A/N: I watched the Rise of the Guardians again last night, looking for some more inspiration here and there along the way. Anyways, this story begins around Christmas, so there is practically several months before the events of the movie.I will, however, try to add some Guardian-ness here and there, since I know that's what all o' ye been waiting for! And now, for the next chapter in which...

Chapter Three

In which having tremendously high IQ does not necessarily mean that you can score a job

"Look out!" Fia's yell echoed throughout the forest as she pulled MJ with all her might away from the falling debris. The large stone structure had exploded with tremendous force, large pieces of it smashing into the still fighting masses at its base. Fia ignored the massacre that was strewn before her eyes and pulled her heavily wounded friend on her shoulders. She had to get to the brush as soon as possible and heal what she could.

"We...we must hunt those who have fallen." MJ said as she removed her tinted glasses and wiped the sweat and dirt from her face. There was a large bloody gash in her abdominal area that she was clutching with her other hand.

Fia did not say anything as she pulled at MJ's hand and took a good look at the ugly looking bleeding gash. She had no idea how MJ could still hold herself conscious let alone alive with that thing ripping through her side. With a growl, the blonde placed her spear on the ground and concentrated on the natural energies that were both within and surrounding her. With a powerful primal surge, the horrid gash began to close and her friend breathed a little easier.

The Blonde tucked a stray golden lock behind her ear and grinned like a Cheshire at her resting friend.

"Come on MJ, the bastards are heading for mid and we can't have that dumb Ryze too unprepared." Fia lowered herself even further into the brush as she heard someone stumbling through the jungle. Her eyes widened in excitement as her muscles tensed in preparation.

MJ knew the signs well enough and she readjusted her position from a sitting to a crouching one, a silver bolt into her crossbow already placed.

"On the prowl." the murmur was both so soft and quiet and yet is reverberated through MJ's chest as her friend morphed into a viscious looking cougar.

The large cat used what spare seconds they had till contact with whatever was heading their way to rub into MJ in a show of affection and then prepared to pounce. MJ readjusted her red-tinted glasses and readied herself.

The two of them weren't really that ready for an enemy attack, but there was little choice. The closest turret was too far away for them to reach it in this state and the sheer fact that Fia had turned to her cougar form suggested she was surrepticiously low on mana.

Fia's ears perked up as whoever was approaching got nearer. She could hear the distressed huffs of the person's erratic breathing pattern. It was Ryze, a look of pure terror on his face.

"Run." he rasped out.

It was too late. A swift, swooshing sound and then spikes pierced through the Rogue Mage's body. His face was distorted in a silent scream as he fell in a dead bloodied heap on the ground.

MJ tumbled out of the way as a giant grotesque insect swooped down upon them. Fia pounced on him almost immediately as her friend fired bolt after bolt. Claws fought with scythe-like appendages in a viscious battle for survival. It was a futile battle but at least Fia hoped MJ would be fast enough to kill Kha'zix before the both of them fell to his spikes and scythes.

The creature threw her off in this moment of distraction and she hit a tree with a sickening was it. That would be the end and they'd lose the second turret. The entire operation was a failure from the start. The large cat closed her eyes and her ears were flat against her skull as she prepared for the inevitable end.

There was a loud, deafening screech and Fia felt some sort of warm liquid drip over her. She tentively opened her eyes and saw the insect pinned to the tree via her very own javelin. Large eyes followed the other end of her javelin to see MJ still holding it tightly, pushing through Kha'zix' skull and into the tree. Fia pulled away awkwardly and then morphed back into her human form. She had several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Breathing was hard and painful, but at least neither of her lungs was punctured. For now.

With effort she gathered some of the surrounding natural energies to heal herself as best as she was capable of at the moment. She felt winded even after the spell and her legs' muscles were trembling with the effort to keep her standing,

"We need to get back to base. Neither of us is in any condition to continue and you are barely on your feet." MJ said as she placed a silver bolt in her crossbow. "I can head back to the turret and wait for you."

