Project GUARDIAN: The Rise & Fall

by Her Head In the Clouds

When Princess Thia is kidnapped by British terrorist, Pitch Black, a mysterious secret agent comes the rescue. But protecting her is a challenge as he is wanted dead by multiple spy agencies. Now she and the ex-spy who only goes by the codename 'JACK FROST' must work together and stop Pitch, all while uncovering the dark secrets of something he left called the GUARDIAN program. AU

35. Baby It's Cold Outside

I'll save my talk for the end. If you survive this. And fair warning to the otherwise 'innocent' readers out there. Bon voyage!

---

"I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know."

---

Jack drove the Shadow two wintry towns over where they managed to find the only service stop open for sad Christmas drivers. He went looking for a phone while Tooth went dry her boot and her wet sock in the washroom. Afterwards she flew into the open convenience store.

Jack, meanwhile phoned ahead to a hotel in the next town and booked the only room they had left – and when they asked if cash would be a problem since their credit card systems were down, he gave a half smile into the receiver and said it wasn't a problem.

Now that he had his original funds back thanks to North and Aster, he wanted to make it up to Tooth after their horrible first night together.

Oh, get your mind out of the gutter.

After he finished, the newly-reborn brunette promptly joined her and the two searched the aisles for what they thought was necessary and could still fit in their bags. They still had all their clothes and Jack had his weapons belt from North.

"Wow, they've got a lot of things," Jack commented. His eyebrows drifted high under his bangs. When he took a step into an aisle, gazing on old brands he now remembered (and appreciated since he'd stayed in Europe and Asia for the last two months), Tooth watched him earnestly.

Jack's face was open and curious, and while he wasn't grinning like crazy after all he'd just went through, it was nice to see not a thread of bitterness or pain on his face. She inwardly cooed when he lifted or poked something, and paused to think about it. She even turned to jelly when she saw the ghost of a smile cross his lips when he saw something else that he suddenly remembered having.

But it wasn't like she had all the time to enjoy it. Jack was still quick and cautious, disappearing around corners quicker than she could keep up and not really saying much.

So she eventually left him alone and went to her own thing – but Jack was always perceptive of where she was, now more than ever.

When they were done, Tooth bought more gum and Jack bought the toothbrushes they so desperately wanted since Night One. Then he threw a roll of duct tape on the checkout counter too. Jack realised he needed to waterproof some areas of his backpack and belt in case of emergencies. The cashier however, smirked.

"You know, rope works better if you're trying to get kinky for Christmas," she commented and Tooth's face immediately blossomed ten shades of red – even Jack's ear burned, but he recovered faster than the princess and rolled his eyes.

"Plus," as she continued. "They're a heck of lot faster to get out of."

"Trust me, we're not doing what you think we're doing."

"Okie dokie."

Her face said otherwise.

So with cheeks burning and comfortable silence, the two decided coffee and donuts really was the best choice, deciding that they couldn't get out of there any faster.

...

"And you're sure, Mr. Spy Man?" Tooth asked as a warm puff of Christmas air left her lips. She was poking him in the head and staring at the Dunkin' Donuts behind the gas station with a slight smile.

She always thought being with Jack meant she'd have to follow his command to the ends of the earth and starve unless absolutely necessary (which was fine with her since, the faster she could get back to her sisters, the better).

But Jack smiled slightly and turned up to appreciate her wide-eyed gaze on the snow around them.

"Yes, Tooth, here take this," He then gave Tooth money to buy ahead. "Buy whatever. I need to refuel the bike's tank." But she opted to wait until he joined her inside.

It was his idea, so she figured he was probably hungry for something.

Jack. As in Jack Frost, ex-GUARDIAN and former operative Agent Jackson (and whatever his last name was), was hungry. But she wouldn't bug him about the details now – it was better he enjoyed them for himself.

Tooth was busy fingering her feathered earring when she heard the door open behind her a couple minutes later.

Turning slightly, she watched Jack come in with his hood on. The wind outside must've gotten harsh as he was refuelling but as he pushed it off, she couldn't help it when her insides warmed instantly.

He had this crooked smile on his face, relaxed and almost relieved, as he looked up at the menu. When he walked passed her, almost forgetting she was there, she shook her head a little.

"You're so weird," she grinned and he threw her a slight one back before her glowing face made him pause slightly.

Jack abruptly turned and tried to look at his reflection in the glass across the shop. Was his hair weird? Then he started to fix himself, glancing at the wind he guided away from the gas station moments earlier.

Tooth by then had given up all hope of understanding this new side of Jack and just decided to let him have his fun. So she chose to just touch his arm.

"What d'you want?"

And he looked back down at her. "Want what?"

"Uh...you were hungry, remember?"

Oh right, Jack was hungry. How could he forget?

'Maybe because her eyes are throwing you off?' his brain teased him and Jack blinked. Tooth blinked back.

Maybe he was thinking Burgess again? She frowned. How could anyone forget a place like that? It would take some time to...although she didn't want Jack to forget his hometown. But if that's what he wanted, then for today...she would try. As long as it helped him heal better.

She tugged his arm again. "Food...come on, Jack."

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither one saying anything. Then his mouth faltered.

"Yeah...and let's hurry up. It's actually pretty hot in here," Jack said, pulling at his turtleneck. Tooth tugged her turtleneck too and realised that even though Jack's body temperature was much colder than hers, he was right – it was really warm in the shop.

That, or maybe she'd finally grown an affinity for being out in the cold thanks to him.

'Which makes absolutely no sense since this is my first time actually EXPERIENCING winter weather, but whatever!'

By the time they'd finished ordering from the disgruntled worker on the holiday shift, they bought half a dozen donuts and two steaming cups of hot chocolate (one plain for Jack, and the other mint-flavoured for Tooth).

It was the most normal thing Tooth had done with Jack since they met and it couldn't even be really considered normal – they were sitting on the icy sidewalk beside the lonely shop, next to their stolen motorcycle and bag full of espionage gear. They even fought over the last pink frosted donut, threatening each other with their guns before Tooth grabbed it and split it two. But she smiled anyway and it was enough to to make her squeeze her knees in bliss and for warmth (especially when Jack took swigs of his drink and having no regard for donut eating etiquette).

After that, things went relatively back to normal.

While Jack finished eating, Tooth tapped her boots anxiously on the concrete.

"So how long do you think it will take for us to get to Edmund and North?" she asked. "I mean, after we've rested...since we both need it. But d'you know what'll happen next?"

Jack's eyebrows knitted together thoughtfully.

"Edmund's gonna need to notify North through an ELF correspondent, I imagine. Then we're gonna have to start on prevention measures for you, and start tracking the remainder of the tooth boxes. We need to find his homebase and soon."

He flicked his eyes at hers.

"...How many did he tell you were left?"

Tooth shrugged and looked down into her hot chocolate poignantly.

"Maybe three...Maybe two...I don't..."

As she shook her head and sighed, Jack watched her bleary eyes blink twice and put a hand on her shoulder. Tooth looked up at him, comforted by the affectionate hold.

"Don't worry, Tooth," he said, determined to keep her in line. "We'll get 'em."

And she nodded.

"Yeah..." and she took another long sip of her hot chocolate before she pulled away to look inside it. She loved the taste but she was already running out.

Tooth frowned and turned her head back behind them into the glass. How much was another cup agai–

"You want more?" Jack asked and she abruptly turned to him. She smiled bashfully and nodded. But he smiled and lifted his own cup.

"I still have a lot. Can't drink too much of this hot stuff or my body will start to react."

"Thanks Jackson," she said warmly before she froze. She remembered he didn't like being called that. "Oh um, I'm sorry, Jack!"

But he even though he faltered a little at the sound of his full name too, Jack's heart didn't go into overdrive when she said it.

"I know you don't like to be called by your full name, at least not by me, and I should respect that, especially si–"

In fact, it sounded nice on her tongue and he didn't mind if she said it again – because when Tooth said his name, a part of him felt like he was old him again, even if it only just for a moment.

"–and I mean who knows what'll happen if someone uses that against you? N-Not to to say that I will but..well, you never know. You wouldn't believe how many times Tooth is used against me–"

But maybe he should've told her that since she was still blabbering and apologizing like a motormouth.

"–I'm just sorry, okay? I won't call you J...that, anymore so I'll just shut...uh, I'll just crawl into this cup now and d–"

"Uh, Tooth?"

She stopped when Jack nudged her.

Toothiana was stunned, but he shrugged instead.

"It's okay, Tooth," he said and gave a half smile. "You can call me Jackson if you want."

But she pursed her lips and smiled a little.

"I kind of don't want to now," she teased. "I've only known you as Jack the entire time."

"Fine, fine, call me whatever you want."

She smirked.

"Even kitten?"

"..."

He scowled.

"Nope." And he popped the 'p' to prove a point.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Yes, it is," he argued. "Now, here."

Jack then offered his cup again and when she held out hers, he poured half his cup into it.

When hers was half full again, Tooth thanked him and leaned in slightly with a grin. "Look, we're sharing!"

As she leaned back, Jack shook his head a little and rolled his eyes – he hid his growing smile in his cup while he took another sip.

"See this is how friends act," she commented as she gratefully took long sips from her cup. "Not fighting and giving each other heart attacks."

"Really? I wasn't under the impression."

"So help me, Jack. I swear."

And even though Jack still felt warm by the whole thing, a little part of him crinkled again at the mention of the word 'friends'. Then again, it was his fault that he'd said that.

But it was a heck of a lot better than having her be scared of him.

He gazed on to the sunlit snow-capped pines in the distance with more optimism.

You don't scare me anymore.

After a few more minutes, they finished relaxing and Jack got up, tossing their garbage out in the trash before he tightened his leather glove on his left hand.

"Now come on, I still have to haul your princess butt to a hotel so you can get your beauty sleep."

But when he started to the bike, he didn't hear a sound behind him. Jack turned.

Tooth was still planted on the curb of the sidewalk. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"What now?"

And with an indignant expression, Tooth raised her right hand daintily and turned her head sideways, waiting for him to offer his hand to help her up.

"Well, if I'm still such a royal pain in the ass, you might as well walk the full mile and cater to my needs."

"I already do!"

"Uh bup bup!" she said poshly. "I'm waiting."

And Jack, actually not pissed for once, grinned softly though she couldn't see it.

He walked back. He grasped her leather glove in his left one and pulled her up from the ground gracefully. Once she had her footing, Tooth opened her eyes and batted them while moving to the motorcycle.

"Thank you, Jackson," she smiled and he returned it with a small one.

"Let's get out of here."

And he'd never tell her...but his heart was racing under his jacket, hearing his name on her lips again.

...

North Philadelphia, 10:22 a.m.

A little over two hours later, Jack drove the bike south into the big town.

After they would rest for the night, they decided they'd drive back up to the Warren and find Aster again. Jack didn't want to call North or the Australian in case they were extremely busy. They knew Christmas was the hardest day of the year for the Russian because that's when all his agents went off sleeper mode. And with Aster manning most of the communications, they'd both be stressed. So they decided to give it a day.

At the sight of the prettily-lit hotel Jack had already reserved a room in, Tooth's mouth fell slightly open. And after Jack parked a street away and they both pulled off their helmets, he caught her gawking expression in the side-view mirror.

She sensed it and looked at him through it, still in shock.

He looked at her like he was trying to hide smile from the quirk of his lips. "What?"

She blinked, still blinded by the way his face looked. It was different but still the same.

'Tooth, no! Bad girl! He's your friend now! Ugh...'

"Nothing, I just..." she was almost at a loss for words before she shook her head again.

She immediately stopped her mental tirade and hugged the helmet. Feeling more elated from the food, the Christmas winter wonderland around them, and his open expression, she threw a teasing smile.

"I assumed you liked bunking with hobos so I thought we'd end up at another motel."

"Well, if it's starting to grow on you, I can always..."

He then zipped up his leather jacket a little higher and started to lean over the motor–

"Oh hell no!" and Jack almost fell over from the speed she dismounted off the bike behind him. Jack turned over his shoulder to smile as she tightened his backpack on her shoulders and readjusted her bag.

Jack's smile, though still tentative and tiny was on his face. He was trying to be courteous to Tooth now, more than he ever felt, and even though he wanted to jump over the moon, he wasn't sure what a full on grin or laugh would do to her – heck, he wasn't sure what it would do himself.

