Crimsonwings92: Hahahaha, it's been a month, ah! I know, it took super long, but I lost some of the inspiration again because I felt like I lost some of my readers! That and Tumblr has turned into my new addiction and I go on there to find pictures of Jack Frost for motivation. I think it would be cool if someone drew a picture of a scene from my story and posted it on Tumblr, but I don't have hope for it. Anyway! I'm finally back with the next chapter and I think everyone will be happy with it! The cliffhanger is finally revealed and to all those that thought the voice that called out to Jack was his ex…well, just read on, haha! A big thanks to my last reviewers: TenebrisSagittarius, LightMyBulb, NewLightRiini, a wonderful Guest, Daisy54154, and the lovely XxLuna CosimaxX! You guys made me smile and I'm so honored to have awesome readers like you! So, here you go, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians is a manifestation of Dreamworks and a beautiful one at that!

A Frosty Season

Chapter 9: Cousins

The air in the room was quiet and tense, almost stuffy despite how few people were actually there. Despite the sunlight streaming in through the windows situated strategically throughout, the gray walls cast a somber light and dampened any happy mood that might have been present. The man in the black robe on the stand appeared rather aged from his wrinkling white face, bushy beard, reflective specs and graying hair, but his voice was as strong and compelling as a young public speaker.

"Now let's see here…Case 378: the Rhodes family seeking custody of six year old Malcolm Debbs from his biological mother Ariana Debbs," the judge read the information he was given from the file sitting in front of him, turning to his left, "And Mr. Kozmotis Pitchiner will be representing the Rhodes family, correct?"

Standing beside Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes, the tall imposing figure of a slim man with black hair slicked back and piercing golden eyes nodded accordingly; "That is correct, Your Honor," the man named Kozmotis Pitchiner replied, his soft, smooth voice holding what sounded like the remnants of a British accent.

The judge then turned to his right, "And the Defendant, Ariana Debbs, will be represented by Mr. Cory Anderson, is that correct?"

The redheaded man standing beside a poorly put together Ariana, the woman constantly fidgeting as she continuously scratched at her exposed neck and chest and tugged at her ponytail, nodded his head, "Yes, Your Honor, that is correct."

The judge, known as Basin, cleared his throat and nodded his head as he set the file down and faced forward, "Very well, let this trial begin."

It was here that Maya, who was sitting in the audience with Malcolm, tuned out all conversation and fell back into her own thoughts while the child occupied himself with a simple coloring game on her phone. She saw the judge and she saw the lawyers; she saw her mom and dad and her aunt; she saw the bailiff and even that lady sitting in the corner, typing away silently like they did in those crime shows she liked to watch…but in truth, none of it really registered in her mind. The only thing that she could focus on right at that moment was the white haired, blue eyed boy sitting on her right with his arm leisurely resting on the back of the bench behind her and the black haired, golden eyed boy sitting on her left with his hands stuffed in his blazer pockets as he stared straight ahead with a bored expression evident on his face.

"Hey Jack."

The deep voice that cut through the air around them had both teens turning behind them with curious expressions on their faces. Who they saw standing there had Maya cocking her head to the side in confusion and Jack gasping silently in pleasant shock.

"JayJay! Hey!" the white haired teen greeted happily as he approached the newcomer, clapping his hand on the other male's shoulder in good nature.

It felt as if Maya were looking at Jack's twin; black hair styled almost exactly like Jack's contrasted greatly against that alabaster skin, those dark bangs sweeping over his brow and falling into piercing golden eyes that could freeze you to the spot. He had a strong, prominent jaw, just like Jack did, and had the same lean stature with the promise of well-defined muscles underneath his clothes. His attire was as dark as his physical traits: black jeans and a gray shirt underneath a black blazer with shoes to match. Plain black and yellow bands adorned his wrists and a simple black cord with a shark tooth strung through hung from his neck.

The stranger smirked at Jack's greeting, agitation hidden underneath that mask, "Still holding on to that old nickname, are you?"

Blue eyes glimmered playfully, a teasing smile stretching across his handsome face as he shrugged, "Hey, it's either that or Jackie. Which do you prefer?"

"I prefer my name."

The smile dropped from Jack's face for a moment before it returned, more subdued, "Awe, you're no fun." Then he turned around to Maya, who was still silently standing a few feet away from them and observing their interaction, and waved his hand for her to move closer, "Maya, come over here. I want to introduce you to my cousin."

