How Strange

I'm more than happy in my candlelight
How strange, how strange
That you should come to my dominion
In the middle of the darkest night
How strange, how strange
That you should even try

I'm not living in an ordinary world
'Cause I'm not your ordinary good girl
And I don't believe in playing like I know that game
You're not heading for an ordinary love
'Cause I'm not the one that you should think of
And I'm not a prize that you can claim

How Strange, Emilie Autumn

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Jack landed in the center of the lake, the water freezing under his feet and spreading to cover the surface of the water. He tilted his head back to smile at the moon, enjoying the feel of its cool light on his face.

He felt a little better about all those years of silence, now that he knew (thanks to Sandy) just how much effort it took for the Man in the Moon to speak to anyone on earth. According to Sandy, most of his communication was by moonbeam, and the only sure way for him to communicate was through special crystals, like the one at the North Pole. Even then, it was only for special messages, since it took so much effort and energy to do.

Add in that Manny had always been alone, and probably didn't understand loneliness, and Jack was a little more willing to forgive all those years of silence. Not completely, but holding a grudge against someone who honestly didn't understand and couldn't have done much different even if they had was a little pointless.

Jack thought he heard a rustle in the bushes at the edge of the lake, but when he looked didn't see anything. He stared at the surrounding forest for a few seconds before shrugging. Must have been a raccoon or something, he decided.

With that thought in mind, he checked Baby Tooth, sleeping inside his hoodie pocket, and decided after a moment's debate to let her sleep. She was more than a match for a raccoon. Still...carefully he lifted her out of his pocket and laid her in the little nest she had made just inside the entrance to his den. Animals knew better than to try and go in there, and she'd be more comfortable than in his pocket.

Jack himself wasn't in the mood for sleep. He drifted back down to his lake and started skating over its surface idly, not trying for his usual speed. Just a slow, gentle, musing skim over its frozen surface, almost trancelike.

Gradually he started going faster until he was almost ice dancing around his lake, adding fancy little flourishes here and there just because he could.

Now and again he almost felt like he was being watched, but it was never for long enough for him to be sure. Shrugging, he spun to skate backwards, adding a little wiggle to it so he zigged across the ice, letting his thoughts wander over the past few days.

Starting to have fun with his skating, he braced himself and flung himself into a backflip, landing on one foot to immediately launch into a triple axle. He laughed as he landed, speeding around his lake in an ice dance that was pure joy on a stage lit by moonbeams, almost as if the moon were trying to play too.

Mindful of Baby Tooth, he didn't laugh out loud even as joy bubbled in his chest. Ice dancing wasn't easy, but it was fun, and right now it felt right. It was different from the times he'd danced on his lake before, when he was so angry or depressed and had to let it out or risk making a blizzard.

He was gaining a new family, had a new little sister, and he just knew his old family – now that he remembered them – would have approved. The questions that had plagued him over the past three centuries were being answered, he was gaining acceptance, and it all needed let out before he burst from the sheer joy of it.

It was all there in his dance, and he was so engrossed in it he didn't notice as the woods around his lake grew darker even as his dance grew more joyful.

Jack froze in the middle of a spin, skidding to a halt near the center of his lake as dark figures came out of the woods surrounding the lake. Biting his lip, he glanced up the hill to where Jamie's house sat, the windows dark. If these spirits were unfriendly, he had to get them out of here – they were way too close to the homes of his believers.

The lake was still brightly lit by moonlight, but the spirits surrounding Jack were staying to the shadows. Even as Jack was debating what to do – some of the darker spirits had been restless lately, and he had no idea who these spirits were or what they intended – the circling spirits began to giggle.

They were light, feminine giggles, but Jack didn't relax his stance or grip on his staff. Just because they might be female didn't mean they weren't dangerous.

"Tell me again why we can't just play with him?" a new voice asked, giggling. "The girls and I won't hurt him, honest!"

"It sounds good to me," a male voice answered from the circle behind Jack as he spun slowly, trying to keep as many in his sights as possible.

"But it'll be so much more fun to follow the plan," another voice answered.

"Hey, c'mon guys," Jack said, planting his staff on the ground and leaning against it, best innocent expression in place, "Guardian of Fun here. I bet it'd be a lot more fun if you let me in on what game we're playing."

More giggling and the circling figures stepped into the light. Jack fought not to gape, but from the giggles he was pretty sure he'd failed. He knew he was blushing, felt the frost traveling down his face and under his hoodie.

He was surrounded by satyresses, and they were just as aggressively nonchalant about their nudity as their male counterparts. Suddenly flustered by all the feminine flesh on display, Jack focused on the three spirits who stepped into the light, who were thankfully clothed.

Two male and one female, or at least he assumed so at first glance – there were quite a few older spirits and tricksters who didn't really care too much about gender, changing dependent on their mood. Not always, but often enough, and they enjoyed the confusion it caused.

The woman giggled again and gestured to her companions. "I am Hedone, and these are Gelos and Koalemos. You might not have heard of us, but we've heard of you, Jack Frost."

"Only good things, I hope," Jack joked, still eying the others around him though trying to keep from looking at pertinent features the satyresses had on display, trying to figure out what they wanted. "So what is it you do and what was it you wanted?"

"Oh, I'm the spirit of pleasure and delight, Gelos here is laughter, and Koalemos..."

Jack yelled in surprise and outrage as the sack went over his head, frosting it over immediately, the satyresses running in to help Koalemos hold him down.

"Koalemos is the spirit of stupid or foolish decisions," Hedone finished. "C'mon, we're not finished yet."

"Yeah, it's gonna be a lot funnier after we finish," Gelos added. The satyresses grinned, hefting the bag of struggling, protesting Jack – and more than one did their best to get a grope through the thick fabric.

Baby Tooth, roused by all the noise, squeaked frantically and took off at top speed toward the Pole as the satyresses and spirits disappeared into the trees. Her sisters had encountered satyrs before, and she couldn't handle them on her own - Jack needed the Guardians, now!

A/N: To clarify my comment about the buffer in the last a/n, I have the rest of this outlined, just not written yet. So while I don't plan on abandoning it, the note was a warning that there may be a week where an update isn't ready in time. I'm going to try and work on that buffer. Quite a few still need a song assigned to them, and I'm still open to new ideas, but there's an outline.

Also: Hedone, spirit of pleasure, enjoyment, and delight; Gelos, spirit of laughter; Koalemos, spirit of stupidity and foolishness in Greek mythologies.