Jack had been the poster boy for 'Congealed, Brooding, Mystery Man of the Year', he might as well have been Batman himself. So he worried that if he started flipping out now, he could end up like the Joker. Absolutely insane.

But maybe not as insane as Toothiana was being, thinking he actually was considering a motel again. But then...that's what he was starting to like about her more and more. And it wasn't letting him go.

"I wasn't going to, princess!" Jack said and shook his head.

When she looked up, Tooth walked around him and patted him on the arm.

"Good," she laughed. "Now let's go. And hey! No more, princess! Remember?"

After they got their room and Jack paid for the one night stay, he and Tooth carried what little they had and went up to their floor by the elevator. They missed the receptionist's cooing at how cute they were, arguing and smiling like no tomorrow – then again, Christmas brought out the good in everyone.

When they got to their room door, Jack used the card key to open it and the lights turned on automatically.

They both stepped in, feeling their exhaustion suddenly wash over them in waves and stress minimize at the comfort level in the room. The room reminded them of the rest workshop back in North's warehouse where all the red and golds and dark browns gave off a romanticized, rustic feel, and they appreciated the softness of every sheet and pillow.

It was also warm.

...But there was only one bed.

"Oh," Tooth commented. Hadn't they asked for a two-bed suite? She bit her lip and flit her pink eyes up at Jack. He had the same look of bemusement on his face and was eyeing the room in thought.

Tooth didn't know what to do.

"They said this was the only room available in the whole hotel right?" she voiced. "Because other families have flown in for the holidays?"

When Jack nodded, she immediately turned to go back out into the hallway.

"I'll go down and ask them to bring up a spare for me–"

He reached back blindly and caught her hand. How he was able to do that both unnerved and astounded the two of them – it was like he knew exactly where she was without seeing her.

But he didn't want to dwell on it. Her warm hand made him tug her back.

"Tooth, it's fine," Jack gestured and moved further into the room. Crossing the threshold, he tossed his backpack on the table beside the TV. "You can take the bed, I'll take the armchair."

As he walked twelve steps toward it, zipping down his light brown leather jacket, Tooth shook her head adamantly.

She didn't want Jack to sacrifice anything for her again. And she knew she'd feel a whole lot better if he took the bed because she really thought he deserved it after all the nights he didn't sleep.

"No, I'll take the armchair!" she argued and when he turned at her sudden ferocity, she smiled slightly. "Besides I'm smaller than you. I can actually fit in that."

"Tooth, seriously–"

"Jack, I want you to be comfortable."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"Well, you won't be, trying to fold those legs of yours in that seat."

When he actually chuckled, it sent a happy ring through Tooth's ears. She smiled at his back although he didn't see it as he tossed his jacket and blue hoodie onto the seat. Next he straightened out his black turtleneck he'd been wearing underneath and moved back to his bag.

"Trust me," he sighed. "When I was a regular spy, sometimes the room only had one bed to share with me and four other agents. So I've slept on worse."

When he paused to think on what he just said, Tooth stared at his wistful expression for a long time.

"You really do remember."

After a moment, Jack looked across the room at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I..." he mumbled and his face softened. "I guess I do. But that doesn't mean I want the bed, so you take it."

Eventually a smile grew on her face.

"Okay fine, I won't fight you because it's Christmas."

"Too late for that," he muttered and started pulling off his only leather glove. When he grimaced at the scar as he usually did and the pool of cold splashed briefly in his stomach, he looked at Tooth for some kind of comfort.

When he did, the sorrow almost melted away just as quickly as it came. Like the ray of light she was, Toothiana smiled humbly at the queen-sized bed and dropped face-first onto its end and huffed.

"Thank you, Jack!" she said gratefully through a mouth full of bed comforter. "I can't wait to collapse!"

She imagined that if her muscles had mouths they'd all be whining right now. The thought made her giggle under her breath for a second and Jack felt his adoring smile for her stretch wider across his lips. When her dark tufts of hair pulled up, he abruptly turned and started pulling out a change of clothes from his backpack.

"Why don't you take a nap?" he suggested as he started going to the bathroom.

"What are you gonna do, then?" she asked as she took off all her winter wear then looked for a change of clothes too.

A second later, Jack came out in a blue t-shirt and his black track pants. "I'm gonna go down and hit the gym."

"W-What?" Tooth blinked and he started shaking his head to explain why.

"I have all this energy right now."

"From eating?"

He nodded and crossed his arms. "From everything."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully before he started walking around her less threatening than he'd ever seemed, but exuding all this sudden adrenaline she couldn't explain. It made no sense to him either, but Jack couldn't stop replaying nights as a spy or GUARDIAN in his head now, and he was itching to fight the same way again.

"I remember everything I did now, and there was so much I did that I need to get it out all out again," he looked down at his hands and clenched them gently. "Besides..."

Then he looked at her.

"I haven't done any physical training since I saved you. Or did you forget?"

And when a mischievous look passed on his face, Tooth grinned softly.

"Fine, fine," Tooth agreed and shooed him away with her hand. "Go have your freedom. You are relieved of my presence."

"How gracious of you." His eyes rolled playfully then he tossed her the second card key and headed for the door.

"See you later, Tooth," he said shooting a smile over his shoulder and when she waved back wholeheartedly, his heart beat faster.

But then he left it at that, perfecting the cool and collected walk he always had.

...

Hotel, 1:13 p.m.

Jack worked out for three hours, never feeling more powerful in his life. He remembered every martial art he was taught and every fight he had, and being alone on the mats in the enormous hotel fitness room gave him enough space to reawaken it all.

It was actually closed for the holiday but with a little charm and a promise to clean up after (GUARDIANs were taught to clean their stations after physical exertion to not leave prints so he sort of had to), the short-shift workers let him use it for reasons beyond them.

In his solitude, Jack moved around powerful and graceful, jumping and transitioning through movements of more than seven, different martial arts he could remember. He hadn't mastered them all, but just remembering and twisting his body fluidly through the stages helped until his muscle memory returned. As he did, the Center gene sent a voltage through his bones, elating his DNA to the core. He even laughed a little when he perfected a double layout on the floor and landed perfectly on his feet.

When he was done and heading out of the room, he had full command over his body. He felt all his old strength hum through him like a powerful anchor, Jack smirked. He was ready now if any idiot, cop, criminal, or Nightmare came at him. They'd never see it coming – neither would Toothiana.

"You're all done, sir?" a man asked him with a slight smile and Jack for once, smiled back ear-to-ear.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks again for granting me access. I know it was pretty unusual."

The hotel worker chuckled.

"A little. But hey, it's Christmas," he smiled again. "If this is your own personal gift to yourself, then who am I to say no, right?"

And Jack's grin softened. Then he said his thank yous and goodbyes one last time, headed to the elevators to touch the button to his floor–

"Shit!"

He froze and spun wide-eyed at the hotel worker already walking away.

Christmas gift.

A Christmas gift!

It was fucking Christmas and–

Ding!

Jack spun back around as the elevator opened, shining pretty gold and ready to take him up to his room.

Up to Tooth.

And as he stepped in and let it close, Jack blew a nervous breath over his lips.

...

When he got back, Jack opened the hotel room door and stepped in with practiced ease. His feet, his breath, and his body didn't make a sound as he moved silently into the room. After all the training downstairs, Jack felt back on his game and remembered little things that made his stealth work even better.

But he did have to admit, hearing Tooth breathe in and out deeply, did make him feel a little more exhausted.

As he crossed the threshold and poked his head around the corner to check on her, he stopped.

Tooth was wrapped deep inside the blankets with a completely peaceful, makeup-free, look on her face. Her hair was in a loose ponytail from Bao's feathered hairtie and she curled into herself for warmth.

And he couldn't stop this pleasant shiver that passed through him as he turned back around to get out of his clothes. When he did though, he noticed that all their previous clothes they'd worn were folded on the table and looked fresh again. He looked back at Tooth quickly.

She must've gone down to the laundry room while he was training – and something about that made his heart race a little again.

Him buying her food, her just randomly doing laundry. Those were the kind of things couples did. But there was nothing domestic about the way Jack lived or the way Princess Toothiana grew up. They couldn't pull that off...especially not for each other.

Jack felt his pale skin heat up on his face and he rubbed a hand through his hair stressfully.

"She's a friend, Overland," he muttered and moved into the washroom. "Get over it."

Jack was almost stunned when he realised how good it was to remember his last name. But as he shut the bathroom door and took off his t-shirt again, he frowned a little.

His skin was dry (he'd gotten the sweat control still intact) and his lean muscles were aching but still defined...but the bandage over his bullet wound, after all the fighting, the running, and emotional breakdown, was a little red.

He huffed and stared at it for a long time.

If they could pull it off, if they did, this would not be their idea of how they'd want to spend their Christmas – hairs rising on the backs of their necks every time a sound or shadow appeared. Jack's idea of Christmas was being home with Emma right now baking something horrible, then spending the rest of the day with their friends in the snow and family in the evening for movies.

Tooth's...well, he didn't know.

And it made him think of her again.

...

1:45 p.m.

Tooth woke up to find Jack coming around the corner. As she rubbed her eyes and pulled up from the bed, he turned his head.

"How was it?" she asked with a warm smile.

"I'm back on top," Jack said simply. "So any Nightmare that comes at me is roadkill."

And Tooth's smile grew. She threw him a thumbs up before she started to sit up from the bed.

"By the way, Tooth...Thanks."

She paused and looked at him again.

"For what?"

Jack leaned against the table and looked at her. Meanwhile Tooth, who felt self-conscious like anyone who'd just woken up, groggy and not looking their best, played with her fingers and waited.

Jack wasn't sweating, but Tooth could tell by the way his stance that he was more confident in his skin. His eyes were more focused and when he crossed his arms, she tried not to get sucked in by the toned muscle peeking out from under his dark t-shirt. She tilted her head as Jack glanced sideways for his words.

Then he looked at her.

"For helping me. For everything," he said steadily."I never said it yet...but you're the reason why I stayed with Aster, why we found the company on that field, getting me out of the Judgement Room...all the way up until Burgess...And you know, I'm gonna make it up to you."

When she pushed her hair behind her ear and rubbed an eye. She grinned softly.

"Well, that's a nice way to wake someone up."

The ghost of a smile finally appeared on his lips.

"Well, it was a Christmas gift definitely worth waiting for."

Thinking about the lake again, Toothiana moved out of bed. He realised that she was still in her tight, spy pants but in a different sweater. Her skirt was somewhere else too.

"You're welcome, Jack," she said, happily relieved. "And I'm glad that I didn't have to use these things to help you," she said and nervously pulled at the gun holsters she hid under the pillow beside her for protection.

Jack blinked.

As he did though, she chuckled weakly.

"I don't like to carry them around. Like I said, weapons don't define who we are or who we will be."

And Jack nodded firmly as she pulled one Taurus rifle out of its holder and looked at it.

"But I still don't feel confident handling it. I'm not fast enough."

Then out of the blue, Jack gave a half smile again.

"Remember when I asked if you were ambidextrous?"

She eyed him dangerously.

"Yes. I'm still offended by that."

Jack chuckled.

"When you're right handed, your right hand's physically stronger than your left. But for you, they're equally fine, right?"

Tooth blinked, perplexed by the statement.

"H-How'd you know that?"

Jack shrugged.

"Back in Ho Chi, I noticed you kept switching the pen back and forth in your hands as you practised your false signatures," he told her and she blinked – she always forgot that wasn't normal for everyone. "And when you tried to beat me with two sticks?"

"I did beat you with two sticks!"

"One stick."

"Two! I was holding both so it counts."

"Okay, whatever," he squeezed the bridge of his nose. "But the point is...Why else would North give you a pair of rifles?"

She shrugged. "For double protection?"

"And two holsters?"

"In case the other goes missing?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," she huffed. "Maybe it was a bit uncanny how he knew."

And Jack smiled. He then made a gesture for her to get up.

Tooth blinked but started moving anyway.

"Why?" she groaned and tossed the warm bed sheet aside. She had a feeling she knew what was coming. "It's Christmas!"

By the time she was up and standing, Jack had already latched on his weapons belt and was pulling out his rifle from its holster.

"Remember to keep the safety on," he said with a small grin.

...

1:47 p.m.