'Cousin?' the girl thought incredulously to herself as she took the few steps to stand beside Jack, feeling comforted by his arm settling around her shoulders as she stared into those golden eyes that seemed so…cold, 'Cousin…Cousin…Cousin…'

"This is Maya Rhodes, my girlfriend," Jack introduced her proudly, looking down at her with a fond smile fitting itself to his face, "and this is Jackson Pitchiner."

"Jackson…Pitchiner?" she repeated, her eyes lighting up in recognition, "Pitchiner…that's our lawyer's last name. Kozmotis Pitchiner."

"That's my dad," Jackson replied evenly, eyeing the girl with steadily growing interest, "So you're the Rhodes case, huh?"

Maya's curiosity was piqued, as was her worry that he knew about her family history regarding Malcolm and his mother, and she tilted her head to the side again while her brows furrowed together. Jackson noticed her confusion and elaborated, "My dad told me that you and your family are his new case that he's handling. You don't have to worry about me knowing any details; he keeps all of that to himself and only tells me the basics of any case."

Her forehead smoothed back out and she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. However, Jack regarded her with his own bewildered expression and said, "You didn't tell me your lawyer's name was Pitchiner."

"I didn't know until yesterday," Maya answered truthfully, looking to her boyfriend, "I've kept myself busy with Malcolm to avoid having to think about the court case because I hate the idea of a trial, even if it is necessary, but Mom and Dad think it's time for me to at least know the lawyer's name since he'll be representing us soon. I'm actually going to be meeting him on Monday when he goes over with us the things to expect during the trial and the possible outcomes."

"Oh," Jack hummed, smiling encouragingly at the girl as she grinned back and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Maya returned her attention to Jackson, who had been watching them quietly with an unreadable expression on his face, and smiled politely while holding her hand out, "It's nice to meet you, Jackson."

"Uh, that's okay, Maya, he doesn't really-"

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Maya."

"…Shake hands…with anyone."

To say the white haired lad was surprised when his normally aloof and uncaring cousin actually took the time to be a little more than just civil to someone that Jack was associated with would be an understatement. There are many a memory stored away in his mind of Jack introducing his friends to his cold and dark cousin only to have Jackson practically dismiss them with barely so much as a 'hello' in their direction. Handshakes or any kind of physical contact were never exchanged with any of them, not even with the sweetest person. However, Jack was not going to nitpick as long as it meant that his cousin and his girlfriend got along, so he just smiled brightly while the two shook hands and nodded.

"Well, okay then! That's a first, but I'll take it!" he declared, pausing when his phone started ringing and he quickly moved to answer it, "Hey Aster…yeah…we're coming right now."

He hung up soon afterwards and turned to Maya, "That was the Kangaroo. They're waiting for us at the car; we should probably get going now."

She didn't argue and nodded her head, "Right."

"I guess I'll see you around, JayJay! Oh, did you need a ride or something?"

Jackson shook his head and turned his body in the opposite direction of the couple, "No, I have a ride. I came here with a few people I know and we're actually getting ready to leave, too. I'm going to go meet them now. I just wanted to at least say 'hi' since I saw you here."

"Well, isn't that thoughtful?" Jack replied teasingly with that silly grin of his before he turned to start walking with his hand on the small of Maya's back, "See you later then, cousin."

"Bye, Jack."

"It was nice meeting you, Jackson," Maya bid to the black haired boy, her torso turned towards him as she waved, "Maybe I'll see you around, too."

"Nice meeting you, Maya. Maybe," Jackson replied, the last words he spoke before he was lost in the crowds and Jack and Maya made their way towards the parking lot to Aster's car.

That 'maybe' turned out to be a big 'definitely' for within the next two weeks, the teen girl saw more of Jackson Pitchiner than she thought she should see of the cousin that hadn't been present up until then. Apparently, Jackson had been attending a boarding school up until the Friday before Valentine's Day, the boy having grown tired of it long before that and somehow convinced his parents to let him transfer to, really, anywhere else. He was now enrolled in the public school that Jack was attending, which also meant he was spending a lot of time at Jack's house and, through association, a lot of time around Maya. Not that they actually spoke to each other that often…not that they really spoke at all, but he was there.

Hazel eyes glanced at the dark being sitting next to her, appraising his appearance curiously. The resemblance between him and Jack was almost frightening for cousins, Maya thinking on more than one occasion that they were probably twins separated at birth and either didn't want her to know about it or didn't know about it themselves. However, when she compared Jackson to his father, their lawyer, Kozmotis Pitchiner, it would be downright ignorant of her to believe that he wasn't the man's son. That dark hair, that pale skin, those piercing golden eyes; it was all hereditary, as was that cold aloofness, evidently. When Maya finally got to meet Kozmotis, she couldn't help but feel that she was back standing in front of his teenage son, the man giving off an almost unapproachable aura as he spoke and interacted with them in a sort of detached way that made her think of robots.

