Hey guys! I meant to post last week, but some stuff came up with this college survey thing and it ended up taking up more of my time than I expected it to. It's also a little on the shorter side for me(Oh, it's only like four thousand words! How could you drop the ball like that, Lumi?!), but I have a feeling there won't be many complaints once y'all read it, because I made sure it was interesting.

I also have an interview for said college thingy this weekend, so I will try for next Friday to update, but I can't make any guarantees. Actually, I'm trying to give myself an update schedule of Friday-Saturday to make sure I stay on track, but we'll see how well that pans out.

On to reviews!

MoonGirl1155- Haha, I'm glad you love it, and I decided they deserved some nice fluff to start this sucker off with. Who knows when they'll get it again, because I can change my mind in a second, and decide to change everything. Oh, and I would like to know how you were able to guess that, because you were pretty much spot on, and THAT'S NOT FAIR. I feel like you guess what's going on before I even know.

sassysaw- Yay, thank you, and I bet you like this one even better, because things actually happen!

KikaKatTIOI- YES, I'M BACK. And yes, a bo staff, it seemed to e the weapon that fit her best, since I set up her character to be better with defense than offense(and there miiight be some Donnie refs in there, it's just going to take me a while to get to them). And that phone was just wishful thinking, because, at the time I was whining because mine was about to die, and I had a random thought over how nuclear batteries can last years at a time without needing charge, but I tacked on solar recharging to make it seem more fantastical and surreal(since North can apparently make ice change like a Transformer, then fly, this shouldn't be too hard). AND YES, DICK GRAYSON, THE BEST SUPERHERO THAT EVER LIVED, ALONG WITH ARTEMIS.(Also, what Aladdin quote? If it was there, I didn't do it on purpose)

WhovianNightFury1- Thank you, though I promise I didn't start like this, it just takes practice. But don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this story, I love my characters far too much!(I assume you've read Cold Insanity) I'm just getting started!

The heavy cedar doors creaked open, and the shrill chime of the mounted sleigh bells rang out.

"After you." Jack smirked, holding open the door.

Willow gave him a curious look, but said nothing as she stepped inside.

Warmth greeted her as soon as she stepped through the doorway, chasing away the light chill of the near blizzard outside. The ever-present smell of the spice of gingerbread danced in the air, peppermint and cinnamon mixed into the jovial perfume.

Her footfalls made no sound as she walked through the arcing hallways, Jack close behind. Only the fireplace in the Hearth Room had any sort of fire lit, the only other light coming from the soft glow of the green Christmas lights.

"Right." he said softly when she came to a split hallway, reaching forward and taking her hand. This hallways was quite short, and she couldn't recall having ever seen it before. The door at the end was rather plain compared to the other ornate decorations within the Shop, merely embellished with gold painted trim, the large brass knob shining brightly.

Willow glanced at Jack, but his clear blue eyes betrayed nothing. She reached forward and twisted the knob, the door swinging open effortlessly.

(*)

For a long moment, she merely stared forward blankly, not quite comprehending what was happening.

All of the Guardians' eyes were on her, as well as several other pairs she didn't recognize.

"What's going on?" she finally managed, her skin heating up at being put on the spot.

"Oh, did you really think we would forget your birthday, sweetie?!" Tooth exclaimed, flitting around excitedly. What looked to be a vast majority of the little Tooth Fairies, were hovering around the room as well, the low, constant hum of their wings and little chirping voices creating soft background noise. So many, in fact, Willow wondered who was collecting the teeth.

"Ah, of course not!" North's booming voice said, his accent rolling the r's. "We spend many days making big surprise party for you! Cue music!"

All of a sudden, a loud orchestra started playing 'Happy Birthday' at North's command, the melody exaggerated and almost overly complex in the midst on everyone's disjointed voices singing.

Jack's arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close and grinning down at her, singing as well. She hadn't ever heard him sing before, and was a bit surprised at how melodic his tenor was. It could use some work, in her opinion, but she found it rather pleasant.

"Seriously? You guys didn't have to make such a big deal over this, it's not as if I'm aging anymore." she said, and Jack couldn't help but notice a shift in her tone, but couldn't quite pinpoint what is was.