So for the next few minutes Jack showed her how to hold her stance again with the gun and where her fingers were at all times. Then when she got the basics down, he showed her seven motions to help her remember how to move into line for a target...with him covering her other spots – it was a tag-team maneuver that shooters often practiced in case they were going to be surrounded by targets and needed to keep moving around each other to take them out. They were lucky that most of the guests on their floor and below them were all out so they didn't have to worry about making noise or (god forbid) accidentally firing a bullet and scaring anyone – the latter didn't happen.

After the last stance, they stopped for a breather.

"You got it?" Jack said as he took a step back to give Tooth space.

"I think so...hang on," and she started playing with her fingers and looking up at the ceiling trying to remember the motions. A second later, she started swaying her arms and body in a fluid motion, dancing left to right, and spinning back to front with her arms bent up in a graceful twist.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...what're you doing?"

Tooth immediately froze. When she realised he was still watching, she turned at him with a flustered look.

"Sorry! It's just, it's like a dance. Like you know, right, left, right–" And when she started to move again, she stopped before she got all the way. Her cheeks turned pink.

"It sorta reminds me of the dances we do on Punjam Hy Loo and the ones they do in India," and when she shrugged, he smiled slightly.

"No, it's good," he encouraged and taking a step forward, she grinned shyly.

"Y-Yeah?"

He nodded. "Anything that'll help you remember how to move each arm and knee correctly is great. And it is sort of like a dance...just faster, tighter, and more rough."

The last part of his sentence made her feel slightly awkward and when she laughed to herself Jack looked at her.

"Okay, ready?"

She nodded disconcertedly. "A-As I'll ever be."

"Alright," he said and he came up to stand behind Tooth. The two then re-holstered their guns, leaving their hands free.

"Ready..." Jack's fingers twitched. "...Steady..."

Toothiana exhaled.

"Go! One!" Then they jumped into action, starting their 'dance' as they both secretly liked to call it.

Tooth smoothly pulled out her left gun and aimed it forward with a tight grip and a slight foot forward for support – Jack was already kneeling on one knee on her right, aiming his gun past her leg to aim at invisible targets from beneath.

"Two!" he grunted and Tooth quickly slid into a one-knee position on the ground aiming to the right – Jack switched knees fluidly and was aiming at targets on the left.

"Three!" Tooth immediately switched knees and aimed on the left like Jack had done – he was already leaning above her, and facing forward again with his rifle in cold accuracy. He had to make sure his gun was nowhere near her ear to avoid a deafening reverb from a shoot he might make. But Tooth was ready and trusted him.

"Four!"

Next came the harder stance. Tooth pulled up from her knee stance and spun until she was facing diagonally to the right behind her. As she threw her hand up and down like a pendulum, she held her gun and aimed it ahead. Jack stood up too, turning slightly, and aimed his gun diagonally to the left so they were side by side facing opposite directions.

"Okay good, now Five."

Like a whip, Tooth spun to face forward again, and knelt down on one knee again. When she was aiming ahead of her in a dead heat, Jack had also dropped into a one-knee position and spun to cover her back.

"Six."

As Tooth grabbed her second gun, she pulled up and completely around to face behind her. She then aimed both guns forward – directly under Jack's arms since he'd spun up to stand to shoot his gun and an invisible target over shoulders. They were so close though that when she inhaled, Jack almost felt her front touch him. It was so nerve-wracking they looked at each other for a brief moment before Jack blinked.

"And seven."

Finally in one, last quick motion, Tooth spun back around to face her front and raised both guns out sideways as she looked side to side. Jack was right up against her, using her body as a form of leverage as he aimed diagonally over her shoulder to the left.

When they were done and they froze, Tooth panted heavily.

Jack's chest against her back probably wasn't the best thing to keep her focused at the moment. But at least they'd did what they wanted to do.

She sighed gratefully and dropped both her arms. They ached slightly.

Jack pulled away slightly.

"Good job," the brunette sighed and he ran a hand through his hair. "I still don't know how you picked that up so quickly. But I think I can rest easier knowing you can drop properly in a gunfight."

Tooth shrugged with a smirk and turned to face him – almost regretting it when she realised how close they were to each other.

"Y-Yeah I guess," she mumbled and swung her arms back and forth with the guns in each hand. "But I think I need to go to the gym and work on my arms after this is all over. They feel like jelly."

And Jack smiled as they both started to re-holster their weapons. "Yeah, it's like that at first but you'll get used to it."

"Yeah, because I so wanted to get used to this," she said sarcastically.

"You're the one who said–"

"I was joking. Jeez man!"

And she smiled throwing her hands out in front of her dramatically before she laughed again.

Hell and high water, she was ready for whatever would come now.

"Thanks, Jack–"

Suddenly, he caught her hand.

Tooth froze instantly, feeling that electric jolt return when their skin made contact. She nearly fell over and looked at him expectantly. But not even taking a second to think about what he was doing, Jack looked at her and lifted her knuckle to his lips. He planted a sweet and short kiss on her skin, throwing her off completely and leaving her light-headed.

"You're welcome, princess," he said, emphasizing the title she asked him specifically not to mention.

Then he waited.

"That okay?" he smiled.

But she didn't hit him or smile.

Instead, Tooth squeaked.

Jack rolled his eyes.

He then grinned and let go of her hand gently. Everything from the lake came up to tug lightly in the heart.

As he turned around, Tooth's heart fluttered under her ribcage and a chorus of angels went off in her head. But the brunette missed it (along with her blush) as he went to the window and pulled the curtain away.

The sun was already starting to lower from its peak and the snow had stopped falling, everything was serene for miles and while Jack knew he should always prepare for the fact that a Nightmare could show up at any point, he didn't want to continue the day in constant fear or anxiety. So he dropped the curtain back and turned back to the Tooth.

"You wanna get outta here?" he asked. And Tooth dropped her hands from where she was fixing her hair.

She squinted at him, her blush still on her face...until she threw him a tiny, encouraging smile.

"What'd you have in mind?"

And without saying a word, Jack went to his bag and pulled out something warm, soft, and so her.

Tooth immediately knew what it was and would've smacked him upside the head, were it not for the grin on his face. "The woman in Room 501 won't miss this for a couple hours."

And Toothiana, despite her good heart, shook her head slightly and grinned back.

…

Open-bar Christmas party, 2:38 p.m.

The sun was set to go down by 3:30 so the party started early and the lights were glowing, when Jack finally stopped and killed the Shadow's engine. He thanked his eavesdropping skills for picking up on the two guys who'd mentioned this place as he kicked the bike stand and steadied himself on one boot."

Fourteen seconds later, Jack opened the front door to the bar and let Tooth go in first. When the door closed behind him and the smell of worn wood and alcohol wafted through her nose, Toothiana spun on him.

"I thought I told you I'd never come into a bar with you again!" she hissed dangerously.

"Aw, live a little Tooth," he winked. "It's Christmas."

And when a bunch of random locals wished him Merry Christmas, Jack smiled and pushed her to the washroom doors. "Now just go change already. We're gonna have a little fun."

Tooth stuck her tongue out at him but smiled gratefully as she moved to the door. If this was his way of making it up to her for everything they went through, of trying to relive even just a bit of the happiness he'd lost then she'd do it for him, even if it only lasted for so long.

By the time Jack zipped down his brown leather jacket and was mindlessly chatting with a guy in the only blue dress shirt and jeans he had left, Tooth came out in her cute, glittering sweater dress. She used the hairtie to tie a portion of her hair back and let the rest down. Good thing she snagged those gold earrings from the girl in Room 232. She felt bad, but they were gorgeous and she'd return them later.

When Jack turned, it was like seeing her made his Center gene jolt across his skin and his heart pound. It was like being on the lake all over again with the sun lighting her up – or no, it was just her, always lighting up everything around her like she did with her powerful, anomalistic eyes. She then handed the doorman her trenchcoat and for the next two hours before the bar closed early, the two of them just enjoyed themselves – well, for Tooth it was more a trial and error thing more than anything.

Jack ordered himself a scotch, something he hadn't had in years and while Tooth (and his brain) scolded him not to have too much, he was grateful for the one glass he got himself. Tooth got herself a daiquiri and enjoyed it, trying to get used to the bar atmosphere. When they were in Ho Chi Minh, she couldn't do any of that because well...they were running for their lives – and all the people who went into that place were criminals.

But the place Jack took her to was homey and comfortable. It was no gala and that's what Tooth adored about it – it wasn't stuffy or fancy. Just simple and adorably real, strung up with red, green, and white lights and everyone in ugly Christmas sweaters. The locals were obviously very nice and the many who stepped out of their homes for a Christmas drink were friendly and loud. Some of them even made her and Jack laugh as they went about their normal business. After a bit, they toasted each other to a relatively safe destination and hoped both their lives wouldn't suck after this ordeal.

"Does that even taste good?" Tooth asked as they finished their toast and he raised both eyebrows with a small smile.

He handed it to her and she took a sip – instantly regretting it. Tooth gagged and shoved it back to him. He chuckled and she threw him a dirty look before she went back to hers.

"What? Don't like it?"

"Noo, thank you," she laughed. "I'll stick to my girly drinks if you don't mind!"

Then suddenly, one of the bar regulars put on a radio overhead and it started to play random love songs from some set station in Iowa.

As Bastille's Oblivion ended and Jingle Bell Rock took over the speakers, a man far off in the bar started yelling.

"Alright guys, grab a lady!"

And Tooth laughed as it was entirely the opposite – women were grabbing men and dragging their eggnog coma-induced asses onto the hardwood and dancing in dangerous circles.

Then one older man, with a sweet, humble expression, grabbed Tooth's hand and pulled her from the bar stool. For a moment, Jack panicked (his fingers twitching to the back of his belt) and Tooth had her 'kick-you-in-the-balls' instinct flipping on – but the older man laughed like a grandfather and was just genuinely happy.

Tooth couldn't help but giggle when she realised his rosy cheeks and red nose reminded her of Santa Claus – reminded her of North a little. She grinned and soon the two of them were just holding hands at a full arms length and dancing like two kids at a birthday party. She never laughed so much in the last couple days and when he asked if his footing was okay, she nodded and said he was absolutely great.

Jack watched with a smile on his face, resting his cheek against his knuckle. Tooth and the man eventually got swallowed up by a few more people until the song changed. Then when a quick, Christmas tune started to play, the princess poked her head through to look at him.

Jack blinked and lowered his fist.

What? he mouthed. But she grinned and beckoned him over with a finger. Jack shook his head and she watched a look of worry pass through his blue eyes. She blinked until she read his expression – he wasn't looking at her nervously, he was looking at the people around her.

Jack didn't want to say it, but he was still afraid that all these people around him, too close to him, would make him react, thinking of Hue's bar and all the times he'd grabbed Tooth the wrong way against his control.

And he didn't want that.

She instantly understood and her head disappeared back into the sea of people. Thankful, Jack smiled again but it was still sad.

A second later though, the older man and the people around her, parted a little to let her through. Jack blinked again, his smile slipping off his face in confusion.

As she thanked the older man for the fun dance and wished him a Merry Christmas, he bowed like a goofball and stretched his arms out to where Jack was sitting, having already seen the guy she came in with. He grinned.

"Your prince awaits," he teased and Tooth blushed before she shook her head at him with a grin.

"Ehh...don't say that..." she mumbled to herself. He should never be allowed to say that again. And as she got to the bar again, she smiled up at Jack.

As she did, the song playing made her heart soar from old sophomore memories.

Never knew I could feel this. Like I've never seen the sky before.

His forehead creased and he shook his head.

"I..."

"Come on!" she said touching his arm shyly and pulling him forward. "One for me, please?"

"No, Kat," he said shaking his head again and tried his best not to be pulled off the bar stool – even though a large part of him wanted to.

"Adrian!"

But Jack looked at the group of people packed so tightly on the floor. It wasn't like Rome – when the two of them had so much space to dance around in. Thinking about all those people he'd hurt again was starting to come back – but Tooth wanted none of that.

Seasons may change, winter to spring.

But I love you, until the end of time.

"Adrian, you owe me," she insisted, wanting to forget about his pain for just a moment and have fun for him. "And you'll be with me, you trust me right?"

"I don't know, I...I don't want to," he murmured just as a barmaid walked past and looked at the two of them. She looked like she really didn't want to be there and she felt like taking it out on the princess.

