I know it's very late for this but HAPPY NEW YEAR! I spent mine in Seattle WA with my brother and, unfortunately not paying that much attention to politics, found him smoking pot since it is now legal in WA. It was very interesting finding my, usually, calm brother very high and drunk at the same time. Though I had fun I also felt like I was taking care of everyone since I was the only sober one at the party.
But anyway, I had some fun with this chapter, hint hint meaning there is descriptive stuff in here. We left off with Jack and Reap really pissed at each other and Pitch trying to intervene. Hmmmmmmm wonder what he is up to.
"Reap, wait!" Tooth yelled, flying after her. Reap could fly just as fast at Tooth when she wanted to because of the ability to change her form and, in retrospect, her wings. She didn't know if Tooth had heard her little conversation with Pitch but she let Tooth catch up to her anyway, needing to be with someone. "We have been looking for you for hours! Where did you go?"
"I needed to be alone for a little, you know, to clear my head" Reap said in a week voice. Tooth gave her a big hug as they descended back down into the clearing where the other guardians, excluding Jack, where waiting.
"I am sure Jack didn't mean what he said." Tooth said, reassuringly.
"No he did. That's what happens when you are in a state of anger and shock, you say things that you normally wouldn't say that are true and hurtful, whether they be relevant to the problem or not. At that moment in time, he did hate me and I understand why but I know one thing. I just don't want to be around him for a while." Reap said, touching down on the frozen pond.
Bunny, Sandy, and North where all asking her questions of what Jack said and where she went. She answered truthfully to each question.
"I just don't want to see him for a very long time, is that so hard to understand?" She yelled out when they wouldn't get the hint that she didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"We were just worried Reap" North said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to wait till Christmas to give this to you but I think you need a bit of cheering up" North said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a silver necklace with a black and grey pendent on it in the shape of a crescent moon.
"Thank you North" She said, looking at how it changed from black, to silver, to white and back in different lights. She put it on; it felt surprisingly heavy and cool around her neck.
"It's not just a pendent. Every girl should have wardrobe of cloths if they can. Since you don't have wardrobe, I made that for you. Imagine yourself in some type of clothing" North said.
Reap closed her eyes and imagined Tooth's feathers. The moment she thought of it a tingling sensation went out all over her body, even on the bridge of her nose. She stayed focused on Tooth's feathers until she heard a gasp that broke her concentration. She opened her eyes a looked down. There was Tooth's outfit on her. Only it was made up of different colors. Instead of the bright purples and greens, her colors where gray, brown, black, and with bits of dark green and red. She ran her hands down then a smiled. "They are so soft"
"Yes they are, because they have a lot of plumage in them to help air flow threw them, making me lighter as I fly, and faster." Tooth said with a big smile.
"Thank you so much. I was thinking of getting a new outfit but now you have done that for me!"
"Yes well, I wanted to make sure you where well stocked and, stuff" North said, a little surprised.
"Why?"
"Well, I guess it's mainly because, I think of you as a daughter. I want to take care of you and make sure you are happy and smiling all the time like you always are" North said, then laughed.
"I have always thought of you as a daughter as well Reap" Tooth said, giving her a big hug.
"You're too tough and mischievous to be my daughter mate. Nah you are more like a kid sister to me" Bunny said, clapping his paw right in the middle of her back, making her fall onto the ice.
"Gee thanks bro" Reap said, a little breathless.
Sandy pointed at Reap and a shape of a large family appeared above his head.
"A family?" Reap asked.
Sandy nodded his head vigorously and then gestured to everyone.
"Yes Sandy, very good. We are like big family." North said, placing a hand on Sandy's shoulder.
"Yes, after all, friends are the family we choose" Tooth said with a smile.
"Yah we are a big family, a big honking dysfunctional family." Bunny said.
"Well, from what I have seen, that is the best kind of family. We are all different which adds more and more to the family." Reap said, feeling a lot better after talking to her family.
The threat was over, Pitch was vanquished, the children were safe, and everyone was alive. The guardians went their separate ways promising to meet together again for the Christmas bash at the Pole at the end of the year. They where even going to celebrate New Years there as well. So with a heavy heart Reap said goodbye to her family and went about her business as usual. She made it a point to avoid cold arias and if she felt even the slightest hint of cool air she would move to another place. She still couldn't bring herself to face Jack. Her heart still aced from his words. She would catch glimpses of him when she had to retrieve children from up north but she would always stay in the shadows. A month before the party he practically disappeared.