"Oh no, this gave us the perfect excuse to celebrate!" Tooth exclaimed. "It's just been to tense lately, everybody just needed a break."

Willow couldn't really argue with that, though she was none too pleased that she would be the center of attention.

"C'mon," Jack urged. "I'm sure there's plenty of people who want to meet you."

"Meet me? They know me?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"Lass, word tends to get around when a Guardian finds his mate." Bunny said, coming up to them. "Pretty much everyone here knows who you are." His bright green eyes glanced around. "Uh, though, most of them don't know that you're not a Spirit. Man in the Moon told North to keep the Creatures under wraps."

"Really? Why?" Willow asked.

The rabbit shrugged. "He didn't say, but it must be for a good reason. Thought you should know, so play along if they call you a Spirit."

Willow nodded, but didn't get to say much else before a scratchy hand gripped her shoulder. Bunny glanced behind her in distaste and stepped back into the crowd.

"Hello, dear girl, it's lovely to meet you!" a ridiculously deep, husky voice rumbled.

Willow turned to see a rather large mass of course, brown fur behind her. "Hello? Might I ask who you are?" she questioned with a wary glance. It did not escape her notice how Jack's hand at her waist seemed to grow rigid.

"Oh, silly me, where are my manners?! I am the Groundhog." the burly Spirit said, removing his hand from her shoulder and reaching down to shake her hand.

"Er, nice to meet you?" she said. Her lack of socializing when she was in school was not doing her any favors at the moment. She had talked to exactly one person, and was already overwhelmed by the amount of people present.

"Oh yes, it's lovely to meet a new Spirit! And another human, too! I see you have wings, as well! What did you do as a human? Did you study insects? Did they have wings like that? Can you fly?" The questions came one after another, and Willow wasn't sure how to even answer half of them.

"Uhm, no, I didn't study insects, I didn't really do all that much." she answered, acutely aware of how feeble her answer sounded.

"Oh, so this was all on Manny! You tricky devil you!" The Groundhog laughed at the ceiling as though they were sharing a private joke. "It's not the first time, Toothiana's feathers seemed out of the blue, too! But he know what he's doing!"

Finally, Jack spoke up. "Sorry, Groundhog, but I think there's other people who'd like to talk. See you around!" he guided them away.

"Well, he's certainly… ardent." Willow commented, not sure she understood half of the things that came from his mouth during the brief conversation.

"Yeah, just a little. Bunny can't stand him." Jack chuckled. The Groundhog couldn't shut up to save his own life, grating the nerves of the Pooka in no time at all.

"I really don't blame him, I would trade anything to be deaf if I was trapped with him." Willow said, and Jack laughed.

"Most would. Let's see if we can find someone a little less energetic."

They edged around the crowd for a few minutes, before Jack spotted Sandy. The little man grinned at them and drifted over, a cluster of candles taking shape on sand.

Willow smiled, having learned how to somewhat communicate with the stout Guardian. "Thanks, Sandy."

"Hey Sandy, you seen Lucky around? I bet Lady's with her." Jack asked. Sandy pointed toward a table covered in more cookies than a bakery, as well as several large bowls of, what looked like, eggnog. "Thanks!"

"Who are Lady and Lucky?" Willow asked as Jack led her through the crowd.

"Lady Luck and the Leprechaun. They're actually fraternal twins, so their power is split between the two of them, but they look and act completely different." he explained.

"Jack!" called a high pitched female voice. A short woman with a flaming mess of curly hair, fair freckled skin and very light green eyes pushed her way towards them. Not far behind was a taller woman with long, straight brown hair, her skin a deep tan. The only thing that matched was her eyes.

"Hey, Lucky." Jack greeted the ginger. "Haven't seen you in a while. Longer since I've seen you, Lady."

"Yeah, it's been a good four or five years." The brunette agreed. Both sisters shifted their attention to Willow.

"So you're Jack's girlfriend?" Lucky giggled, bringing a blush to Willow's face. "He sure did find a pretty one."

Willow didn't answer, only dipping her head to hide the fluorescent red that had lit up her face.

Not that it worked. "What happened here?" Lady asked, reaching forward and running her finger along the thin scar of her cheek.

Willow's hand unconsciously moved to cover the scar, her blush fading. "Nothing. It was just an accident."