"Leave him alone, hon," the brunette frowned and Tooth turned around to shoot her a miffed expression. This wasn't her conversation to butt into – she didn't even know Jack and why he was actually not wanting to dance. But the barmaid interpreted it the way she thought.

"You don't look like the kind of girl who goes out, especially on Christmas, and with a guy like him," she sneered and Tooth paused her grip on Jack's arm. Even Jack heard that and his eyebrows flew up again.

"So stop throwing yourself on him," the barmaid said and then walked away. "What would your mom think?"

And Tooth's mouth slackened. The second Jack felt her fingers slide from his jacket and he turned to look at her, he worried.

Her eyes grew glassy and she glared at the back of the barmaid's head.

"How would I know?" Tooth seethed to herself. "I never had one."

Jack's eyes grew wide.

'Ooh, if I could shoot daggers with my eyes, I would!' she thought bitterly. 'Cranky , little–'

"Hey, don't listen to her," Jack said suddenly. Tooth huffed and turned back around.

Then she realized, he was sliding his body slide off the stool and grabbed her hand.

"Okay," he sighed. "Now I'll do it for you."

And once their feet were firmly planted on the dance floor, Tooth smiled gratefully.

"Thanks hero," she whispered and Jack smiled. Then before she could blink, he produced a small poinsettia out of nowhere.

Toothiana's wide eyes grew wider and she looked around the bar suspiciously before her jaw dropped.

"W-Where did you get this?" she cooed and blushed a pretty pink.

Jack shrugged as she took it delicately and twirled it in her fingers. She thought of the Leprechaun's Den instantly and remembered when Jack gave her the four-leaf clover instantly. And from the look on his face, so did he.

"Don't worry, I didn't take it from someone's spice garden," he smirked.

And as her blush darkened and she placed the deep-red flower behind her ear, she grinned.

"Well good," she said. "Because I love it."

"Merry Christmas, Tooth."

Once it was the flower was firmly placed and smiling back at Jack, he placed his hand on her waist and held her hand again. She then put her hand on his shoulder and smiled as she started to move like they did in Italy.

Come what may, come what may. I will love you until my dying day.

For two songs, that's what they did; with Tooth humming to songs she knew and Jack thinking about Rome all over again. He was so close to kissing her then and yet, even still...another kiss kept plaguing the back of his mind.

But why?

Jack couldn't get over it as he held Tooth in a small circle, subconsciously pulling her closer. Was it his kiss with someone? He hadn't kissed anyone in months though. So who–

"Hey."

Jack and Tooth looked at the old man who she'd dance with and he was grinning slightly with his new partner. He was staring at Jack and nudging his head at Tooth.

"Kiss her already," he said, then smiled and danced away with his partner. Jack and Tooth stood there frozen for a millisecond.

The brunette's heart raced and he looked like he couldn't comprehend what he was thinking. Tooth blinked with her mouth open, trying to find words and shaking her head a little.

"Uh, w...bu...y..." she babbled before Jack blinked and looked at where the old man had once been. He was gonna crack a joke with the almost-North lookalike – before the two realised what he was doing.

He was dangling a piece of mistletoe from out of nowhere over their heads.

And before the blood could finish rushing to both their cheeks, he drifted away and carried it with him.

But Jack turned back to Tooth, and they both had this look on each other's face – unreadable, but secretly urgent.

And before they could think it fully over, not wanting to lose an opportunity...

Jack leaned down.

Tooth rushed up.

And in the most horrible angle possible–

"OW!"
"What the–"

–they banged foreheads and noses.

Tooth thought Jack hit her with something and Jack thought she was being her prissy self. Not a second later, Tooth crushed Jack's boot with her heel.

"Not funny!" he hissed in pain.

On impulse, he squeezed her hand tightly with a grip that could crush ice and she yelped in pain. Tooth immediately kicked him in the shin again and he let go instantly.

"Are you insane!?" she said hotly then shoved him back a little and stormed out of the bar. She grabbed her coat on the hook and Jack looked at her like she was crazy before he stalked after her with a murderous look.

Once they were both out on the porch again, Tooth whirled on him, salt pellets crushing under her boots. She was rubbing her forehead under her bangs and shaking her head.

"What the hell did you do back there?!"

"Me?!" Jack countered, gently rubbing his nose. "You hit me as I w–"

"No! You hit me!" she argued. "After your whole 'thank you' is that what you do to people who save your life?!"

"You crushed my foot!"

"You squeezed my hand!"

"Because you're a damn psycho. Why'd you do that?!"

"Psycho?! I'm psycho!?" and she gritted her teeth.

"Yes," he answered. "Friends don't do what we just did to each other. I was–"

"What we just did?" she cried. She blinked, not really getting it. "Don't you mean what we always do?!"

And Jack clenched his fist, stumped by how they were fighting again.

"You know, neither of us is winning points in the polite department!"

"Because you're so freakin' complicated!"

"No, because you're so damn hot headed!"

"And you're bossy!"

"And you drive me crazy!"

"Well, then..." her heart was racing and her body was shivering. "S...Suck it up and be the friend who takes my shit!"

Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"I...argh, I can't!"

"I knew it!"

"Oh yeah?! Well, neither can you!"

Tooth crossed her arms.

"Oh, I already knew I couldn't, buddy!"

And Jack leaned down at her.

"I'm not your buddy," he threatened.

"I'd rather you weren't."

"So, I guess we're not friends anymore."

"Yeah, I guess we're not!" she spat.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

And they were both an inch from each other's face, grinding teeth, glaring daggers, and blowing hot air on each other.

Then a second later, Tooth pulled away...with a small grin on her face.

Jack copied instantly as she spun around and threw her hands into hair.

"Look at us!" she cried and laughed. "We're crazy! I swear, we have bigger problems to deal with, and we can't even do this right! We can't do anything right!"

And Jack shoved his hands into his pockets with a slight smirk.

"Depends on how you look at it, I guess."

And she laughed back and turned back to him. She wondered what BT would say about her relationship with Jack – she'd probably say she was unhealthy and needed medical attention. Jack thought the exact same thing about Emma.

"Oh, and this is normal for you?"

He shook his head.

"With you, I think this is as close as we're ever gonna get."

And she gasped with a smile on her face as she laughed again.

"Jack, you're horrible!"

He threw his hands up and moved back down to where their motorcycle was parked.

"Well, good thing you don't have to deal with me being a friend anymore then, right?"

And she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, thank God for that."

Jack reached the bottom of the steps and got on their bike, he looked at the darkened sky littering itself with stars. Then he nudged his head back at her.

"Ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah."

Tooth mounted the bike behind him and wrapped one arm around his waist, she placed the other on his shoulder incredulously.

"But if we're not friends anymore..." she asked slowly. "...then what are we?"

And as Jack handed her the helmet, he paused. Tooth was surprised when his eyebrows furrowed slightly as if he really had to think about it. He stared at her through the side-view mirror and looked at the red flower still snug behind her ear.

"Not sure," he finally spoke, feeling the warm air leave his lips in a puff.

Tooth bonked him on the head softly with the helmet.

"It's okay, I guess we'll figure it out eventually."

And Jack chuckled before he fell back into a comfortable silence with Tooth and hit the engine. Then they were off again.

...

Hotel, 4:24 p.m

When they got back, the sun had already gone down and it was dark, saying goodnight to Western hemisphere of the world. Tooth sighed and took off her scarf. Her cheeks were still red from being out in the cold and from having a surprisingly nice time with Mr. I-Don't-Understand-Fun.

He even suggested they go down later and grab something to eat since the hotel cafeteria would be closed for the day – which was fine with her, yet sorta scary, considering it now seemed like Jack wanted to eat all the time.

But it made her crush on him more – until she, you know, had to bury that secret in a case filled with cement. And maybe even beat the top a little so it was unrecognizable to anyone who found it.

She laughed under her breath.

"Thanks again, Jack," she said politely and started to take off her coat. Her sweater and new earrings were safely returned to their respective owners. "You're surprisingly good company."

And he threw her a teasing smile before he rubbed his jaw.

"Was there any ever doubt?"

"There was only doubt."

And he shook his head before he shirked off his brown leather jacket and tossed it on the chair again and unlatched his weapons belt.

Suddenly, he sighed as he passed the floor length mirror sitting beside their TV.

"...I need to shave."

Tooth blinked.

"You need to shave? Since when?"

As she watched as he immediately pulled out a razor from one of the tiny, concealed holsters in his belt to show the new one he'd just bought. But when he finally registered the sass in her tone, Jack spun to look at her.

"Hey, I shave!"

"You can't shave."

"I do."

"Your face is literally smooth as a baby's butt," and she blinked twice unconvinced.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's charming. But seriously, look."

Jack then leaned into her personal space again and Tooth blushed. She was about to tell him to get out of her face when she stopped and blinked.

Jack's jaw had grown darker since they left the bar but she thought it was just the shadows – but now that she was really looking, she realised his face was rugged, just about ⅛ the inch like the Hypunjam military soldiers.

Without even thinking, she raised a hand and rubbed her hand along Jack's jaw. He tried to control his shiver under her touch but Tooth winced slightly at the sharpness.

"H-How come I've never seen you shave, or need to...until now?" she asked him as he pulled away.

"It's the center gene. It slowed down my hair growth," he explained. "I mean, I always used to shave less than other guys. It's hereditary, my dad's facial hair always grew pretty slow too. But once I became...you know, Jack Frost, it almost stopped completely."

Jack then rubbed his chin and scowled a little. "...It's been months since I've had to actually."

Tooth pursed her lips at him thoughtfully so Jack went to move around her. He thought it was because she was still wondering about his unbelievable story – she was actually thinking about him with a full on five o'clock shadow and wondering if he'd still look good.

Her answer: Absolutely.

"I don't know, Tooth," he sighed to answer her unspoken question. "But I'm starting to think that I can make up a lot of excuses using the 'It's the gene' gimmick."

"No, I actually believe that."

"Yeah?"

She nodded and grabbed her bangs. "Yeah, 'cause see? My blonde...Uh, wait."

When she realised it was all brown thanks to the dye, she pouted.

Jack caught it and frowned for her but Tooth immediately tried to cover it up and chuckled a little.

"Well, when my hair wasn't dyed...My blonde streak grew the slowest. It grew to about my cheek last year but I cut it to here," she pointed a little past her eyebrow, "so I could hide it when I wanted to."

She blew her side bangs out of her eyes.

"G-Good thing I did."

Jack thumbed the handle of his razor before he pointed at her hair.

"Your highlights are thinning out by the way," he pointed out before he moved to put his razor back into his belt until later.

And she whirled to stare into the mirror beside him.

"What?! So fast already? But I just got them!"

When she huffed annoyedly, Jack eyed her funny – by her tone, it sounded like she'd been through this before.

"Every time I dye my hair, no matter what I do, it doesn't last!" she explained and looked at him. "I even told that hair stylist to use her strongest mix but, ugh, it's why I dyed my hair different colors in sophomore year."

Jack rose an eyebrow.

"Why did you?"

She shrugged with a slight smile. "Because I could get away with it."

Of course. Typical 'I'll-do-what-I-want-not-because-I'm-princess-but-because-I'm-adorkable' Tooth.

Jack shot her a half smile and shrugged.

"Don't worry. Mine washes out quickly too, that's why I'm always doing redoing it."

And after she pulled her strands, Tooth sighed. He was right, her gold highlights didn't shine so lustrously as they did a couple days ago.

"Well, that sucks," and suddenly her eyes grew wide as Jack moved to explain. "It must be a–"

"Gene thing."
"Gene thing."

She smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"Our hair follicles are probably stronger than most," he guessed as he rummaged through his backpack. "Chemical dyes probably don't seed into the core of our strands like most people.

Tooth kept pulling at her bangs. "Seed?"

"Penetrate," he said logically.

She nodded absentmindedly.

"Fascinating, Captain," she said in her best Spock voice and Jack grinned as he looked through his clothes.

"Star Trek?"

"You have your shows, I have mine."

Jack shook his head a little. "I haven't watched a show in ages. The last time I did, I think Phoebe was trying to explain to Ross who his lobster was."

Tooth grinned, feeling all giddy and threw herself back on the bed. "I didn't know you watched Friends."

"I didn't. One of my partners from the Winter division did."

Tooth instantly sat back up. "W-Winter division?"

But Jack tossed her a knowing smile that sent her cheeks into a flush.

"I'll tell you another time, okay?"

She nodded humbly. "Sure. You can go back to hair."