The gift North had given her was practically the love of her life. What girl wouldn't be happy with a magical item that allowed you to change your cloths with just a thought. Lately she had taken to wearing a type of black hip hugger jeans that where fitted from the hips down to the knees and then loose the rest of the way down. Her top was a type of baggy top that had baggy sleeves as well but hung off 2 little strips of fabric, one on the shoulders and the other around the inner elbow. It was black with a white skull on the front with a red rose on the side of the skull. Under that she had on a simple red tank top since the shirt was so baggy she didn't want to show anything. Plus the fact the shirt only went down to her waist.
She was in Whistler Canada, just having some fun with some children who had died in an avalanche just 3 weeks before. She was surprised that she hadn't found any trace of Jack at all. The week of the party, she got a letter saying that the theme was going to be a regular Christmas party, and after Christmas they would dress up, but there was a catch, she had to dress up as a playboy bunny for the first few hours. Her and Tooth.
She then got a letter from Tooth with one of her little fairies saying that she was going to be the red bunny. Reap decided to be the green bunny to add to the party theme early. She flew over to the Tooth Palace the day before the party. Tooth was still giving out orders to a small group of Baby Teeth.
"Hay Mama Tooth! You almost ready?"
"Oh Reap, you're here! No I am not, just making last minute preparations for when I am gone." She said with a smile. "Oh and I need to change. I have something for you before we leave. North wanted this to be a surprise so we have to be cloaked." She said, pulling out a black cloak. "I have a white one."
"Wow Tooth, thanks" She said with a smile before Tooth disappeared to get changed. Reap closed her eyes and the same tingling feeling appeared. Her normal outfit changed into the green playboy bunny outfit, ears and tail included, and then she waited for Tooth.
She reappeared a little while later all dressed up in a red bunny outfit just like hers, but with her feathers and wings sticking out in placed. She smiled and then put on her cloak, and then they where off.
"So you think Jack will be there?" Tooth asked as things began to get colder.
At the mention of Jack her mask of neutrality appeared on her face. "I don't know, and I don't really care."
"Reap this is becoming ridicules. You where never one to hold a grudge, why do you hold one now?"
"Because he really hurt me. And if I let him get away with that, who knows if he will do it again."
"Aniu, he is over 300 years old, not a child!" Tooth said firmly. She used her human name; she must either be very angry or exasperated. Reap was betting on both.
"I don't care. He acts like one he is going to be treated like one." Reap said firmly. Tooth made a cross between a growling and screaming noise and took off ahead. Reap continued at her own pace. When she arrived at the Pole, Tooth was waiting still agitated but she blew it off when the doors opened to let them in to the workshop.
"Welcome everyone, to a very interesting and happy end of year party! And what a year it was! Well done everyone!" North said from his raised platform. Everyone was there, but like her and Tooth they where cloaked. You could tell Bunny was in his human form because of his face but other than that it was hard to tell what they were wearing.
"So North, why are we dressed like this again?" Jack asked, coming out of the shadows behind Tooth and Reap. Reap instantly moved over to the other side of Tooth and stared impassively ahead.
"I am glad you asked Jack, gentlemen why don't we show the girls what we came up with?!" North said and in one fluid move in a line of four, they all whipped off their cloaks to reveal bare chests, bow ties around the neck, and tight fitting sleek black pants.
Both Reap and Tooth stared, and then burst out laughing. "Oh my god they are going into Chip and Dale getup!" Reap blurted out as she sank to her knees, tears running down her face. Tooth on her back, laughing just as hard.
She had to admit that even though North had a belly, you could still see his chest muscles and arm muscles. Sandy just looked like a cute little butterball that you wanted to snuggle up with. Bunny, she had seen before, hadn't changed a bit. Jack, on the other hand, looked nothing like she had ever thought. She had thought he would be skinny and boyish. Boy was she wrong. He had lean yet hard muscles, pecks, abs, everything. His skin was pail but it almost shined in the firelight. It took her breath away, even though she didn't have any because she had been laughing.
"All right lady's, your turn" North said, sounding a bit annoyed.
Tooth and Reap turned to each other, spun around each other and revealed their playboy bunny outfits. They even pushed out their posteriors and cleavage. They wanted to get a little bit of a reaction out of the men and they got just that. Bunny charged over to Tooth, practically glomping her.
"Oh my god you look so sexy as a bunny!" He said, kissing her neck.
"Bunny, calm down it's not even springtime yet!" Tooth said, not really trying to push him off.