It was very clear neither sister believed her, but they got the hint she didn't want to talk about it.

"So, I hear you turn eighteen today." Lucky said, trying to get rid of the tension. Willow nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so. Not sure it means much anymore, but it's really sweet everyone came to celebrate." she answered.

"You're not really one for all these big parties, are you?" Lady said, not really asking. Willow simply shook her head.

"Then I guess you two'll get along really well." Lucky said, smiling at them. "Lady's really quiet and usually keeps to herself, and sometimes it's like she's not there." she giggled

"Right, because Lucky here usually can't keep quiet to save her own immortal life, and is always the center of attention." Lady said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" the shorter twin protested.

"Are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"

"No… give me a minute to think of something good!"

Willow suppressed an amused grin at the pair's banter, finding their interaction rather interesting. Almost exact opposites, even in appearances, but they seemed to get along so well. Luck stood about as high as Willow's eyes, and Willow knew she was on the shorter side at five foot seven. Lady, however, stood almost as tall as Jack, who was a good half a head taller than she was. One with pale, freckled skin, the other with smooth olive, and their hair seemed to be the dictionary definition of opposite. There was truly no way of knowing they were related, aside from their green eyes.

"What's this?" Willow asked suddenly, noticing something on Lucky's right forearm.

Her eyes lit up at the question, and she turned her arm so the mark could be fully seen. "It's a bond mark."

Lady rolled up the right sleeve of her indigo shirt, revealing a matching mark. "It means sisterhood. I also think it means we'll never find mates, like you two, because we have one another." she explained as she laid her arm against Lucky's, lining up the odd straight edges of either's mark. The opaque green brand now revealed itself to be a Celtic triad with an intertwined heart.

"That's really neat. A reminder that, no matter what, you'll always have one another." Willow smiled.

"Do you guys have one?" Lucky asked, dropping her arm. Lady tugged her sleeve back down.

"No. Are we supposed to?" Willow replied, a bit confused. Jack didn't seem to know, either.

Lucky shrugged. "Not necessarily. Once you both perform an act that you're a true mated pair, you'll get one. It was kind of weird when Sam and Rip got theirs. It literally just… appeared. I mean, I was just there. It was different with us, we both had it when we were changed."

"Sam and Rip? Sorry, I haven't really met, er, anyone outside of the Guardians." Willow said, shrugging helplessly.

"Oh, sorry, Sam is Samhain and Rip is the Headless Horseman. Neither of them are very easy to talk to, but one in the same, I guess." Lucky answered. "Spirits don't bond very often, but once they do, it isn't something that ever goes away."

Lady began to say something, but before she could, she pitched forward and a wooden tray tumbled over her shoulder, taking the two glasses to top with it.

Though, the surprising part was when she caught the tray in one hand, and the two glasses in the other, only a few drop of the water within them reaching the floor.

"Oh, sorry Lady!" said the unwitting assailant. A man even shorter than Lucky stepped out from behind her.

"No harm done, Rumple." she said, though there was a clear underlying tone of agitation. She handed him the tray and set the rescued glasses of water back on the wood. The little man hurried away.

"Rumplstilskin?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. Rumple's one of the little troublemakers, especially as the Spirit of Mischief." Lucky said, rolling her eyes. "He's clumsy as hell, but no one knows if he's really that clumsy, or if it's an act."

"Well, at least you caught the tray and glasses. That was pretty lucky…" Willow trailed off, realizing what she was saying.

The sisters laughed. "Luck is sort of what we do." Lucky said.

Willow laughed with them, finding herself surprisingly at ease with the twins. Jack was being uncharacteristically quiet, and she knew he was just trying to let her have her fun on her birthday.

"Sooo, what do you do?" Lucky asked. "You've got to be the Spirit of something."

"Oh. Um I'm pretty sure it's Earth." she said, her answer hesitant.

"No no, now your powers, your center." Lady said. "We can manipulate gold, but we're Spirits of Luck."

"…I don't know." Willow admitted. The sisters exchanged knowing glances.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out. Jack only figured it out a little less than ten years ago." Lucky said reassuringly. "Ours was really obvious, but there's plenty of Spirits who take years to figure it out."

"Well, I guess we can give you a chance to meet some other people." Lady said. "It was nice to meet you."