"What was I saying?" Jack looked up for a second before it came back – he and Tooth were getting way too comfortable...and despite himself, he liked it. "Oh right, I think dyes just sit on the surface of our hair instead...on the bright side, we can wash it out faster in emergencies."

Tooth turned to give him a raised eyebrow.

"And just, how many more emergencies are you planning on getting us into?"

He smiled. "Not many more."

And she blushed, but when he looked away ready to start duct-taping some compartments inside his backpack again, Jack glared suddenly.

"What's this?"

When Tooth leaned sideways, he watched the ex-operative pull out a small bottle filled with green goop inside it. It moved around the bottle slowly like molasses and it looked sickly. But the bottle on the side read the ingredients of a hair product.

"What is this, hair dye?" he mumbled incredulously as Tooth stood up to stand beside him and look at it. "Must be from Aster."

"But it's green!" she raised both eyebrows. "And I mean, okay, the blue tips work on him but I don't think looking like leprechauns is gonna get us anywhere."

"Wait, hang on," Jack stopped her and he bravely uncorked the top to take a cautious whiff. Almost immediately, his eyes widened, recognizing the smell of the compound.

"It's bleach..."

"What is it?"

"It's a hair dye remover. It's got a bleach compound."

Tooth eyed him peculiarly."You just know?"

After he recapped it, he twirled the tiny, clear bottle in his hand.

"I have to, remember? If the time calls for it, I can use this to strip out the dye and make my hair white again."

And Tooth couldn't help but smile. She always wondered what Jack's real hair looked, always coming to the conclusion that it'd definitely be him. Until she realised–

"W-Wait, I don't want white hair too if it's gonna strip out mine!" she frowned. Then she grabbed the part of her bangs where her blonde streak was still hiding.

"I understand, I mean...I'll want this back one day b-but that seems like too much of a risk for me, Jack. I don't wanna bleach it out!"

Jack looked at her before he went rummaging through his backpack again. Then he found two other bottles – one filled with dark brown (almost black) liquid and the other a golden yellow.

"I guess he already figured that for you."

When he tossed her the two bottles, Tooth's mouth fell open and she smiled. Opening one quickly, she sniffed it and realised it smelled like the healing biotic he'd given Jack before he left.

"I think the Center gene stimulant is in this too," she told him and he looked at it. "Maybe it'll help my genetic hair situation."

Jack shrugged.

"Aster did say he'd leave us things that would help us."

"Maybe North supplied it to him," Tooth suggested. "His scientists knew how to stop a Pitch Black pathogen and North's probably told them about the Center gene. Otherwise he wouldn't have given it to us."

"Maybe, but I'm not gonna use it," Jack said, waving a hand dismissively. "You can if you want. You can go first too."

Tooth shrugged and went to her bag to start looking through it again. Jack went to check the bathroom to make sure everything was alright.

"Soo..." she started as he was out of sight. She then grabbed all the things she needed and wadded them into a ball to hold. Her new pajamas and clean undergarments from the Russian department store were soft in her hands. The rest of her outfits were still in her bag.

"Does that mean I actually can sleep tonight?"

"Yes," he answered back with little edge in his voice before he chuckled from the bathroom. "It's Christmas, even I'm not that crazy."

But he was taking a long time in the bathroom, making weird banging noises.

"You sure about that?" she muttered to herself as she collected the last of her things.

She guessed he was probably checking for hidden cameras or bugs because he was her paranoid spy–

'Friend-wise!' she berated herself. 'Friend-wise...well, not even since he's claimed to stop friendzoning me for whatever god awful reason.'

Ick.

A second later, he walked out and smiled.

"We're good. This place is safe."

"Okay cool," Tooth sighed. She was really too tired to start any sort of fight again so just smiled. "I can go now?"

And he smirked.

"Have fun."

And she blushed and smacked him in the arm.

"Don't say that!" she stuck out her tongue at him and moved around him.

And Jack smiled at her back as she went into the room, committing to memory his journey with her starting from when they touched down in the Buffalo airport to now – sure it wasn't what he was expecting (bullet in his chest definitely included) but he was thankful, absolutely thankful.

Tooth closed the bathroom door and threw her clothes on the sink. When she looked at the sink, she blinked.

He left the bottle of Aster's hair dye remover for her to use.

She smiled.

After brushing her teeth happily for two minutes straight (happily squealing in her head), Tooth then started her relaxing shower, pursing her lips and thinking about everything at once – whilst washing the grime away and grimacing at sore parts on her body.

Who knew that she'd end up in a hotel room with Jack again? At least this time they weren't trying to kill each other, they weren't even arguing or screaming. They were, dare she say, civil? It was so weird, but she couldn't complain. For all she and Jack went through, they deserved to be somewhere with some level of peace and restoration.

After about twenty minutes, Tooth hopped out with a towel around her and her hair. She sighed gratefully and thanked the Flying Spaghetti Monster that this hotel was actually stock full of towels!

After she put on her oversized pajama top, she rubbed the blue silk material thoughtfully. It was really comfy and as she rolled up the long sleeves, she realised it went past her mid-thigh.

...Why did she pick this size again?

Oh right. Comfy!

Then she went to the sink and used the hair dye removal, Aster had left them.

Tooth sniffed it before she rinsed out her hair. Then with a brave inhale, she applied half the biotic material and let the potion do it's magic.

Once Tooth started running it over her strands, it did it's work. and she was shocked at the results. She thought she'd have to strip her hair with the first bottle's dye remover or wash her hair out seventy times before it worked. But North's scientists did in fact create a hair dye remover for Center gene carriers.

It used the same active stimulant, and as Tooth continued to wash out her hair, the mixture further strengthened her hair follicles, allowing them to expel any chemical 'seeding' (as Jack called it) around them. And in stunned silence, Tooth watched all the colors milk away and go into the drain.

She then applied the last two bottles, happily awaiting her virgin hair colours of dark brown and one strike of gold. And this time, with the gene compound inside the dye, the dye used the same healing factor found in the healing biotic to recover all the lost pigment in her strands by actually penetrating them with the gene's permission. It made no sense, as she thought about how hair dye worked, but her hair liked it and soon, Tooth realised she was back to regular dark-haired, one-streaked self.

She was proud of her streak, now proud of her mother in some little way for being a GUARDIAN, and it connected her to Tatiana and the girls.

It also reminded her that she had a Center gene just like Jack, and even though she probably didn't have any gifts like the GUARDIANs since she was a hybrid (except for her language skill), they were all connected.

She suddenly felt reborn, losing the old, concealed old part of her and returning to power.

When she was done, Tooth looked at her wet hair in the mirror and smiled. It was all dark again and her blonde streak was smiling at her in the center of her bangs. Twirling it thoughtfully, she sighed before looking at the rest of her reflection and decided to put on pants – standing on the cold bathroom tiles in her boycuts made her legs cold.

Until she realised–

Tooth flew around looking for her pajama bottoms but didn't see them.

"Holy...Cr-Crap, I forgot my pants!"

She instantly freaked and rubbed her wet scalp.

But hadn't she wadded them with the rest of her clothes? Had she bought pajama bottoms?!

"H-Holy hell..." she murmured and she spun at the door. Tooth realised that maybe she hadn't. Back in her dorm and in the castle, she never really wore pants to bed because she liked to wear shorts. But they didn't have shorts in the Moscow department store and it completely slipped her mind when Jack left her to shop for her own undergarments.

Now she was gonna pay for it.

'O-Okay, don't panic!' she thought. 'Just let Jack pass you your spy pants so you ca...Argh, but those pants are so tight!'

And there was so way in hell she was wearing skinny jeans in a comfy bed like that!

A knock came at the door.

"You almost done in there?" Jack called. "'Cause I actually want to use the hot water and I think you're using it a–"

"Excuse me?!" she laughed nervously and crossed her arms.

Then she got an idea.

"F-Fine, you can use it! I-In fact, you can come in right after me, okay?"

And Jack chuckled. "Okay, thanks. Just let me grab my things."

Tooth sighed under her breath.

There, problem solved. Jack would switch with her and if she ran around him quick enough and jumped into bed, then he wouldn't catch her half-clothed thinking she was some minx.

And even if he tried anything, she'd be the one on the side with all the weapons.

"Okay, I'm coming," he called again. "And I'm telling you all this because I'm showing you respect, remember?"

"T-That's my good bodyguard!" she teased and once Tooth collected her stuff and cleaned everything, she blushed ten shades of red before she unlocked the bathroom door – she hoped he wouldn't get the wrong idea...well, a part of her did.

She sighed pathetically at herself.

"...I'm knocking the door now."

"Oh my god, Jack, you don't need to tell me that!"

"Re-spect. Remember?"

But Tooth groaned (dropping her dirty clothes to cover her thighs) and threw the door open just to beat him to it.

His knuckle was raised to knock but he stopped midway when he looked down at her. Her dark hair was back again with no gold highlights in sight. And like a pretty picture, her blonde streak was back in the center of her bangs.

He grinned softly.

"You're you again," he commented thoughtfully and she smiled back before she tried to move around him quickly.

"I-I saved you half, but y-yup." And she popped the 'p' just to tease him. "I'm me again."

Jack then moved around her through the door but before he closed it, he turned back to smile at her.

"I'm glad."

And she smiled back.

"Thanks, Jack."

Then he went to close it – but not before flicking his eyes down and smirking.

"Nice view."

Then he shut the door on her face before she kicked it.

"That's not showing respect!" and at the exact same time, he copied her from the inside of the bathroom.

And when Jack chuckled behind the door, Tooth collapsed against the wall beside it – still blushing, and still smiling warmly.

Tooth shut her eyes, her heart racing a beat per second. She put a hand over it to cover its pounding.

The more he smiled to match his always-suave, slick demeanor, the more Tooth knew he was going to kill her. But she couldn't deny how incredibly happy she was for him getting his memories back to together and – sure, his life still pretty much sucked...but at least there were pieces being picked up and a heart still intact underneath it all.

And what a handsome heart it was.

...And she frowned to herself.

This was not good.

Jack still made her nuts about him – but they were friends now. Or, whatever the hell this classified as without the word 'friend' in it. Because she wished she could give him her heart, and let him see how much he was taking her over with every day, every hour, that kept passing. But that would further complicate things – and she was already complicating the complicated things that made Jack complicated.

And it sucked.

When she removed her hand from her heart, she opened it and looked down at her palm. It was shaking slightly.

She closed her mouth defiantly to stop a sigh from coming out. With his acute hearing, Jack would hear her on the other side.

Toothiana then moved away from the wall with a fleeting glance at the door. Once she heard the shower go off, she pushed her hair behind her ears and looked around the room wistfully.

They only had a few more hours before all this peace would end and they would be back on track again.

She had to count herself lucky for even getting this far with him, but soon she'd have to bottle it all up and be ready to fight. Ready to fight for her sisters, herself, for Jack, the other GUARDIANs and whoever else was on Pitch's death list.

"But fight how?" she huffed and crossed her arms.

Jack said it himself the last time they stayed the night in a hotel. The self-defence moves she learned from her castle guards were rusty and didn't work, so what could she do?

What good was it to just know how to use a gun if she couldn't defend herself without it? She could hurt herself or someone else – just like that ELF back in Wales when she almost shot Mr. Bangkot.

She sighed angrily.

Forgetting all about her Jack-problems (not to mention her pants), Tooth was suddenly fired up. She stood on the carpet in the center of the room and tried to remember her stances that the castle guards taught her anyway.

"Stay solid," the princess mumbled to herself. Then she firmly planted her feet on the ground.

"Above the chin, and elbows in," Tooth recited then lifted her fists close to either side of her jaw and tightly tucked in her elbows. Next, she put one foot a little ahead of the other and turned her body slightly to the left – it didn't matter to her which since she was neither left nor right-handed.

She sure as hell couldn't run or do wall tricks like Jack. And she pouted when she remembered all those times when Mr. Sanderson asked if she'd like to join him for Tai Chi exercises in the morning – she always declined, saying she had important things to do (reading, eating fruit in the market, and surfing the internet) – and now she sorely regretted it. It looked boring, but seeing how Edmund used it to deflect Jack the Freakin' Ninja so easily made her instantly cringe with disappointment.

"Maybe I should've tried it out," she sighed to herself. As Tooth started to throw weak hooks at invisible people and building muscle strength and speed, she tried to ignore the sound of the running water behind her.