Fia merely nodded, not really having the strength to talk. MJ pulled the spear out of the tree and the dead insect's head, further spilling that icky goo. She handed it to Fia who inspected the javelin and then swiftly left the brush, leaving her support alone.

The Beastial Huntress sighed and then grimaced at the disgusting goo that was all over her spear and, of course, upon herself. She might as well head over to the river to clean it up while she waited for her summoner to take her back to base. Things were pretty quiet in the jungle so it seemed a safe enough idea. A bath in the river always seemed to soothe her nerves and she definitely needed some soothing after this close encounter with the viscious Kha'zix. In her opinion he was even worse than Rengar, who was known as an avid hunter. At least the lion was somewhat deliciously ripped, tall and masculine in everyway possible.

She hated insects with a passion, though she did have a soft spot for Kog'maw whenever he sprouted those beautiful Monarch wings. With another sigh and with all of her meager clothing taken off, she slipped into the cool waters of the river, in a secluded and covered with brush area. An irritated scowl marred her features. Apparently one of the enemy champions had managed to breach their northen defences and now her Summoner had to take their bloody time to get her back to a base that's already compromised.

Was there no time for rest at all? Fia scoffed and submerged herself in the cool waters. The cleansing feeling of the river against her skin felt wonderful and once she popped her head above the surface she took her time to stare at how intricate the tattoos upon her skin looked. There was really nary a difference from herself and Nidalee, save for her golden locks, and probably her eyes and she also found her surroundings to be quite indulging with how real everything looked. Pines and shrubbs that were more at home with very different from each other climates, tall muddy river banks that were actually dangerous to just decide to pass through. In the middle the river itself was rather deep, probably a little over two meters. The current was slow and there was some sort of kelp on the bottom.

Fia's breath hitched as she felt something of a presence behind her. There wasn't a sound nor any movement to indicate it, just the intense feeling of being watched. A futile attempt was made to cover her rather large breasts with her arms as she carefully looked about her. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it in her ears and she felt it hard to swallow. Had it been MJ, she would've popped out by now. And none of the other allied champions seemed to be perverts. Aatrox was more interested in constant battles, Riven probably didn't swing that way and Ryze was still dead and at the base.

Perhaps it was some wild animal and not an enemy champion? She really couldn't discern anything save the feeling of paranoia that oh so suddenly overwhelmed her. Whatever it was, it was a good idea to get the hell out of the river and make a wild dash with whatever almost non-existent vigor she was left with.

She turned around only to find herself face to face with a nightmare. Her breath hitched as he dragged her back in the river with one swift motion.

"Hahahaha! Darkness!"

Her world went black as she felt one hand on her neck and the other sliding down her abdomen.

The transition from dreaming to being awake was as sudden as it was gradual and Fia had to blink several times before she realized she was back in her bed and not spending nonconsentual sexy time with Nocturne, the Eternal Nightmare, within the Summoner's Rift, in a rather lucid League of Legends induced dream. She puffed out a breath that was both filled with relief and frustration. Fia rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock on her bedside table. It read 4:30 am and it was still completely pitch black outside.

The Darkness is closing in...it's pitch black now...but I can still see him...(A/N: quote about Nocturne taken from LoL wiki.)

Fia shuddered slightly and rubbed her arms to get rid of this superficial chill that ran through her. At least she wasn't too off of her usual wake up time, which was more or less 5:00 am. She threw off the covers from herself and hopped out of her bed. She needed a shower to release the tention she felt left over from the dream she just had. She went out in the corridor and saw that MJ's room's light was off. She hadn't returned from her shift at the bar then.

Fia sighed as she stepped into the bathroom. She traced her neck carefully with her fingers, idly imagining Nocturne's hand upon her neck once more. Her thoughts lingered on his other touches for a moment before she concentrated yet again on her bath.

Perhaps she felt rather lonely and lacking a man's touch. It was about time, she reasoned, to settle down and have children. That was what her biological clock was telling her. And she wanted to get some and not be thrown out on the next day. She refused to be stabbed in the back. She was still young and she had time, plus she was beautiful and smart and she knew if she put her mind to it, she could be quite successful. After all, wasn't Leo successful already?