The girl then began to wonder what Jackson thought as he watched his father in action. From the look of his expression, he wasn't very impressed or maybe, on the contrary, he just didn't have very many expressions to show. She must have been staring for too long for Jackson's yellow eyes suddenly snapped in her direction, catching her curious stare. Maya jumped at the abrupt look and quickly turned forward while a blush burned across her ebony cheeks. The cousin made her a little uncomfortable from time to time and she still couldn't quite grasp the reason why he decided to skip school that day with Jack to sit with her and Malcolm in the courtroom on the first day of the trial, but she welcomed the company and didn't complain. Besides, Jack was still with her and that knowledge warmed her heart as she looked to him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. The white haired boy paused before whipping his head around to face her with his cheeks starting to color themselves pink.

"What was that for?" he whispered with a gentle grin, touching the spot on his skin where her lips had been.

Maya shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, though a playful smile pulled at the corners of her lips, "No real reason, to be honest. Just a thank you for being here today."

Jack's smiled brightened, as did his blush, and he leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against her temple while his lips brushed over the apple of her cheek, "Awe, you make me feel special, Green Eyes."

She giggled at the tender kisses and shook him off before he could start kissing her anywhere else, chancing another glance at Jackson only to freeze momentarily when she was met with a rather intense fixed stare. It felt as though his inquisitive eyes were trying to tear into her soul and read her darkest secrets, the girl ripping her gaze away from his before she forgot how to breathe properly. A sudden squirming in her lap caught her attention, thankfully, and she looked down when Malcolm started whimpering uncomfortably.

"Maya, I have to pee," he whispered to his cousin, fidgeting even more.

"Uh oh," she muttered, taking her phone from the child and sliding it into her purse before placing him on the ground and turning to Jack, "He has to go to the bathroom. I'm going to take him out."

"I'll go with you," Jack replied, moving to stand once Maya had made her way past and looking at his own cousin, "You coming, JayJay?"

"As if I would stay here by myself," was the reply given as the quieter teen got to his feet as well and followed the trio out of the courtroom.

Once the door was closed, Maya took hold of Malcolm's hand before he could start running and went in search of the restrooms with the both Jacksons right behind her. It took them a bit of time, but after asking a security guard they were able to find the bathrooms just as the child was getting impatient.

"Okay, buddy, let's go," the ebony girl said as she made to go through the door of the female bathroom, but a sharp tug on her hand stopped her as Malcolm's face contorted in displeasure.

"No, Maya. That's the girl's bathroom!" he protested, tugging on her hand again.

"I know that, but I can't go with you into the boy's bathroom, Malcolm. Now let's go before you wet yourself," she insisted, trying to coax him along.

The little boy stubbornly shook his head again and stomped his foot, "No, that bathroom is for girls!"

"Malcolm," Maya sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

It was here that the ever sweet Jack stepped in and took Malcolm's hand in his larger one as he addressed his girlfriend, "I'll take him to the restroom, Maya."

"You will?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded decisively and looked at the child, "Come on, little buddy! Let's get you in there before you pee your pants!"

Urging Malcolm along, Jack took him into the men's bathroom and consequently left Maya and Jackson in the hallway by themselves.

Maya had never felt so awkward before in her life.

They were standing a good five feet away from one another, each one taking a space on the wall to harbor as their backs leaned against it. They were silent, one because she didn't know what to say exactly to start a conversation with the usually reserved teen and the other…well, it was hard to tell why the other was quiet. Maya wasn't going to fret too much over it, though; even if it made her uncomfortable, she wasn't one to try and force communication just to fill the void. She figured that if he wanted to speak, then he would feel free to do so.

"…You're weird."

…Well, then…

She fluttered her eyes in slow shock at the muttered sentence, black curls falling over a rounded shoulder as she turned her head to regard her companion with furrowed brows and confusion clearly set on her face; "I'm sorry, what was that?" she questioned, still trying to wrap her head around the words the sounded so very close to an insult.

"I said you're weird." Yeah, definitely an insult. "I thought you were weird the minute you opened your mouth to speak." More of an insult!

Maya's eye twitched, but she refrained from saying anything hurtful in return. Two wrongs don't make a right, right?

"Well, this is a first I'm hearing from you," she replied instead, clasping her hands behind her back as she moved her feet forward a little to slouch a bit against the wall, her head resting back on the plaster, "I was kind of wondering what you actually thought of me; it's nice to know finally. How am I weird?"