Now was not the time to think about Jack in the shower – never was the time, actually.

Especially when he was soaking wet an–

'Tooth! Oh my GOD!'

She gasped angrily and stopped for a second to braid her dark, wet hair messily over one shoulder.

"Come on, T," she mumbled gently to herself.

For the next ten minutes, Tooth tried to throw punches at the right strike zones, remembering which knees to bend, and what foot to bring forward to help her.

But she grew more tired and ended up bumping into a lot of things.

"Dammit!"

And when she finally fell backwards after a horrible straight punch, Jack caught her under her arms.

"What the hell are you doing?" he gaped and Tooth gasped.

"St-St..." she stuttered and blushed red. "Stop doing that!"

"Me?! Oh my g..." Jack sighed and rolled his eyes before lifting her back up. When she turned to face him, she saw he was back in his black track pants and his white Henley shirt again (the one that fit him oh so well) with his sleeves pushed up and his top unbuttoned. His brown-white hair was also clinging to his forehead and his face was cleanly shaven.

And he smelled awesome.

"Sorry!" she scratched her neck nervously. "I was just–"

"What? Drunk kick-boxing?"

She huffed and crossed her arms – and that's when Jack realised that she hadn't realised that she wasn't wearing pants yet so her legs were everywhere. But then she started talking again.

"Well, do you want me to get shot?"

He looked back at her wildly.

"What?!"

"I mean figuratively, dumbass!" she piped. "There's gonna be another fight coming, I just know it! And at one point in this spy story, I'll need to kick someone's ass."

"But you can't even hold your stance straight, let alone throw a good enough pu–"

"What about my kicks?" she butt in and put her hands on her hips. "What about all those guys I've kicked in th–"

"So what, you're gonna run up to every Nightmare we come across and assume they won't be ready for a kick to the groin?" Jack said exasperatedly before he walked to her. "Tooth, that's not always gonna work. If they're good at a martial art like Jujitsu, they can stop anything you throw at them and grab your gun, grab your fist. And if it's Judo, they can have you pinned down in a second! You're not big enough or strong enough to stop these guys!"

And Tooth wanted to fight – she wanted to defend herself. But he wasn't saying what he was saying to hurt her feelings or belittle her, he was just making rational observations.

And dammit all to hell, as usual, Jack was right.

So she ran a hand down her glossy braid then threw her arms out.

"Well...w-what about fast enough?"

Jack paused and squinted his eyes. "What?"

"Jack, I know I'm not strong, or big, and heck, I'm not even an Olympic track star," she huffed again and it came out sorta shaky before she glared at him again. "But you know me by now...Y-You know I can't just stand around and let everyone fight without me at least trying, with me at least being prepared to."

He shut his mouth as she continued.

"I may have been born the Center gene, Jack. B-But I'm not you...I can't move elements, I can't control people, a-and I'm not a genius! All I have are weird physical features and being multilingual, but those won't save anyone in a fight...I don't have some amazing gift. So can you at least help me to dodge or get out of a hold?" she clenched her fists. "I have sisters I need to protect and fight for. I need to do this for them, for me, and for you...A-And the, you know, others who might need help."

Jack stared at her for a moment and crossed his arms. As he stared at her thoughtfully, she hugged herself and glared up at him.

But a moment later, he sighed and rubbed his neck – he wasn't annoyed though.

"Sorry, I got mad," he apologized before he started walking around her. "When I was in the shower, I...I actually was going to suggest the same thing too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But then you started talking about kicking guys in the balls again and I thought that's what you wanted to keep doing. So I sorta panicked."

"And shins," she pointed out. "Don't forget shins."

And when he paused in his walk and shot her with 'that look', Tooth rolled her eyes.

"I'm dead," she said. "I'm dead in this war unless you teach me something. So come on, Jack, please."

And his glare instantly transformed into a half smile, brushed teeth shining through.

"I know, I know. Hang on...I'm thinking what's good," and he started to circle her with a hand stroking his chin. He was glad his face would stay smooth again for the next couple months. Tooth meanwhile smirked a little – he looked like a teacher about to assess a student...but the kind of teacher whose handsomeness made Tooth want to stop in the middle of the street and get hit by traffic.

How ironic.

"Wait," she chuckled nervously. "I thought you only knew tae kwon do and that parkour thing you do. You know others?"

"I was a GUARDIAN, Tooth," he pointed out as he kept circling her. "I had to learn a little bit of everything."

"So you're a Jack of All Trades, hm?" she said and he smirked down at her.

"Nope, I'm a Master of All," he leered.

"Your ego's filling the room," she joked in a singsong voice and Jack chuckled.

"Okay so..." he started and Tooth fell silent again as he continued putting her body size against all the past things she could do. She felt slightly uncomfortable but otherwise didn't think anything of it.

"You're gonna need to learn soft style techniques since they don't take the offensive, but they take years to perfect and we don't have the time."

"Obviously."

"Obviously," he smirked back. Then he dropped his voice as he started talking to himself, remembering everything from the gym earlier. "Dodging and minimal blocking I can show you...but...not aikido. Can't risk you grappling, that's too close to catch a Nightmare in a hold. Definitely not clinching either. And there's no way in hell I'm putting you through a hand-to-hand...But maybe joint locking?"

"Wait, didn't you say that you're a belt black? Like seventh level or something?" Tooth asked and crossed her arms. She looked at him incredulously. "Doesn't it take like five years to get even the first one?!"

Jack eyed her knowingly. "I started learning since I was seventeen but they accelerated it once I joined the company," he explained. "And the Center gene made it possible for a lot more b–Tooth, don't ask. Even I don't know how it worked but it did and I'm grateful...You should be too. But don't worry, that's hard-style, stand-up fighting. It's a defensive art but it can get pretty direct and violent."

"Yeah, I agree," Tooth nodded.

And she did agree, remembering how lethal Jack was against eight Nightmares while simultaneously protecting her and dodging their hits. Still, listening to Jack list off all these skills he knew and learned was really interesting and pretty impressive.

It was also insanely hot but she'd never say – she didn't say anything really as he continued mumbling to himself.

Then he finally paused in front of her. He suddenly remembered all the times she went spinning and how quick her feet were when she depended on it.

Jack uncrossed his arms.

"Okay, maybe a little Bagua might help," he offered. "But just the basic understanding of smooth coiling and uncoiling and circular step patterns."

"Bog who?"

Jack smiled.

"Baguazhang," he said. "It was the last martial art I was trying to learn before the program shut down."

Tooth instinctually translated it with her gene: Eight Trigram Palm – and she blinked.

"Why'd you want to learn that?" Whatever the heck it was.

"It's Yin style specialized in quick, long-range strikes. And when I got my staff, I knew I had to develop a way to fight with it. You ever try to fight with a stick?"

And Tooth laughed. "No. Because people will just yank it out of my hands."

"Exactly," and when Jack weaved his hands together leisurely behind his neck, she inwardly cooed.

"So that's why I started learning it for the evasive nature...and a little bit of kendo."

When her jaw dropped, Jack rolled his eyes and pushed it back up for her.

"We're here for you, remember?" he smirked and she blushed.

"U-Uh right...bagua right?"

And he nodded again.

"It'll help you develop spatial awareness so you can...fly in and out of the way of objects, and people."

Tooth's eyebrows rose high on her head.

"That'd be a great help!" she offered.

"But I can't teach you a lot so we'll go over the basic principles of grounding to help you focus. That okay?"

"More than okay," she said smiling ear-to-ear and Jack started to move furniture out of the way for space.

"Then I'll teach you a bit of self-defence, you know, the right way," and she rolled her eyes, "but you'll have to trust me, okay?"

And Tooth knew from his tone, he was still hanging onto everything that left him insecure.

So she smiled.

"Trust me, Jack," and she dropped her shoulders relaxingly, "I feel safer when I'm with you...Uh w...Well, more now than I did before."

And he looked at her for brief moment – but when she nodded encouragingly, he grinned softly.

"Okay then, let's get started."

...

"Twist back again, Tooth...Okay, good. Watch your left foot, it's about to hit something."

Tooth hesitated for a second before she moved her bare leg sideways at Jack's instruction. She was still in her boycut underwear, but after Jack pointed it out (knowing she'd beat him up if he didn't bring it up soon) and she refused to put on her horrible spy tights again (after explaining she hadn't bought shorts in Moscow and couldn't fight in skinny jeans), Tooth and Jack realised they didn't feel so awkward about it after a couple of minutes.

Jack was all business about the training and Tooth pushed down her inhibitions almost instantly because the focus was getting her stronger. Plus, her top was so long it might as well have been a dress so neither noticed after a while and were comfortable as they'd always been. And without her tight pants, Tooth moved around easier than she could.

By the time the sun had long gone down, the winds picked up the snow outside their window but Jack continued to help Tooth hone her basic body coordination and firm foundations. All of the training in Bagua went to her legs. The point was to help her dodge and get away quick enough, so he helped her body to develop a muscle memory in flexibility and fluidity.

He taught her what he could in the simplest way about two-part and three-part-stepping, along with heel-toe and mud-walking. Tooth had no clue what he was saying but she tried her best to understand, reminding herself that it was all about knowing what her feet could do and where to put them.

Afterwards, he showed her basic self-defense techniques.

And that was more interesting. It was where Jack devoted most of their time. Jack just wanted to teach her Bagua in case she was ever surrounded by things and people and needed to understand how to move and trust her feet. But he knew she'd probably never have to circle an opponent and predict their next moves – she was short and the Nightmares would assume she wasn't equal in skill so they'd just lunge for her. So using that to his advantage, he taught her how to dodge, block blows before they hit her, and recognise strike zones on his body that were ever open for her to hit.

Two hours later

"Sense me coming, Toothiana," Jack instructed deep and ready. "Judge your distance. If they're an arm's length away, expect them to punch. Anything farther than that, expect a kick. And anything even closer, means elbows or grabbing might start."

Her breath grew shaky.

Tooth really didn't want to imagine that someone might come at her like that – no one ever had. But it was Pitch Black they were talking about. He hired the worst mercenaries for his organization and if they were capable of kidnapping tiny little girls, then it was smart that Jack, already a master at combat, was preparing her for the worst.

She hummed in agreement, ready for his last go. She'd gotten the motions surprisingly quick and now Jack wanted to see if she could actually use them or if she would freeze up in a legit assault.

He hoped the latter wouldn't happen.

"Anything can be a weapon, so be resourceful. And remember to always let them come at you first, alright?" Jack pointed out and she nodded. But even though Jack's gaze was steady and his emotions were calm, he couldn't help the apologetic feeling driving itself through him.

Tooth wasn't meant to be doing any of this – she was supposed to be celebrating Christmas with her sisters, in her castle, and relaxing after winter exams...not getting ready to fight an ex-operative in a some random hotel thousands of miles away from home with her family shattered. But she was fighting for it all back, just the look in her eyes told him that, and he was honored to have known her for it.

It made him like her more but he wouldn't dare say. So Jack, bent his knees and showed he was ready to start.

"Oh and don't forget," he mentioned lastly. "Retreat is a tactic so don't ever think you need to stay in a fight just because you get into one."

"Got it," Tooth nodded and bent her knees too. Jack nodded absentmindedly when he noticed the posture. "Ready."

He paused for a moment.

"...Go!"

Jack immediately lunged at Tooth, careful but fast. At the last two steps, he opened his mouth.

"I'm coming on the right!" Jack said and properly pivoted on the ball of his right foot to lift his left one, ready to throw it into a gentle imitation of a side kick. "What do you do?"

"Move left!" And she moved on the ball on her foot to shift herself away from his and watched his heel catch air. She gasped lightly before he moved again.

"Here comes a left punch," he grunted and was ready to through a soft (but quick) straight punch with his fist. With Tooth's reaction time, she sensed it and threw up the back of her right arm instantly to deflect it. When it went off course and there was an opening at Jack's chest, she pivoted on her graceful feet again and twisted her body slightly, ready to throw an upward punch at his xiphoid.

"Found the opening!" she puffed.

"Good," Jack said but he expertly leaped back before her fist could fully collide with the bone between his lungs. "But how about this?"

Then he rushed forward before she could blink and went to wrap his hands gently around her throat.

Tooth gasped.

But a millisecond before he touched her, her hands flew up on pure instinct and knocked both his wrists away. As they flew off course, Jack nodded.