That thought came almost as unbidden as the slight twitch went through her body, almost as if shocked by static or something like that. Leo was a sore topic for many reasons. She wondered if he had gotten any better with Rose than he had been with her. The blonde hit the tiled wall and growled with sheer frustration and rage at her own weakness. She hated getting up earlier than usual, even if it was not by much. The night always gave way to the nasty, spiteful side of her mind and it was harder to reign in her desire to just scream and destroy everything in her path. She hadn't gotten that low, nor will she ever get so low as to lose her temper to such an extent.

The shower was shorter than she anticipated as she just wanted to get her hands on something and just do...something. Once dressed she headed for the kitchen where she visciously beat a bunch of eggs in a wee bit too early preparation for breakfast. Once MJ gets home she'd sleep through the morning and well beyond noon. Then she'd have the day off and the next day she'd have a normal shift till midnight after which she'd get home. It was a routine she had quickly gotten into soon after they had rented this house. It was a two-story building with a front and back yard that would hold various herbs and plants as soon as spring settled in.

Despite her own problems that reared their head every now and then, like tonight, or rather early this morning, Fia felt as if she had a lot to look forward to. It was late January, almost a month spent in this alternate world and there was at least some success on their little hunting agenda.

Flashback

MJ was tired but at least she knew the job was a keeper. She was efficient and her ingrained dexterity allowed her to work the bottles, glasses and various coctails and drinks with ease. Her boss was impressed with her diligent hard-working nature and she was also pretty, so that was always a bonus for the generous tips the clientelle left her. Working as a barwoman in one of the few bars in Burgess was a well paying job.

Still, MJ was tired and she wanted to go to bed. However that notion suddenly seemed impossible as the smell of freshly baked cookies penetrated her nostrils.

"Fia, what are you doing? We don't exactly have the money to waste on you baking to your heart's delight!" MJ chasticed, even though her eyes were hard glued to the infamous Grandma Johnson's cookie specials.

"Pft, I'm making these for Santa Claus, in case he gets hungry."

MJ actually had to process what her blond friend had exclaimed so cheerfully. No matter what the two of them went through and how well she knew Fia, there were always times in which MJ ended up stunned speechless for one reason or the other. This occasion was no different, but the particularities involved being overwhelmed by the sheer amounts of stupidity and incredulity that were contained within the statement. MJ's brain just had to do a quick reboot.

She blinked.

"Care to repeat that?"

"I'm making cookies for Santa Claus? Grandma's special if you don't recognize them. I think the occasion is special enough."

"You do realize that even if he does come by our region, he'd have no reason to pass by our house because we're not children."MJ looked at Fia's wide-eyed expression and she just had to contradict herself." Well, mostly not children. And I bet we'd never be on either his nice or naughty list, because we didn't exist here when we were children, and that is, of course, assuming Santa Claus a.k.a. Nicholas St. North, is actually real."

Fia still had that expression on her face, as if whatever MJ had told her simply passed by her brain.

"Ugh, fine, Fiona. Make your cookies, but just don't bother me in the morning when they've been left untouched." MJ cut her tirade only to notice socks attached to the fireplace."Holy Mother of Jesus Christ, you actually got bloody socks on the fireplace." she breathed out in greater disbelief, one hand finding itself on her forehead. "This is so childish and stupid, I have no more words for this."

MJ rolled her eyes and stomped her way upstairs to her room. In the morning however, she was just as incredulous and speechless as she had been the night before.

It was rather simple. The cookies were gone, no crumbs left, in fact. The milk had been drunk dry, and MJ had a bunch of various candy in her sock, while Fia's held a small piece of charcoal.

Naturally, MJ's first reaction after her shock wore out was to laugh out loud at Fia's small piece of charcoal. It was just so utterly ridiculous, looking at her blond friend's smug and downright sinisterly satisfied expression as she held the sock in one hand and the charcoal in the other.

"You're actually on his naughty list!"she stated while unwrapping a piece of chocolate candy to enjoy.