Willow shook her extended hand. "It was great to meet you, too."

Lucky opted to throw her arms around Willow's neck, standing on the tips of her toes, then said her farewells. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

She turned to Lady, who withdrew something from her pocket and passed it to Lucky. She held the concealed object out to Willow. Willow's hand went out automatically, and the short woman dropped the object into it.

Willow brought her hand close to examine the gold bracelet. Dozens of tiny charms were linked to the smooth chain, taking the shapes of four-leafed clovers, horseshoes, and a couple other traditional good luck charms.

"What's this for?" she asked, running her fingers over the tiny charms.

"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Lucky said, smiling. She picked up the bracelet and clasped it around Willow's wrist.

The golden links were a bit too big, and Lucky wrapped her hands around it, closing her eyes. When she pulled her hands away, it was a perfect fit.

"There you go! Your own little good luck charm." Lucky grinned.

"It's infused with a bit of our luck magic." Lady added, smiling as well.

"So it really is lucky!" Lucky finished, giggling again.

"That's really nice, thank you." Willow said gratefully. The twins nodded and receded back into the crowd, Lucky having spotted someone else and dragged her sister off.

"Well they were nice." she said, watching them go.

"Yeah, they're really not that bad. Lucky can be a little exhausting sometimes, but they both are really great." Jack agreed.

Most of the night went like that, other various Spirits approaching them, many with their own legends attatched. It was almost overwhelming for Willow to see so many storybook fables and legends just walk up to her for a 'chat'. So many of them had such a surprising variety of personalities, and it didn't take her long to lose track of the different stories she had met. Pan, the Spirit of Freedom, controlled the wildlife populations to an extent. He gave Willow a small wooden hair clip with live flowers attatched to it, somehow self-sustaining and wouldn't ever wilt.

The biggest surprise, however, was when she met Cupid. If she was honest with herself, she had expected Jack to keep her away from him, should he turn out to be real. Well, he was certainly real, but it was actually Jack who brought her to the man.

"Cupid!" Jack called to a tall man with short, honey blond hair. He turned, and Willow saw his eyes were a startling shade of ruby, but in a pleasant way.

"Jack, how are you?" he asked, walking close, a warm, friendly smile stretched across his face. As expected, he was quite handsome, and he walked with a smooth, graceful stride. "I see you've found yourself a lovely lady friend." He gave her a polite nod.

"I've been doing pretty well." Jack said with a grin. "This is Willow."

"A pleasure to meet you." Cupid said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you, as well." she said shyly, though her eyes gave his hand a curt glance. It did not escape his notice, and he withdrew it, though the smile remained.

"So, word is you're quite the fierce little thing, my dear." the blond said casually, his eyes on her.

Willow shrugged. "I suppose. I'm not really sure what all everyone has heard about me."

"Well, the story goes that you put up quite a fight against that psychotic Spirit woman. It's strange, though, I hadn't ever heard of her until now." Cupid tilted his head curiously.

"Yeah, she was a sly one." Jack said quickly. "So, how's everything with you?"

Cupid raised an eyebrow as the fast subject change, but didn't press the issue. "It's been a little scattered, with as messy as love has been getting. A lot of my power reflects on the mortals, and sometimes, what they think they feel isn't really there at all. It doesn't take long to become a hassle."

"I'm not surprised. I really don't envy your job." Jack said ruefully.

"Most don't, though it certainly has its perks." he said, a sultry undertone not lost to neither Jack nor Willow. "But anyways, it was lovely to meet you, though I should really let you get back to meeting the others." He pulled a small silver box from his pocket, adorned with a green silk ribbon. "Happy Birthday, my dear."

"What was that all about?" Willow asked, watching him walk away.

"You heard it?" Jack asked. Willow nodded.

"Yeah, and to be honest, I was half expecting to be hit on, seeing as how he's a love deity." she said. "But he was really very polite. Pleasant, actually."

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's because he doesn't really… swing that way." he said hesitantly.

Willow blinked. "Ohh, so he's…" she trailed off, realization dawning.

"Yeah. I figured it out, too, though not because he told me." Jack said, and Willow had a feeling his face would be enflamed if he wasn't a living ice carving.

"So, he was hitting on you?" she asked, clearly amused.

