Last chapter of Emma and Rose! Geeze, how do I keep making them in four chapters? Really, not even trying! Maybe I like multiples of four…Oh well! On with the story! Nick's story starts next chapter! :D
Emma and Rose: Chapter 4
Christmas carols blasted from the speakers in Santoff Claussen, elves and yetis scrambling about as they prepared for the night's rounds around the world. Jack was settled in a big armchair, wrapped up in a big blue blanket sipping hot cocoa, Joy and Hunter snuggled up with him arguing about which story they would hear first.
"Anything?" Aster turned as North leaned against the door, looking at Jack and the kits.
"Nada." Sighed Aster. "I don't think it's going to be tonight."
"Good." North looked relieved, shoulders relaxing. "Enough going on tonight. Speaking of, kits should be in bed."
"Bedtime story." Said Aster. "They'll be in bed by nine." North nodded, taking a minute to bark orders at the yetis. While Aster would never admit it, especially to the Christmas crazed Cossack, he was grateful North had all but kidnapped Jack, the kits and himself for the two weeks leading up to his holiday, despite the disorder it occasionally caused and extra strain having a pregnant Jack wandering around the potentially dangerous workshop burdening the yetis. Though, he had to admit Jack was rather well behaved. His powers had been too tiring for him to use, and he more or less stayed in a comfortable chair from dawn until dusk. The most mischief he had caused was turning a small army of elves into popsicles for disturbing his nap. It was almost unnaturally calm around Jack, so much that even the kits picked up on it.
"Ew, no princesses!" said Hunter.
"But Shakey-spear is boring!" retorted Joy. "And sounds weird, and is scary!"
"Hey, Macbeth is a masterpiece!" huffed Hunter. "And it's Shakespeare, not Shakey-spear!"
"Princess and the Pea is better!"
"No, Macbeth!"
"How about I choose?" Said Jack, plucking the books from the kits. "You don't want North to put you on the naughty list." Both kits looked wide eyed at their Mother, promptly shutting their mouths. Jack noticed Aster at the door and smiled at him, Aster waving his paw slowly with a small grin.
"You smile." Said North, giving Aster a knowing look. "You smile much more since Jack became mate." Aster shrugged off the comment, instead perking his ears as Jack began to invent a story for their kits. There was more to why Jack was the guardian of fun than snowballs and fun times, and one of those assets was his ability to spin one Hell of an epic from thin air, a quality that both Hunter and Joy greatly enjoyed, even if their stories were less as impressive lately, as well as the big grey Pooka. Even he couldn't resist one of Jack's stories, completely enthralled by his mate's voice.
"See a reason not to?" snorted Aster, half listening as a fire-breathing dragon came into the picture.
"Funny." Snorted North. "First you hate, now adore! Manny work in mysterious ways."
"Shut it ya dill." Huffed Aster. Both jumped as Joy and Hunter squealed, Jack laughing before continuing the story.
"And then the dragon turned into a grumpy old bunny." Said Jack, eyeing Aster mischievously. "But, then the black knight stole away the princess, and left the bunny all alone. Now, the princess LOVED to play tricks, and the evil black knight quickly got tired of the games. So, he sealed the princess up in glass, and hid her where NOBODY could ever find her."
"Where?" asked Joy. "Is a prince gonna rescue her?"
"No!" said Hunter, shaking. "Is she gonna be trapped forever?!"
"Well, she was trapped for a very, VERY long time." Said Jack solemnly. "Nobody even knew she existed after a long, long time. So, she slept in her glass and didn't age a bit. Hundreds of year passed, and the evil black knight was vanquished, but the princess was not found. Eventually everyone stopped looking, except one grumpy old ex-dragon. You see, the grumpy old bunny really loved the princess, even if he wouldn't say it and constantly complained about her. He refused to get even older and die until he found the princess, and searched all over the world for her. As years passed, the little bunny got bigger, and bigger, until he was a GIANT rabbit, more human than bunny. Finally, after three hundred long years of searching, the giant rabbit found a wrecked stone fortress buried in a cold mountain. When he went inside, there was the princess, fast asleep in a block of glass, exactly the same as the day the knight took her. But, try as he might, he couldn't break the glass."
