallet and looking at the card. "Why?"

Jamie shrugged. "Mon thinks that it's good to have options in case something bad happens." he said. "I'll be having that back now, please." he added, holding out his hand for his wallet.

Kozmotis looked at the card, then he handed it back to Jamie. "Do you know if it works?"

"Of course." Jamie said. "I check it each month, just to see if it's expired. I always forget when that happens but luckily I have an amount hidden in the house for when that happens, the account is frozen and I have to pay to activate it again. I really should write it down," he added to himself. Then he shrugged. "Anyway, as you can see I'm well provided for. And I don't spend the money on stupid stuff." he added. "Bills, food and the occasional book. That's it."

Kozmotis stared at Jamie. The boy was an adult in miniature! All he needed to do was get a car and he would be a real, responsible adult. He took care of his sister, he paid bills, he even had a bank card for goodness's sake! He hadn't gotten a bank card until he was thirty!

"You can stop gawking like that," Jamie said, a little annoyed. "Is it so surprising that a kid can be responsible as an adult?"

Kozmotis snapped out of it. "No," he said quickly. "No. It's just... I didn't expect a boy of your age to have to deal with this much reality. Normally kids like you are busy with school and friends and video games."

"Oh I still do all those," Jamie said with a wave of his hand. "I just have to pay bills and take care of my sister too."

Kozmotis nodded. "Still, it's a little sad." he said, turning his attention to the sauce. Opening the jar was all he needed to do and so he did it, plopping the red substance into the pot and stirring, then putting it on low heat. "Parents are supposed to support their kids and do this kind of thing." he said, watching the pot's contents. Sauce bubbled fast.

Jamie shrugged. "Well, one of mine is dead and the other is half way around the world. I manage."

Kozmotis looked up from watching the pot when he heard the half way around the world part. Was Jamie's mother an archeologist or a soldier or something like that that demanded lost of travel?"

"And before you ask," Jamie said quickly, raising his hands. "I don't know what she does. Only that she sends me five hundred dollars a month and that whatever she does, she doesn't come home."

Kozmotis's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Five hundred?!" He exclaimed. "That's more than I make in two months!"

Jamie smiled. "I know, and you'd think we don't spend all of it but we do. Sophie has to have clothes, food, bills need to be paid etc etc."

Kozmotis let out a breath. "Wow kid. I gotta say, I'm very impressed." he said, turning to the sauce that was now bubbling on the stove. "You're doing more than most people do for themselves and another person and you haven't even hit puberty!" he stirred the sauce with the spoon.

Jamie nodded. "I know. I know. And it's not bad at all. I mean sure it's lonely for me, but I don't care much. I've got my friends and that's enough for me. Sophie doesn't even remember what my mom looks like and, for that matter I don't either. All the knows is me now."

"How long has this been going on?" Kozmotis asked.

"A couple of years." Jamie replied. "At first she was just gone in short lengths, then she began staying longer. It was right after Jack defeated Pitch that she told me she needed to go for good. She promised she would send money and she did. I learned how to do the kind of stuff that adults do, pay bills and go grocery shopping, quickly. Mind you, I did have some mishaps." he added, smiling. "Two years ago I forgot to send the electric bill and it was shut off right in the middle of me watching a comedy/horror marathon with Soph. We both screamed like babies."

Kozmotis smiled. "Sounds like quite an experience." he said, pulling the pot of noodles, which were done by now, off the burner and quickly crossing to get a big colander. Once the colander was in place in the sink he grabbed it by the handles and turned the pot over, sending water splashing into the sink and noodles sloshing into the colander. "Ow!" he snarled, hissing when hot water splashed onto his hand.

"The sauce is boiling." Jamie said. Kozmotis moved to grab the hot pan but Jamie got there first, smoothly sliding it onto a different burner and stirring it so that the bottom wouldn't burn.

"Thank you Jamie." he said, flashing a smile at the boy.

"I have to cook for Sophie all the time. She loves spaghetti, but normally we make the sauce." he replied. "Oh boy, you should've seen the first time we made it. I cut my hand slicing the tomato and put cinnamon in the sauce accidentally. It wasn't half bad though," he said, smiling. "Soph loved it."