"You get too comfortable around people you hardly know," Jackson replied instantly, as if he were waiting for that specific question, "You don't look the least bit bothered that you're stuck out here with your boyfriend's cousin, a stranger in all sense of the word."

'You're right about being strange,' she thought to herself before she shrugged and shook a few loose curls out of her vision, "It's not like they went fishing; Jack will be back soon. Besides, you haven't given me a reason to feel bothered by you."

"Haven't I?"

She stared at him from the corner of her eye before she gave a guilty smile and shuffled her feet again, "Alright, if I'm to be completely honest, I do feel awkward and uncomfortable around you sometimes, but that's because you're always so quiet and your eyes are so sharp and cutting. They're so clear, but it's hard to tell what you're thinking."

"I don't try to be transparent," he retorted.

"Obviously," was her quick reply, one that actually pulled a small smirk from the teen boy.

"You don't stumble much in conversation, do you?" he asked half-jokingly, earning another shrug from the girl that may as well paten it, she was doing it so much.

"I have no reason to stumble. It's not like I'm flustered or anything," she answered, an easy smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "And now that I know how easy it is to hold a conversation with you, I have less reason to stumble."

"But you're being cautious, too, aren't you?"

The smile dropped and curiosity took over her face; she hadn't been expecting that question and felt a little thrown as Jackson's fixed stare burned into her face. His black bangs fell into his golden eyes, shadowing them, making them all the brighter against his white skin. His eyes now held a secretive light as he continued.

"You're carefully choosing your responses quickly so they're both smooth and vague while still holding the mask of truth. I don't doubt your words or what you're saying to me; you're not lying, but you're also keeping some things hidden, too."

"Isn't that what everyone does?"

"Not as flawlessly as you."

A pregnant silence settled over them once more, Maya mulling over Jackson's words and her companion waiting for her response. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders modestly.

"I…never really thought of it that way. That's cool, I guess. Like a superpower I didn't know I had," she stated with a small laugh, subconsciously trying to deter the discussion away from digging too deep into her character traits; she didn't like being analyzed.

Jackson noticed, but pressed a little more on the topic, "Have you ever stumbled in front of someone before?"

Maya blinked as she looked at him, his near expressionless face save for that small smirk playing across his lips, "…I did. Once."

"With who?"

"Jack."

A small chortle as Jackson shook his head, "Why am I not surprised?"

Maya brushed it off, "It really shouldn't be a surprise. We like each other, so of course it was bound to happen at some point, no matter how poised you are."

"What exactly did he say that tripped you up?"

"It's not that he said something. He just asked something I wasn't prepared to have questioned and it threw me off."

"What did he ask you?"

Here, the secretive nature that Jackson said was part of her personality made an appearance as her eyes glimmered and she smiled covertly while shaking her head, "That's between me and my boyfriend."

Well, it was worth a shot. Jackson smirked somewhat darkly as he chuckled lowly and leaned his head back against the wall while closing his eyes.

"Of course it is. You really are weird." Another insult! "But that's not a bad thing for you."

…Not…an insult?

If Maya had a weaker mind, she would have felt like she had just been on a mental roller coaster with this guy who went all the way around between insults and compliments and back to insults only to slide into a final compliment…or what she hoped was a compliment. As it stood, though, she was who she was and just decided to take his last sentence at face value and just accept it. No reason to make things awkward again by asking him to explain himself. What she learned about him so far was that if he wanted to elaborate, then he would.

"Maya."

She turned to him when he said her name, "Yeah?"

Jackson shook his head, black locks flowing loosely about his head, "Nothing, really. I just like your name."

Another thing she's learned so far: Jackson is actually the weird one. She wanted to play with her thoughts a little bit, try and figure out if there were any underlying hints in his words that she should be aware of, but all thought processes regarding their small and strange conversation was cut short when the door to the men's room swung open and Malcolm came barreling out with a happy smile on his face. Jack followed behind him, chuckling as the child ran three circles around Maya and then clung to her legs.

"I was starting to think he had drowned you in there," the girl stated teasingly as she looked at her significant other, her hand on Malcolm's head as he giggled and pressed his face into the skirt of her dress, "Was everything okay? He didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

"Nah, I wouldn't say a hard time, but he was unusually fascinated with the urinals and I had to do a little persuading for him to finish up," the white haired lad replied, looking between his cousin and his girlfriend, "What about with you two? Have any good conversations while I wasn't present?"

Maya laughed lightly and waved her hand, "We actually did have something of a conversation while we were waiting. Jackson was so kind to tell me that he thought I was weird."