"But they gotta live happily ever after!" said Joy, Hunter nodding in agreement.
"I'm not done." Said Jack. "The bunny couldn't break the glass, and because of that he was very sad, but refused to leave the ruined fortress and the princess. So, the Moon decided to intervene. He turned the glass into ice, and told the bunny that if he could make the sleeping princess fall in love with him, the ice would melt. The farther she fell, the more ice would melt. Every day the Bunny went out into the world, finding rare treasures and beautiful flowers for the princess, telling her about the world and her gifts, and slowly the ice began to melt."
"But she's sleeping." Said Hunter. "How could she fall in love with the bunny?"
"She may have been sleeping, but she could HEAR him." Said Jack. "Every day she heard his stories, and everyday a few cold drops fell from the ice. Finally, only a thin sheet of ice surrounded the princess, but try as the bunny might, he could not get it to melt. The princess could not fall in love with him because, though he brought beautiful gifts and told amazing stories, he had never once said he loved her. So, she stayed in her ice. For years more it continued, until a total of four hundred years passed since her imprisonment. The bunny was slowly beginning to lose hope, and gradually fell silent, instead staying day in and day out with the frozen princess. But, his pride wouldn't let him say those three words that would melt the last of the ice. Sadly, people had heard of the great grey rabbit, holding a beautiful girl in a broken down lair, and came to free the girl. The rabbit, tired of life without his princess, let the villagers kill him, as long as he could die with his princess. And, no longer having the need for pride, he was able to say to the frozen princess, 'I love you'. The villagers ran in terror as the ice cracked, the princess finally free from her prison, but with her love dead at her feet."
"No!" whined the kits, snuggled up in their blankets, staring up at Jack. "The bunny can't die!"
"Let me finish the story." Said Jack. "Once again the Moon appeared, and offered a deal. He would bring back the bunny if the princess traded the form the bunny had fallen in love with. The princess agreed, and the Moon colored her long hair white, her brown eyes blue and her rosy skin pale as death, lips blue and touch cold as ice as the bunny's wounds healed and he opened his eyes, seeing the princess in her new form, bleached of all life to give back his. The princess felt his shiver when she touched his paw, and began to cry. She couldn't touch him, or she'd make him cold. Then the bunny smiled at her and said 'good thing I got all this fur' and pulled her into a hug in the moon light, and they lived happily ever after. The end." Hunter was already asleep on Jack while Joy was nodding off, clapping sleepily at the story.
"Alright ya little ankle biters." Said Aster, entering and picking up Joy and Hunter. "Time to get to bed. North won't come unless both of ya are asleep in bed."
"Night night Mommy." Yawned Joy, snuggling into Aster's fur.
"I'll bring ya some hot cocoa on my way back." He said, kissing Jack's forehead.
"Love you." Sighed Jack, kissing Aster's nose. Aster ignored the snickers coming from the observing North, grinning as a yeti dragged him down to the sleigh port. Aster quickly tucked the kits into bed, and waved as North sped off into the night. As promised, he stopped in the kitchen for Jack's hot cocoa, grabbing some eggnog for himself.
"Oi Snowflake! Got yer-" the Pooka dropped both glasses as he saw Jack's chair vacant. He must have yelled too, because soon Tooth and Sandy were there, a few yetis and Mrs. Clause bringing up the rear.
"Whoa, what's wrong Bunny?!" demanded Tooth, fluttering about. With a gasp she realized Jack was gone. "Where's Jack?!" A window slammed above the fire place, all eyes widening.