Kozmotis chuckled. "And I thought I was a gourmet cook." he said dryly, shaking the colander to drain the excess water out. After that he put the noodles back in the pot and turned to the sauce. "Thank you Jamie." he said again. "Could you go and get the Parmesan in the right bag for me? And then the grater? It's in the drawer on your left."

Jamie pulled out the cheese and then set to work finding the grater. It didn't take him long. "Want me to grate this?" he asked, holding up the cheese.

"Sure Jamie. There's a bowl you can grate it over in the cupboard up there." Kozmotis pointed to the upper cupboard above the sink on Jamie's left.

"Righto!"

In less than five minutes, they were done. "Sara, Seraphina, Sophie, Phil! Dinner!" Kozmotis called through the open doorway that led form the living room to the hall.

"Coming dear!"

"Yes dad!"

"FOOD!"

"Grawga!"

Kozmotis laughed. "Plates up there Jamie, and let's get this food put away first."

Jamie grabbed the plates and silverware and Kozmotis set about putting away the bags. Only then did he come across the unrefrigerated burger meat.

"Oh hell!" he said, quickly checking to make sure his wife hadn't seen him and then opening the fridge and thrusting the meat inside. "I hope I'm not too late. That stuff's expensive."

"What's up Kozmotis?" Jamie asked as he set the plates down on the table.

"Oh I forgot the burger meat!" Kozmotis replied sourly. "Well, what they don't know won't hurt them, eh Jamie?"

Jamie laughed. "That's alright Kozmotis. Just make sure your wife doesn't notice before you have a chance to go to the store again."

Kozmotis nodded. "It'll be our little secret." he said.

"Sure." Jamie agreed. "If she asks, we'll tell her either you forgot or Phil can't eat meat. I'll kick him under the table for you in case he doesn't get it."

Kozmotis laughed. "No need to go that far Jamie. I'm sure she won't mind."

Jamie shrugged and divided the six plates, setting forks on each of them. "Can I get mine?" he asked. "Or do you say grace in your family?"

Kozmotis shook his head. "Nope. Dish away."

Jamie nodded and grabbed a plate. "Good. I'm hungry!"

Kozmotis stood back and allowed the boy first crack at the noodles, but he was surprised when the boy didn't get that many. "I thought you said you were hungry," he said, frowning when he saw Jamie put a very small portion of sauce onto his plate.

"I am, but I'm gonna make sure that everybody else gets some first before I go for an actual portion." Jamie replied. "It's a manners thing. Mom drummed it into my skull when I was just a kid."

"You're still a kid."

"Hi all!" Sara said, breezing into the living room and then through the dining room. "Mmm, good smell!"

"Hi dear. Spaghetti." Kozmotis replied.

"Delish!" she exclaimed, taking a seat. "Phil, sit anywhere you like." she added, smiling at the yeti.

Phil smiled back and said that he would eat his in the bathroom if they didn't mind. He wanted to keep an eye on Jack. Jamie replayed this message and Sara shook her head. "Absolutely not. You're a guest, you can eat in here. I understand you're concerned about Jack," she added when Phil glanced at Jamie. "But it's not as if some dark spirit's going to sneak in here and whisk him away!"

Jamie and Phil both exchanged looks. "Uh, Mrs. Pitchner-" Jamie began.

"Please, call me Sara dear boy."

"Sara," Jamie corrected himself. "Uh, Sara, that's exactly what Phil's worried about."

Both adult looked up. "What do you mean Jamie?" Kozmotis asked, puzzled.

Jamie opened his mouth to answer but just then Sophie and Seraphina came waltzing into the room, smiling. "Food!" Seraphina exclaimed, running to the table. "Mmm! Smells great!"

"Food!" Sophie squealed, jumping up and down. "Can I have sour, Jamie? Please please please?" she asked her brother.

Jamie shot both adults and later look, then he turned to Sophie. "Um, sorry munchkin. I don't think they have any onions. Do you?" he asked apologetically, glancing at Kozmotis.

He shrugged. "We might. I'll go look. The rest of you pile up your plates and take a seat."