"Good, you g–"

But he couldn't finish when he suddenly felt her hands around his neck. Tooth's eyes burned intensely and when he thought it was over, she planted her front foot steady between them and he knew what was coming.

She was going to knee him in the groin.

Then she thrust forward – but not nearly as far as he thought. Tooth stopped herself a couple inches of the way and watched with a smug expression as Jack's face instinctively cringed for the incoming pain.

After a moment, she leaned up to his ear.

"I'm not that mean," Tooth teased.

Jack sighed almost gratefully and threw his hands on the wall close behind her to stop himself from stumbling forward.

"Yeah, thanks," he said with an eye-roll but then he looked down at her. "But next time, uh...you have to remember to shoot your hips forward while your kneeing someone. You'll get a stronger drive."

And when Tooth realised how close she was bringing him with her hands as he was bracing himself over her with the wall, she blushed.

"Right, o-okay...awesome," she stuttered.

The two then ripped away from each other and coughed awkwardly.

Jack rubbed his neck and pushed up his sleeves again and went to roll his wrist.

"Uh, good job," he mumbled and pointedly looked away. Tooth rubbed her neck.

"Thanks for teaching me," she started before she shook her head a little to clear her head. "A-And you were right...it really was more effective than what my guards taught me."

And at that, Jack stopped feeling awkward about himself and smirked.

"See? I told you."

And she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know you did. And I'm still trying to regain blood in these limbs."

But when she chuckled weakly, Jack stopped rolling his wrist to look at her.

"But at least we're doing this," he said. "I feel better knowing you've got at least some background on dodging and footwork and sometimes, that's all you'll need."

"I'll take anything, as long as it'll help me save my sisters and stop this bastard," Tooth said before she clenched her fist. Then she looked at him.

"Thanks, Jack," she said and the princess shot a small smile before she moved to unbraid her hair by the bed.

"And...don't be angry with your mother, Tooth," Jack said suddenly.

Tooth froze, hesitant.

"Huh?"

She turned her head over her shoulder and looked at him, waiting. Jack was busy pushing all the furniture back.

"Now that I...remember I wasn't a monster after all," he said tiredly, as he pushed things around but Tooth stopped him.

"You aren't," she told him and he looked back at her.

For a moment, he was distracted with the way her damp hair was now loose and tumbling in waves down her shoulders. But then he looked back at her face.

"Yeah...but you have to believe me. Project GUARDIAN was created to protect people from terrorists. We did what we could to keep even the other spies around the world safe. That's why no one knew about us and why our abilities were covered up."

Tooth nodded and went to her bag.

"You're right," she sighed and she blew her dark bangs out of her eyes. "You're always right."

"And I'm your hero too, remember?"

When Tooth snapped her head up at him, a blush came on her face. There was a tease in his voice that she'd never heard before. And as she looked, he also had a smirk on his face.

Suddenly his smirk transformed into mischievous grin and Tooth thought she'd die.

"Well?" he laughed and then raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

'Oh god, Jack, don't smile at me like that!' she inwardly groaned. 'You're making this 'friend-not-a-friend deal' harder for me.

She could barely handle it, the more he kept smiling. It was like it was always meant to be there but he'd been suppressing it for years. And she couldn't help that she was falling for him over and over again.

"Stop teasing me!" she laughed before she smiled again. "B-But yeah...you are."

And his smirk dropped instantly into a smile.

"So in the same sense, so was your mother."

And Tooth did think it over, trying to feel bitter, wanting to argue. But the fire wasn't there and as she watched Jack nod, she looked down.

Her mother had been a GUARDIAN. A GUARDIAN. Which meant she'd gone through the same training as Jack and had to endure everything that made him come out as the man she crushed on heavily. And after everything she'd told Jack, everything she saw and believed, in him and North and Edmund, and in every word of the program founder's apology video, she knew the GUARDIANs weren't cold killing machines.

Sure, they did the worst jobs imaginable – but it was only so that others wouldn't.

And whether or not her pregnancy was the cause of unforeseen pain and suffering (something she thought would take her a long time not to forget), at the root, Tooth started to soothe the stitch in her heart, telling herself that her mother hadn't created her to be an experiment.

Tooth played with the end of her damp hair. Jack watched her softly.

"Dad did say he loved her..." and Tooth gulped down a heavy lump. "And I could tell, even when I was little...that he missed her every day."

And Jack nodded encouragingly, warm fire radiating from his core and reaching out to touch her with a cool hand. "Remember what you said...Choose love over fear."

So she had to smile.

Because she believed her Dad, and she believed Jack. She had to have been born out of love, not as a science experiment. Her father was too gentle and compassionate for that...and it was just the Center gene, and the company, that took advantage of them.

And for the first time in a long time, Toothiana wished she could meet her mom again, wondering what she looked like, sounded like, before all of this. And it made her teary.

"Besides..."

Tooth blinked out of her dream bubble and looked back at Jack. As he watched, she wiped a corner of her eye. His own grew wide with worry, thinking he'd said something again to hurt her – but she smiled hopefully as she still hung on his words.

So he gulped and looked back down to his bag.

"Besides," he continued. "That woman at the bar doesn't know you, Tooth. She doesn't know what you've done for me."

And Tooth couldn't have been happier.

"I know...Thanks."

"So you're feeling better?"

"...Absolutely."

Everything was falling into place. Being with him, on this adventure, heck this mission, was like it was meant to all happen and in the right way.

After today, nothing could stop her anym–

"Shit!" Jack hissed.

She looked up instantly when he threw a hand to his heart and blinked down.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just thought I'd replace the bandages and not worry about using the–Son of a...Ow!"

Jack then started to take off his shirt right in front of her and she nearly had a heart attack.

She didn't think she should be reacting the way she was – he called her his partner for Pete's sake! But that didn't mean her attraction for him stopped. She wasn't sure if she could handle his chiseled body again, especially since the last time he was shirtless they'd pretty much...

'Oh god, Tooth!'

So she tried to look away again to give him his personal space. Hopefully he'd leave on his pants and just finish in the bathroom so sh–

"JACK!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at her screech.

Jack whirled on her, holding his shirt in his hand.

"Yeah, I know, I know!"

She would've left him alone...leaving him to his perfect muscles and what-not – until she caught his bandage over his heart turning red.

When he saw what she was gasping at, he looked down and sighed.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" she panicked. "I knew something was up in Burgess when you–and then you kept and I–"

"Tooth," Jack groaned. He sat down on the bed as she immediately began running around to find things.

"Does it hurt? Wait, of course it probably hurts that's why you–and argh, you never listen to me, you–"

As she ran passed him, Jack shot out a hand and grabbed her wrist. She skidded to a halt.

"Will you calm down?!" he snapped. A second later, he let go of her hand and moved to get his leather jacket. He then pulled out the small green vial that Aster had given him.

"Aster gave me this, remember?" he explained and held it up for Tooth to see. "It's gonna help accelerate my cell regeneration."

Tooth squinted down at it.

"Well, why the heck didn't you use it?! Shouldn't you have when you changed? Wait...H-How do you even know that?" she said slightly put off. "Cell regeneration sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. It's not real."

But Jack threw her a look.

"And you're a master on 'What is Real' after everything you've experienced in the last three days?"

Tooth opened her mouth.

"Ah...yeah, okay nevermind."

And he smirked when he caught her at a pause and took a seat in the armchair as he passed the vial to Tooth.

"Don't worry...I have used it before," he continued as he started taking off the bandage on his chest. "My body already heals pretty quickly without it. I figured I could let the wound heal on it's own and save the vial...but I guess I can't."

And Tooth nodded absentmindedly – she remembered wondering about the cut on his cheek the night he fought those Nightmares in Wales. It looked so painful when they left but when she woke upon arrival 7 hours later, it was gone and he looked healthier. She thought maybe she'd imagined it...but then his quick recovery after the bullet hole proved to her that maybe it was a gene thing.

And it was.

Suddenly Jack winced. She looked at him worriedly, as he tried to reach behind him to pull off the bandage on his entrance wound but his hand wouldn't reach very far.

"You weren't like this two minutes ago when we were fighting!" she panicked.

"I think I got secondary contamination after we left," he grunted and frowned against the pain he was trying to control. "Bullet wounds, especially chest ones...ugh, they sometimes go through another infection after a couple hours of treatment. But they flare up at random times."

Tooth knitted her brows together.

"Don't forget all the physical stress we went through after you woke up," she added. "The company, you in the Judgement Room, th...the memories."

And Jack nodded.

"Yeah," he sighed. When he dropped his hand again to relax his arm muscle, Tooth frowned.

"Let me help," she offered and she made to grab a wet cloth from the bathroom and motioned him over to the bed.

Jack looked at her.

"You sure?" he asked and Tooth was surprised that he didn't try to argue her. It made her smile when she came back and nodded her head.

"'Cause I mean," he started and rubbed the back of his neck. He'd already gone and grabbed extra gauze and bandages from his backpack.

"It's not a cut, Tooth. I don't want you to freak out."

"Jack, I had to help Edmund sew you up after you passed out on me at the Warren. So trust me, I've already seen at its worse."

'The blood, the bullet, the Nightmare infection, everything,' she mentally added – but she didn't need to tell him that.

And when his face paled slightly, she shook her head with a smile. He could so dramatic sometimes.

Tooth motioned him to come over again. And after two blinks, Jack threw a hand up.

"Fine, whatever," he sighed and he got up from the armchair and moved over the bed. Tooth clambered on it and moved back until she was kneeling behind him.

"Be careful," he warned and she huffed – then she made it her mission for the next ten minutes or so not to stare down at his defined back muscles.

"I know."

Tooth peeled off the gauze and winced when she saw the bullet wound still there.

Aster's surgical thread had sewn up the hole but the blood leaking through was enough to scare her into thinking that it would rip open at any point. It also made her want to cry out, thinking about how close she was to losing him (and that made her really want to smack Jack in the head for pushing himself all this time).

As she fell silent, Jack's forehead creased with worry.

"Tooth?"

"Uh no, yeah! I'm good!" she stuttered and shook her head. "I'm just..."

He frowned and tried to look back at her.

"I told you. You don't have to."

"Jack! It's fine," she sighed. "Relax, will ya? You're right, it's not that bad."

Then she started to untwist the cap on the vial.

"I'm just thinking about how...too close it almost was. To your heart, I mean."

And Tooth wanted to shut up right there and then.

Jack's eyes widened slightly and he turned his head over his shoulder to look at her. Her cheeks glowing hot pink. But the second he did, he got hit with a wave of something strong.

Tooth finally pulled the cap off the vial and as the smell of the biotic floated around them, he felt his insides uncoil slightly.

Even Tooth nearly slumped in her kneeling position – she smiled instantly, comforted by the weird scent in the green liquid.

It helped brush all her awkwardness away.

"Tooth," Jack tried to started but Tooth began to clean around his wound softly and carefully. Her eyelids fell halfway over her eyes.

"Just relax, Jack..." she sighed and she shut her mouth and continued to do her job. She wasn't aware that the tone in her voice sent a goosebumps all up his arms.

As Tooth played nurse, he felt very reminiscent of his role as a doctor for her back on the plane...back when he wanted to hate her. Now he couldn't get her out of his mind. It made him throw his eyes to the ceiling.

Who knew tables could turn so quickly?

Tooth finished quickly, wiping all the dried blood and clear discharge from Aster's earlier medicine and Jack's wound. She then looked down at the biotic nervously before dipping two fingers into the vial. When she pulled it out, the thin, gooey liquid coated her fingertips and throwing a calming scent into her nostrils.

Against her self-control, she sighed gratefully and placed her other hand on Jack's shoulder.

"A-And I just rub this into it?" she asked for confirmation and Jack nodded.

"Yeah, my body will respond to it and do the rest by morning."

"O-Okay," she exhaled.

She then brushed her fingers gently over Jack's entrance wound and rubbed gently in a methodical circle.

Tooth vaguely wondered if her body could do the same – since she did share the same powerful DNA running through him, it was possible...but she didn't dwell on it, only thinking about him for the moment.

Jack sighed as the numbing sensation in the biotic (and maybe from her touch too) started to soothe the throbbing that had been growing here. He sat stiff on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets gently as he felt her lean down more to examine and focus on her work.

"What makes you happy?" she asked lightly.

Jack blinked.