"Oh no, no, no." panicked Aster, ears twitching nervously. "His powers tire him out! If he gets into trouble or-MiM forbid the kits come when he's out there, alone-" Sandy slapped him, bringing the sharp Pooka back to his wits. Tooth quickly volunteered to search the rafters of the building, Sandy volunteering for perimeter duty while Aster, Mrs. Clause and the yetis turned the stronghold upside down looking for the winter spirit. Before long the entire building had been combed, Jack nowhere to be found. Tooth came up empty and, after hours of searching, Sandy returned empty handed, sending Aster into a fresh fit of paranoia.
"-the weather is horrible! If he gets attacked by a mangy old wolf he's done for! And the twins?! What happens if he-" Aster fell to the floor, dream sand above his head as Sandy rolled his eyes, pictures flashing above his head.
"Your right." Said Tooth. "Jack probably needs some alone time. He'll be back before we know it."
ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROTG-ROT-ROTG
"Where's Mommy?" asked Joy, looking about the globe room for her absent Mother. North was looking anxious as well, none of the guardians having got much sleep, despite Sandy's best efforts.
"We don't know." Said Aster, hugging both his children. "Don't worry, we'll-" a loud noise came from the halls, the yetis perking up.
"Door bell." Said North. "Who calling on Christmas?!" The group moved to the door, the yetis pulling open the large oak panels. There, vines trembling with cold, was Mother Nature, cradling a sleeping Jack Frost in her vines.
"I believe this is yours, Aster." She said, giving him a look. "Here I was, here to bring those two a little something, when I fond a peculiar little lump in the snow. Who knew seasonal spirits had nesting instincts?" Snuggled up in the blanket Jack had with him the night before were two tiny kits, sleeping peacefully in their Mother's arms. Mother Nature gently handed the three to Aster, who looked at the winter spirit in total shock.
"So THAT where he went!" chuckled North. "Tell Nature, how old kits?"
"Born roughly two am this morning." She said with a nod. "Figures. Easter's kids born on Christmas!" The laughter around him roused Jack, blue eyes fluttering open to see grey fur.
"Hi Kangaroo." He mumbled.
"What the Hell were ya-" began Aster, before feeling one of the kits squirm against him. Both had green eyes and calico patched fur, completely identical.
"You're squishing Emma." Complained Jack, adjusting the kit on the right.
"Where did you go?" asked Tooth, fluttering over Jack as Aster carried him to the globe room, the entourage behind them.
"I just needed to be in the snow. I got the urge and I went, found a comfortable spot and they just came." The kit on the left squeaked, sneezing on Tooth's tail feathers. "Awe, Rose likes you." He cooed, smiling at the little kit. Aster stared at the twins, the yetis fetching a big bassinette and setting it next to the couch Aster laid Jack on. Tenderly Jack settled the kits in the bassinette, letting the newborns grip his fingers in their paws.
"So, you name them?" asked North. Jack pointed to the one on the left.
"Her name is Rose, after my little sister." Said Jack, Rose sneezing cutely while watching Tooth. "And she is Emma." Emma was fast asleep, ear twitching. Joy and Hunter wormed their way up, and looked curiously into the bassinette.
"Who's that Mommy?" asked Hunter, looking at the twins.
"They're yer new sisters." Said Aster.
"Cute…" cooed Joy, until Rose yanked on her ear, making her squeal in shock and the newborn giggle. Hunter smiled.
"I like her already." Joy gave him a sour look while the adults laughed. Soon, though, Hunter and Joy were distracted by gifts. As they ripped open the wrapping on their many presents, Aster and Jack marveled over their twins, Jack snuggling into Aster's fur.
"Sorry I scared you." Murmured Jack. Aster pecked him on the cheek and grinned.
"Bloody Oath ya scared me!" he huffed. "I hate it when ya just vanish! But…"
"Ya wouldn't love me any other way." Giggled Jack in a horrendous Aussie accent.
"Sadly." Teased Aster. "But I can live with it." Jack laughed, kissing his mate on the cheek, the two ignoring the rest of the world for a brief moment, neither seeing the blush on Tooth's face and raging nose bleed Mother Nature was nursing. Sandy sent them a questioning look, and Tooth giggled sheepishly.
"Tumblr, Sandy." She said. "That's all you need to know."