"Why do you want an onion, Jamie?" Seraphina asked as she slid into like behind her mother.

"Oh not me," Jamie said, scooping up a decent-sized portion for Sophie. "Sophie. She loves onions on her spaghetti. But if you don't have one," he added over his shoulder as Kozmotis routed around in a basket of dry-looking vegetables. "That's totally cool."

"No no, I'm sure we do." Kozmotis said, putting an apple on the counter. "Aha! Here we are," he proclaimed, holding up a golden onion.

Jamie took it and showed it to Sophie. "Good Soph?"

Sophie nodded. "Good!"

Jamie nodded. "OK. You take this and sit at the table while I chop you some." he handed her her plate, which she took in both hands and walked slowly, carefully, to the table and sat it down. Then she climbed up into a chair and started to eat slowly, twirling her fork around the noodles and chomping down.

"Well!" Sara said, laughing. "Your sister has the best table manners I've ever seen in a five-year-old."

Sophie looked up and beamed. "Thank you." she said, then she bent over her plate again.

Jamie nodded. Kozmotis had gotten him a small cutting board and a knife and he was gently chopping at the onion. "Yes. Manners are important if you're going to get far in life, but I've also taught her that you only use your manners when someone deserves them."

Sophie looked up again. "I never say thank you or please to mean Mrs. Beadleman! She call me and Martha Greene bad names!" she declared.

Seraphina laughed. "Like what?" she asked curiously as her daughter dished up her portion of sauce and picked up a handful of the grated cheese.

"Troublemakers." Sophie said. "Brats. And. . ." she glanced at her brother. "What was the other one?"

"Snot-faced Lilliputians." Jamie replied, coming over to her with a handful of finely-chopped onion. "There you go sis. Eat up now."

"Sot-faced Lapu-shins." Sophie repeated, smiling when she saw the onions. "Sour!" she said happily, scooping up a forkful of the white vegetable and some noodles and shoveling them happily into her mouth.

"Why does she like onions so much?" Seraphina asked, sitting down on Sophie's left. Jamie sat down on Sophie's right and began to eat his own.

"She accidentally ate a whole one when she was about two." Jamie said. "It was sliced and she had climbed up into out counter top. I was lucky she didn't grab the knife, otherwise she might've hurt herself."

"Lucky indeed," Kozmotis said as he and his wife dished up their own dinner. Phil was last and he got the same amount as everybody, but the pans were still quite low.

Kozmotis and his wife sat down and Phil, after some coaxing from Jamie and Sara, sat down as well between Kozmotis and Jamie. The chair was a bit small, but he didn't complain.

"The food is excellent," he said, shoveling a heaping forkful into his mouth. "It rivals that of the female yetis at the Pole."

Jamie translated the compliment and Kozmotis smiled. "Thank you Phil. It's not as good as we normally have," he shared a wink with his wife.

"Jarred sauce and noodles from a supermarket." She replied, shaking her head. "My grandmother would turn over in her grave!"

When Jamie asked why her grandmother wouldn't like her using jarred sauce she replied, "She was Italian. Loved making sauce the old fashioned way, straight from vegetables and water and seasoning. I always make it like that, even going to far as to slice my own noodles from the dry sheets they have in organic stores. Though most of the time I just get angle hair."

Jamie nodded. "Ah. I see."

The meal progressed quite merrily after that. Jamie convinced Phil to tell them about the Pole and North. Seraphina and Sara nearly toppled off their seats when they heard that Santa had tattoos.

"You're kidding!" Sara said, her fork poised half-way from the plate to her mouth.

"Nope." Jamie said. "Naughty and Nice, across his forearms. He also carries huge golden swords and is almost as tall as Kozmotis!"

Sara made a comical afraid face. "No wonder most kids are scared of the mall Santas! They're too freaked out by the real one!"

Jamie shook his head. "No no, he's a really jolly guy."

"Ah, but not just jolly!" Phil said, raising his hand dramatically, playing into the whole wonder speech North had given all the Guardians.

Jamie chuckled. "Phil's right. He's also mysterious!"

Phil wiggled his fingers spookily. "And fearless!"

"And fearless!" Jamie repeated.

"And- and caring!" Phil choked out. He was all-out laughing now.