"You are weird," Jack teased her, earning a swift smack to his arm from the girl; "I like it, though."

"You love it," she corrected firmly.

"You're right, mistress, I do love it," he mocked her, taking hold of her small fingers and bringing them up to pepper them with kisses before he pulled her close to steal one from her lips.

"Not in front of your cousin," she warned as she leaned back from his tempting kisses.

"Do me a favor, Jackson, and close your eyes," the blue eyed lad requested as he wrapped his arm around Maya's waist and leaned forward for another try.

She dodged it with a stern look, "Not in front of MY cousin, either!"

Jack sighed heavily in mock exasperation at being rejected, but smiled in the next instant before his eyes swept the ground for the toddler. His grin vanished as his brows knitted together and his arms loosened from around Maya's body.

"Um…your cousin's gone," he stated, glancing up at his girlfriend.

Maya blinked once then whipped around as his words registered in her mind, "Malcolm? Malcolm?!"

The child really was gone, but as hazel, blue and golden eyes searched the corridor, the girl caught the sound of his bubbly laughter and looked up the hallway to see the little being just disappear around the corner to the left.

"Wait, Mal-ack! Damn these heels!" she muttered as her foot twisted and she fell over, catching herself on the wall as both Jack and Jackson hovered over her to make sure she was okay, "Last time I try anything higher than an inch and a half."

Just as she got her footing back, with the help of Jack who had knelt down to secure the straps of her heels, a scream echoed through the halls and little Malcolm came running back from around that corner, looking startled with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Malcolm! What's wrong?!" Maya questioned him hurriedly as she ran towards him and scooped him up in her arms, cradling the shaking child against her shoulder, "What's wrong, buddy? What happened?"

A booming laugh shook through them and as the three teens looked up the hallway again, a giant of a man stepped into their view donning a rather impressive gray suit with a long, dark red coat to keep him warm. He looked to be the same size as a bear; twice as tall as they were and three times as wide. The white hair that sprouted from his head ran long and nearly blended right in with his equally long and fluffy white beard. Thick black eyebrows stood out against all the white on his face and sat like fuzzy caterpillars above his shimmering blue eyes.

His boisterous laughter shook through them again as he held his stomach, the deep and rumbling sound seeming to originate right from the core of his gut; "It appears I scare small child. My apologies, beautiful one," he said with a tip of his head towards Maya and Malcolm, his thick Russian accent startling all three teenagers.

"It's uh…It's okay," she responded, patting Malcolm on his back to soothe him while she eyed the giant cautiously, "He's generally afraid of…things that are bigger than him."

The man chortled and nodded his head, "That is not first time someone has told me that. That is how most see me: very big and intimidating. But I show you I am not so bad. I am actually nice guy. Look, little one."

With Maya's coaxing, Malcolm lifted his head towards the stranger just as the giant bent down to be eye level with him. He gazed at Malcolm and lifted his finger patiently while smiling at the toddler playfully before he reached into one of the pockets of his coat and pulled out a blue and green train engine. Just the sight of the toy made Malcolm start to smile. The man then held it in his large palm and wound the toy up with the butterfly dial on the side. He stooped lower and placed it on the ground, the train engine releasing a shrill sound from the little whistle on top of it before it started to move. Malcolm giggled and held his arms out towards the train, Maya setting him on his feet to let him play with it. Even the girl herself had to giggle at how cute it was, Jack staring at it with his own sense of fascination and Jackson merely glancing at it with a small frown, its ability to make Malcolm stop crying the only thing he found useful about it.

"What an adorable toy," Maya commented, giggling as the train rolled between her feet and Malcolm followed after it, the little boy clearly entertained.

"Wait! Here comes best part!" the man exclaimed, his blue eyes shining with the same excitement as a child.

Just as the engine passed through her feet, small plane wings slipped out through a slot on each side of the body of the train and a small rocket engine appeared on the back. The rocket lit itself and a golden red fire burst forth behind the train as it then took to the sky, flying above their heads. Now all three teens were staring at it in wonder, Jackson not able to ignore a flying toy train, while Malcolm shrieked with laughter.

"That's amazing!" Jack gasped, ducking to the side as the train flew close towards his head.

"It's is my newest invention!" the man declared proudly, his fists on his waist.

"You made that thing?" Jackson inquired, his eyes following the path of the toy as it flew at eye level.

"It is exciting new toy that will bring joy and wonder to children all over the world," the giant responded, watching the knickknack go around once more before he held his hand out and the toy landed in his palm again, "It is good, yes?"