"No, no, not right now! The great thing about Cupid is that he respects existing relationships, doesn't really interfere. But around a hundred years after I turned, I sort of ran into him. Literally, I didn't realize he was a Spirit until I hit him. He was really great to be around at first, until I realize his friendliness wasn't… um…" he stuttered a bit, and Willow laughed.

"Platonic?" she suggested, and Jack nodded.

"After that, meeting up was always pretty sketchy. I know he wouldn't do anything I wasn't okay with, but it was always awkward, just knowing." Jack explained.

"Yeah, I get it." Willow said, sensing Jack would really rather drop the subject. He gave her a grateful look.

The Spirits began to disperse a few hours later, most of them having sought Willow out before they departed. A fair number of them had gifts for her, but she wasn't sure what she'd do with most of them or if she would use them. She did receive a few useful ones, like the decoy bubble from Rumplstilskin. It was an orb of hollow quartz, and if she stepped on it, an exact double of her would take her place and cause a distraction. It lasted about twenty minutes, but only worked once.

She also received a charm from Lark, Spirit of Trickery. It was a simple, opaque blue oval that looked like transparent lapis, and it could change the sound of her voice. Though, she was told to use it in reserve, as it withdrew energy from Willow's body to power itself. Willow thanked her and slid the smooth stone into her pocket.

"So, you guys aren't planning on doing this every year, are you?" Willow asked, once everyone had left. "I mean, this was really nice of you all, and I appreciate it, but it was… a little much."

"Oh no, it's taken us weeks to get this one together. With Easter in a month, I don't think I can afford to do this every year." Bunny said.

"Everyone just needs a reason to lighten up every few decades." Tooth said, hugging her.

"Really? How come I never heard of any of these wild parties?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Guardians all found the elaborate weaving of the carpet rather fascinating at that moment.

"Well, we kinda had you pegged as a loner. You spent most of your time alone, so we kind of just assumed…" Bunny trailed off.

"Mhm. I mean, it's really not a big deal anymore, but I had no idea they even happened." Jack shrugged. Most of the Spirits kept to themselves, rarely making themselves known.

"But now, everyone has gone." said North, a strange smile on his face, blue eyes sparkling.

"Yes…? Where's Sandy?" Willow asked, not sure what the robust man was getting at.

No one answered, though, and a few seconds later, Sandy appeared behind North, a small cupcake with green icing and a single lit candle in his hands.

"I know you've heard this all night, but Happy Birthday!" said Tooth. Willow smiled bashfully and accepted the cupcake from Sandy, blowing out the candle.

"You really didn't have to do this." she said, glancing around at the five of them.

"We didn't, but we wanted to. You had a rough start to all this, and you still push yourself. You deserve it." Jack said, slinging an arm around her waist once again. He leaned his staff against the table, and quickly flicked off a swipe of icing with his finger, popping it into his mouth.

"Though, she's living her new life on the wrong side of the line." a soft voice said. All six pairs of eyes turned to its source.

"Seraphina. I was not expecting you." North said, taking on a formal tone.

"I apologize for my unannounced arrival, but I felt I should greet our newest immortal." she said, giving Willow a small smile. Willow noticed she did not refer to her as a Spirit. "Hello, my dear, I am Seraphina. You may be more familiar with Mother Nature."

Willow shook her offered hand. "Oh! I am Willow. Willow Bronwyn, though I suppose you knew that."

Mother Nature gave a small laugh. "Yes, I did." She glanced around to the others. "I am also aware that you are not a Spirit, which is why I am here."

The Guardians exchanged strange looks while Willow's eyes remained on Mother Nature in confusion. "You know about the Creatures?"

"Yes, I've been much more aware of them than most realize. " she admitted. "I am, shall we say, a messenger."

"So there are others?"

"Yes, quite a few." she answered. "But you being here is upsetting a precarious balance. The Creatures and the Spirits are meant to stay separated." She gave the others in the room a somber look. "And I am sorry to say, I intend to keep it that way."

I also need to point out, I will be including some book cannon in this one, but since I have not read all the books, it is a great possibility I may change some things(like, for instance, Nightlight is still a Spirit, though I don't know if I'll include him). So, if some things are different, I promise it all has a purpose in the end.

Don't forget to drop a review, I love to hear your ideas and feedback!