"And caring," Jamie added. "And at his center-"

"He swallowed a small child!" Phil exploded, then he busted up into a storm of laughing. Jamie followed and the other eaters just exchanged puzzled glances.

"Uh, are we missing something?" Kozmotis asked.

Jamie stopped laughing long enough to choke out, "N- nothing! It's just a really really funny old joke." Then he started laughing again.

Sophie patter her brother's shoulder. "Is alright Jamie." she said. "Joker gas go away soon."

That made the others crack up. "So, Sophie likes batman?" Kozmotis asked, chuckling.

"She- she found me watching an episode and that one just happened to have Joker and the laughing gas in it." Jamie said, coughing. "She thinks that every time I start laughing a lot Joker has used his laughing gas on me."

Seraphina snickered. "That's adorable." she said.

After dinner, Phil helped clear up. Kozmotis thanked him and Phil said it was the least he could do. First he loaded the dishwater, then he wiped the counter top and finally straightened the pans hanging above the stove. Then he went over to the cupboards and began getting out things. Sugar, cocoa power- the really bitter stuff without any sugar, and then he bustled over to the fridge and brought out the milk.

"What's up Phil?" Jamie asked from the living room. Phil had asked them to sit in there while he worked. Sera and Sophie had gone back to her room, leaving the adults and Jamie alone with Phil.

"I'm making hot chocolate." Phil answered, pouring the milk into a saucepan and adding a lot of the powder. "To thank them."

Jamie nodded and told Sera and Kozmotis, to which they tried to thank him and tell him it wasn't necessary, but Phil insisted.

"Trust me," Jamie said. "You haven't tasted hot chocolate until you've had Yetish hot chocolate. It's delicious!"

Kozmotis shrugged. "Oh let him Sara." he said. "I know it'll be good."

Sara nodded uncertainly. "OK then." she agreed.

Jamie told Phil they were grateful and Phil asked him to go check on Jack in response. Jamie nodded and, after explaining his errand to Kozmotis and Sara, walked off to complete his task. Jack was the same as he'd been the last time Jamie had seen him. Ice completely covered his body and there was a smile on his face. All good there.

"Hey Jack," Jamie said, smiling at his old friend. "Feeling better?"

Jack didn't respond.

Jamie adjusted a few pieces of ice over his face and, after checking the shadows to see if they were alive, left. He wasn't going to take any chances that the real Boogeyman was going to come after Jack in his one moment of weakness. He was a good friend, and he wouldn't let Pitch take him.

Pitch.

The one person who could fill Jamie Bennett with dread and make his body start to shiver, no matter how warm he was. Jamie hadn't seen him since the Nightmare War had ended and he presumed Pitch had gone into hiding, but after meeting Kozmotis he didn't know what to think. The guy was definitely human, but he looked so much like Pitch that Jamie got the creeps each time he looked at him, regardless of how kind he was.

"It's not him!" Jamie told himself angrily as he slowly walked down the hall to the living room. "I'm just seeing ghosts! Kozmotis couldn't possibly be Pitch Black. His wife, foe one. Pitch wouldn't love a human woman. He wouldn't have a kid with her either, so it can't be him!"

Yet somewhere, in the back of his head Jamie got the feeling that Kozmotis Pitchner wasn't the normal man he looked like. The Nightmare, for one.

"How could he fight off a Nightmare? It's impossible!" Jamie told himself, stopping right before he walked into the living room. He sighed and leaned against the empty wall. Evidently it was not. "And seeing Jack, before he even believed in him, what's that about?" he asked. "Adults don't see spirits! It just doesn't happen!"

Well clearly it does, his common sense told him. And not only that, but Kozmotis withstood the temperatures in Jack's icy room. Now how does a normal human do something like that, I would like to know?

The truth was, Jamie had no idea. He wanted to believe that this was all a freaky coincidence and that he could just go home once Jack was safe, but he didn't. Apart from Jack, Kozmotis was now getting curious about his life, which was dangerous. He'd already told him about his father and the money, his bank card and the odd jobs. What other damage could he do?