"It's good, yes," Maya repeated with a smile, close to taking her words back when the rocket on the back of the train suddenly sparked and then ignited again, sending the toy zooming towards her. If she hadn't ducked, it would have clocked her right in the face, but instead it ended up crashing against an open door and falling to the ground in broken pieces.

Everyone looked at the broken train, then towards the strange man that had an awkward expression on his face before he hummed in the back of his throat and shrugged his shoulders, "Um…still working out kinks."

"That's a big kink to work out," Jackson remarked with his hands in his pockets and his eyes narrowed humorlessly.

The man made a dramatic noise in the back of his throat and shook his head, "It will be okay! The children are not going anywhere!"

Malcolm laughed and hugged his tummy, "Santa Claus is funny."

"Malcolm, that's not nice!" Maya reprimanded him, though she herself was trying to keep from laughing as well, "He's not Santa Claus."

The man interrupted and waved it off, "Is okay, beautiful one. It not first time someone call me that. It actually an accurate description! You see, I own a toy company and my name just so happens to be Nicholas St. North!"

Silence; "…You're joking, right?" Jack asked, earning a hearty laugh in response.

"It would be good joke! But no. Here…my card," North replied as he pulled a small, red card from his suit jacket and handed it to Maya.

The girl took it and read its contents, Jack and Jackson looming closer to read it as well, "Nicholas St. North. CEO of North's Workshop Corporations. Hey, I've heard of this company before. The main building is in the North Pole, isn't it? What are you doing out here in Michigan?"

"I have opened new toy store with the help of an old friend! I will actually be here for the next three months to make sure that it runs smoothly," North responded.

"Ah, sounds like fun," Maya stated, looking down in time to catch Malcolm tugging on North's coat to peer into the large pocket, "Malcolm, stop that! That's rude."

North chuckled as he scooped the child up and held him in his hands, smiling at the innocence staring back at him while Malcolm ran his fingers through his soft, white beard.

"It is quite alright, beautiful one. He is just a curious little explorer. He'll learn new things that way," he commented, laughing happily before handing Maya her cousin back, "Well, I must be going. I am meeting my old friend for lunch and do not want to keep him waiting."

Another tug on his coat and North peered down to see if another child had perhaps found their way to him. It wasn't a child, but he was roughly the same size as one, the rounded little man that barely came up to his knee with golden hair and eyes set upon his pudgy face looking back up at North with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently. The man was so silent, no one even heard or saw him coming which only surprised the three adolescents as they looked at each other in confusion. North just laughed loudly and held his arms out.

"Ah, Sandy! There you are! This saves me trouble of looking for your office," he greeted the stout man who only rolled his eyes and shook his head. North then turned to Maya, "This is the man I open new store with. His name is Samuel Sanderson, but I call him Sandy. He works with the Child Protective Services Division here in the courthouse."

Sanderson smiled at the trio and the child, waving his hand pleasantly in greeting without making a single sound. "He is mute," North answered their unasked questions.

"Oh. Well, I'm Maya and this is my cousin, Malcolm. It's nice to meet you both," she introduced herself finally with a polite smile, giggling when Sanderson bowed his head towards her.

"I'm Jack, pleasure to meet you North, Sanderson," the white haired lad spoke up next.

"I'm Jackson. Charmed," the other cousin spoke last with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, simply nodding his head towards the two men.

Sanderson looked between Jack and Jackson with a raised brow, bringing up two fingers on his right hand and then tapping them once on each side of his nose. The gesture was lost to all in the group except for Maya. She tilted her head to the side with her brow furrowed in thought as she repeated the gesture on her own face. Her eyes then lit up in recognition.

"Twins? Them? No, they're actually cousins," she replied with a smile, "I thought they were twins, too."

The small man perked up when she understood him and made a few more gestures with his hands, pointing to her afterwards.

"A little bit. Still kind of learning," she replied flawlessly again.

"Rimskikorsikov! You know Sign Language, beautiful one?" North asked suddenly.

"Is that what that was?" Jack followed up, standing beside his girlfriend.

Had Maya been any lighter, the blush on her cheeks would have been very apparent, "I know a little bit, enough to understand what Mr. Sanderson is saying. I took a college class last summer; it was pretty fun."

Sanderson waved his hand at her, rubbed his open palm over his heart, then made a few more gestures with a warm smile on his face. Maya blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"What did he say?"

"He said 'Please, Sandy is just fine'. I guess he doesn't want me to call him Mr. Sanderson."

The little man nodded in confirmation, then stepped forward to take her hand in his and shake it slowly, the smile never leaving his face. It was so contagious that Maya ended up smiling as well, laughing sweetly even after he released her hand. North beamed around at everyone before putting his hand on Sandy's shoulder.