Both Reap and Jack cringed and placed their faces in their hands and said in unison "TMI I did not need to know that!"
Reap and Jack made eye contact then looked away again. She wouldn't forgive him until he apologized. She knew that it was a stupid thing to fight for but he had really hurt her!
"Well, know that we have started, let's have some fun!" North said, and so the party began. Tooth and Bunny disappeared somewhere and Reap didn't really want to know where they went nor what they are doing. Sandy and Jack where talking and Reap was enjoying being with her family.
"Reap you should talk to him" North said, coming up behind her. Thankfully after about 4 hours of being shirtless all the guys had clothed their upper bodies. Reap has also changed back into a simple knee length flowing cocktail dress and heals.
"No, not unless he tries to talk to me first" She said stubbornly. She walked over to her white piano and began to play a bit of background soft smooth jazzy Christmas music. Sandy came a little while afterwards, after Jack had stomped off. Over his head was the shape of Jack and then a speech bubble.
"As I have said to everyone else, I will not talk to him until he talks to me first. He is the one that hurt me and said thoughs things. I was just doing what was right for Sarah."
"How do you know what was right for Sarah?!" Jack said, landing on the top of the piano.
"Because I have been doing this job for over 300 years. I have seen what happens to children when they stay here when they need to move on. They become filled with the energy they give off, whether it be pain, sorrow, or even anger. That energy bleeds out into the living world and affects the people around that child at the time until eventually they hurt someone close to them." Reap said, standing up and staring Jack right in the eyes. A fierceness and loyalty she had to her job showing, knowing that what she did was the right thing.
"What happens to them after that? You send them to the afterlife broken." Jack said accusingly.
"No. I wish I could, but I can't because they are so broken that they would never be able to find peace, and they slowly fade away into nothingness. Never to be seen again" She said, and then walked away.
Once Reap was out of sight, North punched Jack in the arm. "Yah nice peace talk Jack. Very healing as well. I think she has forgiven you" North said sarcastically and then walked towards the fire to put more logs in it.
"Did I just make everything worse?" Jack asked, looking down at Sandy who was glaring at him. Sandy nodded his head then floated off to the food bar.
"Hay mate, you really need to talk to her one on one. Just apologies to her!" Bunny said, coming out of nowhere.
"Why should I apologies to her?!"
"Oh come off it Jack! After what she admitted would have happened to your sisters spirit if she had stayed! You really think she would have been better off if she had just slowly and painfully disappeared into nothingness?!"
"She could have stayed for a little bit longer! I hate Aniu for taking my sister away from me! She never cared for us!"
"Oh I beg to differ" GR said, melting from the shadows very much like Pitch, holding the recorder.
"What's that?" Jack asked.
"Something to prove to you that Reap is still loyal to you and cares about you very much" GR said tossing the recorder over to Jack.
"Personally I think she should just slice your head off with her staff for how you treated her, but she is too good for that" Grim said, glaring at Jack.
Jack glared back but pressed play and listened to the conversation that Pitch and Reap had. First Jack was angry, then surprised, and finally in disbelief.
"See Jack, she's still loyal to you. Even though you tossed her away like a handful of slush in a snowball fight. Let go of your pride, you know that what she did was for the best. Go to her" The GR on the recorder said, then the sound of pure silence. No one had heard that tape, everyone was shocked and nervous of what Pitch had meant.
Jack looked at Bunny and GR as the realization of just what Reap had done for his sister came crashing down on him. And just what he had done to her. He hung his head and sagged on the piano.
"I have been an ass" Jack said.
"No argument there mate" Bunny said.
"No really, we couldn't tell" Grim spat out before GR smacked him on the back of the head.
"So what are you going to do Jack" GR asked.
"I am going to find Aniu and apologies to her" Jack said, jumping off the piano and running in the direction that Reap had gone.
"Think we should fallow them?" North asked.
"Maybe you and I, just in case the dung hits the fan." Bunny admitted and they followed.
"I am coming too. Reap is my friend and I want to be there to help" Grim said, fallowing them.
Meanwhile, Reap had perched herself on a large window sill, her cloak back on and clinging to her staff for dear life. She kept sniffling every now and then.
"Reap" Jack said, then paused. "Aniu I need to talk to you.
For thoughs who don't know, Chip and Dail is the equivalent of the Playboy Bunny's but with different outfits and men instead of women. I don't know why I put that little bit in but I just thought of Tooth in a cute bunny outfit and then Bunnymund going crazy for her would be really adorable!
Tell me what you thought in the comments!
LOVE TO ALL!