"Well, I don't think either of us are on any list, unless there is a pair of alternate us-es existing somewhere on this planet." Fia explained diligently while she marveled her little piece of charcoal.

"Then how do you explain the charcoal?"

"Simple, I left two notes by the tray with cookies. One had the recipe while the other was a personal message to dear old North. In Russian."

"Somehow I am utterly certain that the message was either lewd and perverted, or pervertedly forward and lewd."

"Your guess is correct, though I will not repeat what I've written, since it's not for the ears of polite company."

"Because I've totally never heard a swear or anything innuendo-like in my entire, if meager, life." MJ's voice dripped with glorious sarcasm.

"I suspect he probably thought you wrote the recipe and the suggestive note had been my doing."

What really happened:

Burgess looked wonderfully chilly and calm with the amounts of pristinely white, puffy snow that covered everything, from roof to car, from garden to the asphalt on the streets. Jack Frost had really outdone himself this year, Nicholas St. North thought, as his sleigh skipped across the starry night sky. He was almost done delivering the presents for all the nice children in town when the scent of freshly baked cookies hit his sensitive nose.

North nearly turned over the sleigh in his eagerness to taste the wondrously smelling pieces of heaven. Going through the chimney was as easy as ever and his first action once he got inside the house was to look around. The living room was recently and modestly decorated. Obviously whoever lived here had moved in recently. He noticed the socks on the fireplace, one designated for a Fiona and the other for someone named Michael. Strangely enough, something that never happened in fact, he could not put a face to the names.

"Kak eto stranno." North mumbled in Russian. How Strange.

He needed to investigate. Perhaps his memory was failing him with time? No, that couldn't be it. North wen't quietly upstairs and took a peak in both of the occupied bedrooms. At first he had thought that these were the socks of a young married couple but what he saw confused him further. Fiona was a blonde young woman, and Michael, or rather Michelle, was a pale, dark haired girl that was napping just as quietly. He had no idea who they were and they were neighter on his Nice nor Naughty list.

"Niet, pravda eto stranno!"he exclaimed again, scratching one bushy dark eyebrow. No, this is really strange.

He'd get to the bottom of this, sooner or later. Perhaps when he got back to the North Pole he would check the lists. It just wasn't possible NOT to have people on either list.

But first... there were cookies and milk to take care of. The cookies stood no chance before his mighty sweet tooth. Until he noticed the two notes left by the cookies. One was a recipe and the other...

North left with the worst blush he's had in twenty years. The last time he'd been so embarrassed was when he accidentally dropped off through a chimney and nearly into a bundled heap of arms and legs that was a young, recently married couple that was busy getting more intimate with each other.

He just had to leave a charcoal for good measure.

Back to Flashback:

"Why would he think I wrote the recipe? I can't cook to save my life!"

"Maybe because it was written with your handwriting and with a different pen?"

MJ rolled her eyes. Of course Fia would conduct some sort of crazy pseudo-experiment. She sighed. People say that the idle mind is the devil's playground. MJ would gladly add that a pervert's mind is never idle. She wondered which of the statements was worse. It was a tough decision.

"At least now we know we're actually in the movie. This is beyond ridiculous, though. I just can't wrap my mind around it." MJ stated.

"I know, right? It's like you're seeing but you're still working on believing, when you have to believe in order to see, but the problem is you know they are real even if it's ridiculously impossible, so you neither can see nor believe, and yet you know you can see since you believe, because one has no choice but to trust fact. Kinda like electrons."

MJ blinked. She got the gist of what Fia was trying to say but...

"Your logic always seems to astound me with its...brilliance."MJ said drily.

"Why thank you MJ!"

"That was sarcasm."

"Aww. Why are you so mean to me?"

MJ shook her head.

End of Flashback:

It was around 6:00am that MJ came home. She greeted Fia politely and had breakfast with her before heading to her bed. Fia's eyes lingered on MJ's door. She was happy that at least MJ had gotten a job. She hadn't found anything suitable for herself yet, but she was hopeful she'd find something soon. After all, she was crafty and resourceful, and there were always things to do when one was crafty and resourceful.