"We must be going, my friend. You only have so long for your lunch break," he reminded him, earning a nod before he turned to the four children, "It was great fun meeting all of you! Let's not let this be last time! Stop by the store if you ever get a chance! You're never too old to play with toys!"

He waved one last time at the young people, Sanderson bowing his head again, before both older men turned to make their leave. The three teens and one child watched until they disappeared down the corridor, leaving behind a remarkable impression of themselves as well as a tantalizing aura that still made Maya tremble with the remnants of excitement.

"Well, that was fun," she stated, looking towards her two companions, "Not every day you meet a toymaker and a mute that speaks sign language."

"True," Jack agreed, placing his hand on her shoulder, "but we should probably head back now. Today is only the first day for the trial, so it probably won't last that long."

She knew he was right, so Maya just nodded, took hold of Malcolm's hand before the child could run off and attract more strangers, and the four of them made their way back to the courtroom.

%&%&%&%&%

In the end, true to Jack's prediction, nothing was really accomplished that day at the courthouse. Even though Kozmotis tried to start prosecuting Ariana to get custody of Malcolm as quickly as possible, her lawyer requested from the judge that they allow at least thirty days for the woman to prove that she was capable of taking care of her child, stating that she had fallen on hard times- lost her job, her home, suffered through a terrible break up with an abusive boyfriend and was still a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser- when she was suddenly blindsided by the Rhodes declaring to want to take Malcolm from her. He stated that she had lost her mind momentarily and had gone on an emotional rampage the day she broke into Annie Rhodes' home and attacked Maya, all in an attempt to get the one thing she loved most back. The girl herself had been ready to jump up and retaliate at such a ridiculous plea, but was refrained from doing so by Jack who advised her to keep a cool head lest it jeopardize their cause. Thankfully, the judge didn't allow the thirty day grace period like Cory Anderson had wanted, but he did allow Ariana two weeks to pull herself together before she came before the judge again.

Maya wasn't happy with the decision, but that didn't mean the trial was over yet. She knew her aunt well enough to feel confident that there was no way she was going to whip herself into shape in time to look presentable in court again. She wasn't a 'recovering' alcoholic and drug abuser; from the glazed look in her eye and the way she kept scratching her neck, she had barely gone a day without that stuff. They all left the courthouse together and headed for Maya's grandmother's house after the judge's free grace for Ariana, the Rhodes in one car, Jack and Jackson in the other. Mr. Rhodes pulled into the driveway while Jack parked his car on the street. Maya made her way over to him while her family piled into the house, waving their farewells to the white haired boy as they went. He waved back before turning his blue eyes to his precious girl; the expression on her face told him she wasn't very happy with the proceedings of the day and he smiled gently as he cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Don't be so upset yet, Maya. It's only the first day," he comforted her, bringing her in for a warm hug.

She took a deep breath and sighed through her nose while she hugged him back, "I know. I just hate her."

"You don't hate her."

"If she got hit by a bus, I'd be the last person to do anything about it."

"That doesn't mean you hate her," Jack reprimanded, pulling back to peer down at her face with amusement flashing in her eyes, "What you do hate is the idea that Malcolm will have to go back to her. You don't want that for him, nobody wants that for him, but everything will be okay, Maya. Trust me?"

His hand slid back up to rest on her cheek as he smiled encouragingly at her, his eyes sparkling with his promise. She smiled in return and wrapped her fingers around his wrist as she leaned into his hand, the cold temperature comforting to her frazzled mind.

"Always," she whispered, leaning up to feel his lips against hers again, "Why are you this wonderful to me?"

Jack chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair, "Because you deserve it." She giggled as he pressed his forehead against hers and held her close with his arms around her waist. A sigh soon slipped through his lips and a small frown adorned his features.

"Unfortunately, now, I have to get going. Jackson and I have to go and see if we can get our homework and notes from our classmates from today and then I have to take him home," he explained as he looked down at her curious eyes, his pale fingers pushing a lock of curly hair behind her ear, "I wish I could stay…"

"You know I wish you could stay, too, but school is important and we both need to keep up. So get going, Frostbite, and get your homework. I'll text you later tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah. One for the road?"

"I'll do better than one."

Jack blinked as he was pulled down by his girlfriend, her arms wounding around his neck as she kissed him deeply. Her tongue slipped inside and tangled with his heatedly, making him blush from the force of the kiss, but he soon reciprocated, gripped her hips, and playfully fought back. After some time, they finally released one another as they panted for air. Maya tilted her head and grazed her lips over his cheek one last time before pulling back from him and smiling.