"He could go to the courts and ask that I stay with him," Jamie muttered. "Then I'd lose it. I'd lose it all. My freedom, my world, everything." That thought filled him with dread. He would be forced to comply with normal rules and he wouldn't get a tenth of the freedom he had now! "I can't let that happen." he whispered. "I'll just tell him I appreciate it, but I want to stay on my own. I know that he's trying to be a good man, but I don't need charity. I can take care of Sophie and do my school work too. It's not hard. I can-"

"Jamie?"

Jamie jumped about a foot in the air. It was Kozmotis, leaning his head through the doorway that led to the living room. "Y-yes?" he said, trying to recover himself.

Kozmotis frowned and said, "Are you alright boy?"

Jamie smiled unconvincingly. "Uh, yeah! Sure I'm OK! Why wouldn't I be?"

Kozmotis pulled his head in and, for a minute Jamie hoped that he had left but a second later he was walking through the door and down the hall to him. He had two mugs in his hand.

"I don't know how that yeti of your does it," he said, holding one of the mugs out to Jamie. "But he just made the best hot cocoa I have ever tasted. Not too hot, or too sweet or anything!" he smiled as Jamie uncertainly took the cup. "It's delicious."

Jamie smiled and inhaled the scent. "I don't doubt it." he said, warming his hands on he cup. "But I'm not much in the mood for cocoa."

Kozmotis frowned. "Jamie, something's wrong." he said, looking him straight in the face.

Jamie looked up. "What? Where?" he made to turn around. "Jack-"

"No," Kozmotis said quickly, putting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I mean something's wrong with you."

Jamie stopped and felt a shiver go down his spine ad the older man's touch. "Wh-what would be wrong with me?" he asked, smiling nervously as he turned around. "I- I'm fine!" Stupid stutter!

Kozmotis narrowed his eyes. "Jamie, I can tell when children are lying." he said slowly. "Whatever's wrong, let me help."

Jamie was silent. Damn! was all he could think. Damn damn damn!

"Is it something to do with Jack?"

"No!" Jamie said, a little too quickly.

"Is it about that dark spirit?" Kozmotis asked. "The real Boogeyman? The one Sophie keeps mistaking me for?"

Jamie gulped. "Uh... maybe." Yes, yes good! Get him away from the subject of my life and I'll be good!

"Are you worried that he might take Jack while he's hibernating and the others, Guardians, did you call them?"

Jamie nodded.

"That they will blame you?" he finished, looking Jamie straight in the eye again.

Jamie nodded again. What the hell. If that was what it took to get him away from his life, then he would allow him to think that. Hopefully all this madness will soon be over.

Kozmotis sighed and bent down until he was at the boy's level. "Jamie," he said, putting down his cup and placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "It's alright. Phil is going to take Jack soon and then he'll be safe. I promise this Boogeyman will not harm him, you, Sophie or anyone you care about. I promise!"

Jamie sighed. "It's not just that!" he said, trying not to sound angry. "I don't know if. . ."

"Jamie, you can tell me anything." Kozmotis said kindly. "What is it?"

Jamie sighed again. He was going to have to sell this more than he'd ever done before! "I don't know if it's really Jack he's after, or if it's me. Heck, it might even be Sophie! He might want her to bargain for something, he not believing in the Guardians or whatever. I just don't know!" Tears started to flow and Jamie felt sick with himself. He hated lying, especially if it was to good people. He knew quite well that it was Jack Pitch was after. He didn't need Jamie for anything and Soph would probably drive him insane before he could trade her as a hostage.

"Oh Jamie," Kozmotis said, engulfing the boy in a hug. "It's alright. I won't let him hurt any of you, I promise. If this Boogeyman-"

"Pitch Black." Jamie said quietly.

"If Pitch Black is rising again after the Guardians put him down, then I'm sure they will be able to handle him just like last time." Kozmotis smiled. "Really Jamie, it'll be alright. I promise."

As if you had any control over what happens, Jamie thought, hiding his suspicion behind a smile. "Thanks Kozmotis." he said. "I believe you." And the instant Jack gets better I'm heading to the Pole to ask him if he can contact Pitch Black, just to make sure I'm just being paranoid and our Boogeyman really is the Boogeyman.