"Later, Frostbite."

"Until tonight, Green Eyes."

Her eyes were bright as she gazed at the beautiful boy who whole heartedly embraced her before she chuckled slightly, waved then turned to run into the house to escape the cold. Jack watched her until she was gone before sighing dreamily and then hopping into his car where his cousin sat quietly. He pulled away from the curb and onto the street again, both boys silent the entire way to the public school. Jack, who would usually try to engage his cousin into some form of a conversation by either asking him question after question or teasing him, hardly even noticed the silence in the car as he allowed his thoughts to be consumed by those of Maya. Jackson watched him out of the corner of his eye, feeling almost disgusted that that lovesick smile on the blue eyed boy's face could actually be brought on by a simple, weird girl.

They soon came up to the school and Jack parked in the student parking lot, shutting the car off immediately afterward; "Alright, let's see who we can beg to lend us their notes for the night," he said jokingly, unbuckling his seatbelt and preparing to jump out.

"I have a question for you."

Jack stopped at the other male's voice, his hand still on the door handle, and turned to lock his gaze with Jackson's. The golden eyed boy just stared at him, waiting for Jack to tell him to continue.

"Um…okay. What is it?"

"…Are you purposely ignoring the fact that after this trial is over, whatever the outcome may be at the end, Maya will be leaving you?"

Silence once again as a cold wind passed between them. Jackson wasn't fazed at all by the bluntness of his question, but Jack couldn't stop the sinking feeling in his chest. He narrowed his eyes slightly and tightened his grip on the door handle.

"I'm not ignoring anything, Jackson," he answered evenly, looking down at the steering wheel, "I just refuse to dwell on it. Besides, there's still a chance that she and her family will decide to stay in Michigan."

"You know she won't."

"Maybe she will."

"But you know she won't," Jackson insisted.

Jack jerked his head up, "And what exactly do you know about what she will and won't do, huh? You've only known her for two weeks and you've barely talked to her in that time span."

"Just because I haven't spoken with her excessively doesn't mean I don't pay attention. She hates it here, it's obvious to anyone with eyes."

"She doesn't hate it here, Jackson."

"If it's not California, she doesn't want to be there. Her heart is set on going back to that place and you know it."

Jack's hands trembled as he clenched them into fists, his knuckles turning whiter around the handle, "Why are you asking me about this now?"

Jackson blinked and shrugged nonchalantly, "I was just wondering why you're so faithful to a girl who will hop on the next plane back to California once this is all over and find herself a new boyfriend without thinking twice about you."

"She would never be so heartless to do that to me!" Jack retorted angrily, though the fear and pain was evident in his eyes, "She would never just carelessly throw me away like that. She's not like that…she would never do that."

"I'm faithful to Maya…because she means the world to me. She's my everything and I would rather get hit by a train before I do anything to hurt her," Jack answered his cousin's other question, "I will always remain faithful as long as she wants me."

"And how do you know that she's being as faithful as you are?" Jackson pressed more, hitting all the pressure points.

"…Because I know my Maya," the boy whispered with warmth in his every word, a smile stretching across his lips, "As wise as she is, she's still too innocent and naïve to even think about cheating. I would never do that to her and she would never do that to me."

"Even if someone else were to try and persuade her first?"

"Even then."

Jackson, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, began to get angry and clicked his tongue irritably, "I think you're a fool for believing that a girl would be that faithful, that innocent. I doubt there are many girls like that."

Jack chuckled and shook his head, "I doubt there are many girls like that, too, but I found one of the few who is."

Golden eyes narrowed challengingly, "She's not that special, Jack."

Blue eyes met that gaze evenly, "Pay a little more attention and you'll see that she is."

With those as his last words, Jack got out of the car and headed towards the school building while Jackson watched him go for a minute. The silence was now ringing in his ears and he could hear the blood in his veins bumping in time to his heartbeat. He stared into space for a long moment before he started seeing her face over and over again; her bright smile, her pretty hazel green eyes, her soft expressions.

"Maya."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, really. I just like your name."

Jackson narrowed his eyes, "She's not that special…she's just weird."

End Chapter

Crimsonwings92: Ooohhhh, the plot thickens…I guess. I liked this one! It was fun incorporating North and Sandman and oh god! Pitch Black! I can definitely see him as a lawyer! And Nightmare Jack or Jack Black or whatever the fandom calls it! That was fun, too. Hahaha. Hope you enjoyed the read and please leave reviews! They keep me happy, haha. Ciao for now, lovelies!