"Hm?"

"I mean, I just–" and she thought of Wales when he asked her the same question to calm her down. But she shook her head, feeling silly. "Mm, nothing...How're you feeling?"

He said nothing and just nodded.

In her own right, Tooth was a great bodyguard too.

After a couple more seconds, Tooth stopped and pulled her fingers away from his skin. She then closed the vial, saving the last of the liquid for his exit wound, and wiped her fingers with the wet cloth.

As she placed another bandage over it she frowned at it one more time.

"...This wounds still pretty bad."

He blinked when he heard her mumble to herself and he dropped his head down again. He wanted to look at Toothiana but decided to keep his eyes to the floor instead.

"It's not that bad," he mumbled back but she begged to differ.

"A bullet to the chest isn't that bad?" she scoffed. "What are you, a masochist?"

"No, but I've been shot before. I told you, remember?" he pointed out and his eyebrows furrowed together. Now that he could remember his whole life, that also meant he could remember all the horrible cuts, scrapes, and gunshots he got inflicted with as both Agent Overland and JACK FROST. He opened his left hand under him and stared at his spidery-snowflake scar in his palm.

"I've had worse," he muttered and when he gently closed his fist, Tooth finished placing the bandage on his back. She patted it gently then looked down, sighing deep in thought.

Then she blinked suddenly.

As Jack mulled over, he suddenly felt her fingertips on another part of his back – lower and closer to his waist.

"H-How'd you get this one?" she mumbled and poked the spot. "Wait, y-you don't have to say. I'm just being nosy, sorry."

But when she chuckled to herself, Jack's head turned over his right shoulder and he looked at her.

She stopped instantly, her pink eyes getting trapped in the intense blue gaze.

Then he flicked them down to the spot he couldn't see.

"When I...was wandering around after I woke up," he mumbled. "I travelled all the way to Tibet."

Tooth didn't say or do anything as he continued.

"I was trying to hide from the police by that time and I vaguely remembered a mission I had as GUARDIAN that took place there, so I ended up in some mountain village. But since I...since I didn't know how I was, this family let me stay with them."

Jack then looked back to the carpet.

"He was a farmer, with his wife and two boys. I only stayed with them for about a week but somehow someone got a hold of my name and they realised I was a wanted criminal. So they tried to force me out of the village."

"Because they were afraid?" Tooth looked down at the scar again. Jack glared at the patterns in the floor.

"They had every right to be," he said bitterly.

...

Subcontinent of India, Border of Tibet, One year ago

"Stay with us!"

The Himalayas made Jack feel like he was connected to everything and at the same time, very small.

The people living in the Himachal Pradesh mountain village, close to the snowy slope before it inclined were the nicest he'd ever met. And he guessed that it was because they were spiritually connected to the mountains.

Jack wandered into the tiny world with just a stolen winter coat, another lodger's backpack, and his case for his contact lenses. He wasn't sure why he wanted to travel all the way up there except for one thing – to hide, and pray that the international police wouldn't brave the cold to find him.

He had only planned on staying a night before moving again since he felt very nomadic. But then one of the goat herders insisted that he be a guest in his family's house, and Jack was grateful. He'd never had anyone offer him refuge and he was exhausted...plus, he'd been dying for a family and the wife and their two sons (who didn't speak English though) were very sweet.

But then a week in, one of the villagers who always travelled down to the capital city of Kullu to sell/buy from the market overhead gossip about a man all over India who was wanted for the killing of a few police and for bartering with a terrorist. Afterwards, it wasn't hard for anyone to guess that Jack was probably the one responsible.

So the father of the family stormed on him.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" The question was so abrupt that Jack jumped out of his skin.

"WHAT?!"

When he turned, he saw the mountains through the window, but he couldn't appreciate it for long.

"You were wanted!" the father said and threw down a paper written in Hindi that Jack couldn't understand – but it was police report with his name and description. He just needed someone to explain.

"You endanger this family! This village! Get out!"

"Wait, but you don't–But I–"

"GET OUT!"

Jack was then almost ganged up on by several of the village men, trying to take him away. They dragged him out of the house using arms, everyday items, and force. He fought them off easily and tried to dash back into the house to grab his things.

But he skidded to a halt just before he made it to the front door.

The farmer and his wife were standing in the front of the doorway, holding knives at their sides, holding their sons' tiny hands to try to make a point – Jack couldn't come back in and he'd be a disgrace to show violence in front of two young children.

So Jack backed away and left the village with only the clothes on his back. They never saw him again after that, thinking maybe he might've died from the cold on his journey back down the mountain (as immoral but necessary as it sounded). But Jack's body had an affinity to cold temperatures thanks to his Center Gene, and he made it out only tired, not really hungry, and alone.

After that day, every time he fell asleep, if he wasn't dreaming about Emma, Jack ended up having nightmares, replaying that image of the family in his mind.

...

Jack fell silent with good reason afterwards. Tooth leaned out slightly to catch his face but it had grown dark again.

So she frowned and poked another scar.

"And this one?"

She was almost afraid to touch the faint, long gash line near the front of his torso – the same one she noticed each time he took off his shirt. His body was painted with scars, telling her stories of a life she didn't know or fully understand... To think one person could ever endure it all. In comparison to anyone she'd ever met, Jack's skin made him foreign, almost alien to her but she didn't want to shy away.

Not for him.

When her fingertips brushed it, he exhaled to ignore the goosebumps rising up his skin.

He glared at the floor.

"Back when I was GUARDIAN," he grumbled. "I was undercover in a criminal ring and I had to sneak out $20 million with a team...we did it but..."

"No, it's okay," Tooth bit her lip. She loved that he wanted to share all of this with her, as disturbing as it was. Then she stroked a faint line, high on his right shoulder.

"What about this?"

Jack turned his head back again and eyed it briefly before he started forward again.

"Sparring incident," he said with a slight smile. "Judo grappling mishap that went too far."

And that's all he said before Tooth started to mumble to herself.

He raised both eyebrows curiously.

"What're you–"

A second later, her finger was tracing something softly over his scar.

"Truth," she whispered and traced a feather over his skin. When she opened her eyes again, Jack turned to her wide-eyed.

"...What?"

Tooth smiled sadly. She then moved to trace one on his torso, shyly but boldly. "Lightness."

And another feather on his last scar. "Speed."

When she was almost done, she pulled away.

"Every New Year's Eve, my sisters and I trace feathers on each other's foreheads and we make a wish for each other based on what we want for them."

She chuckled after.

"Sometimes they think they're funny wishing each other that they'd finally get brains or an attitude adjustment, but they mean well."

"So why're you giving me more than one wish?" he asked with a slight smirk. "You think I need a lot?"

"Psh, I know you do," she teased but when she leaned over with a kind smile, his heart raced.

"No, I just want to."

"And why not my forehead?"

"I'm getting there!" she laughed and not a second later, Tooth grabbed the wet cloth and hopped off the bed. When she stood in front of Jack and he closed his eyes obediently, she grinned with a slight blush. Tooth then lifted her hand to the wound over his heart and traced a feather on it.

"Virtue."

And finally, she pushed his bangs apart and traced a feather on his forehead.

"And I wish for new beginnings," she grinned softly and her peppermint-laced breath made Jack smile slightly.

"Thanks, Tooth," he said gently and opened his eyes, as she pulled away and moved back to the bed.

"You're welcome."

Tooth wanted to ask Jack more about his judo grapple scar but he looked at the TV in thought after she went looking for more bandages.

"Now that I remember, I should set Cottontail straight," he said, referring to Aster. "I was 7th dan, not 5th. Our training and our genes accelerated my speed and reaction time."

"Does that really matter?" Tooth teased.

"To guys, it does," he smirked. "Jamie always insisted on being the better fighter than I was."

And Tooth paused. Her eyebrows lifted delicately.

"Who's Jamie?" she asked, wistfully surprised. It was so exciting to learn all these things about Jack – and the more he shared, the more she was learning about the real him. Just as he was learning about her...her touch still left him humming with energy and wanting her to explain the traditions she and her sisters did. But he was content with sharing his first since she didn't want to seem to drift away from the topic.

Jack smiled grew as he looked back in front of him again. As he did, Tooth moved off the bed again and decided to patch up his front wound next.

"He was this boy that grew up with my sister and I," Jack started to explain. "He was Emma's best friend and I swear, he and his baby sister Sophie came over every day to our house."

As he spoke, the light tone in his voice started to return and something about hearing it this way made Tooth's heart soar – she was starting to hear the real Jack underneath all the espionage gear and skin. And she loved it.

"So what happened to them?" she asked with an easygoing smile. Tooth loved hearing about new people she'd never met yet, especially little kids, and as she dragged the desk chair in front of Jack to sit and face him, she smiled eagerly.

"Well, I don't know about Sophie. But you'd love her, she's...she's the cutest thing. And Jamie..."

Jack faded out slightly as Tooth went to sit in the chair and pulled it right up close to him. As she leaned slightly over his chest and under his chin, he blinked.

Then Jack shook his head a little and tried not to watch as she was about to start wiping his wound again.

He looked away.

"Well...you already saw him."

And Tooth pulled back at light speed.

"Wh-Seriously?!" she gawked. "You mean that cute boy walking with your sister in the woods? That's Jamie?!"

And Jack nodded with a smile still on his face – though he couldn't help the weird twinge in his chest when Tooth noticed that Jamie was a cute boy.

Toothiana said nothing for a moment and looked down at the wet cloth in her hands. A split second later, she smiled warmly for him and looked up.

"He's still taking care of her," she commented and Jack's smile grew, revealing the relief he'd been festering underneath bubble up like melted chocolate. He sighed.

"Yeah...and I'm glad."

And Tooth smiled softly before she leaned forward again and started wiping his exit wound of dry blood. It was a lot larger and looked more violent than his hole from the back – but Tooth had watched enough crime and detective shows to know that when bullets entered the body, they made a bigger wound leaving it. And even though Jack's bullet had lodged itself inside him and Aster had to surgically cut from the front to get it out, the damage was still apparent. She gulped and tried not to frown again as she kept her voice light.

"I wish I could have met them," Tooth mumbled happily and Jack nodded.

"You'd like them," he said looking sideways so as to not make things awkward for her. "Jamie loves anything weird – and just meeting you would've been enough."

Tooth smacked him with the wet cloth and laughed.

"Rude!"

Jack chuckled.

"I meant about your eyes, Princess Know-It-All."

"Oh haha," Tooth giggled and Jack continued.

"And Sophie's daydreams a lot. Talk about anything to do with princesses, make-believe places, or imaginary creatures, and you're good."

"But she was like a baby when you last saw her," Tooth flit her eyes up at his jaw before she looked down again with a smile. "How are you gonna know she still likes that stuff?"

"I don't know."

"I bet she's a fairy fan," the pink-eyed princess smiled. "I bought and recorded every fairy princess movie on tape for my sisters. You can never trust dvds."

Jack laughed again. "That's what I used to tell my parents."

Then Tooth lifted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"So what did you record, then?" she challenged but Jack smirked.

"You'll never know."

And she blushed before dropping her grin back onto her work. He'd mentioned his parents...but she knew not to ask yet. Toothiana then cleaned in silence for a while before she applied the biotic again – but as her fingers rubbed in circles above his strong heart, she bit her lip.

"And what about Emma?"

Jack looked down at her. Her crown of dark brown, almost black hair and blonde, feathery streak shone like a star and he smiled.

"Emma loved everything."

"That's a little bit of a stretch, don't you think?" she teased gently as ran her fingertips over the wound on his skin – she loved how the adoration for his sister showed so much in his tone. But he shook his head.

"No, I'm not kidding. Emma was up for anything. She would've loved biking, she would've loved itchy sweaters..."

Then Tooth finished and was about to pull away her green fingers from his bullet wound.

"All don–"

"–and she would've loved you."

Tooth froze. She lifted her head until it was almost eye-level with Jack's.

The princess then felt her grin return softly to her face, a blush apparent.

"R-Really?" she teased and Jack nodded.

"Would I trick you?"

"Yes! You always play tricks, you little–"

When Jack laughed, Tooth felt his chest expand with a deep breath under her fingertips. She nearly shivered and yanked her hand back from his chest. She then rolled her eyes and cleaned her fingers again.

"But I'm serious about this," Jack said and Tooth looked at him again, knowing that if he was ever as serious about his sister as she was about hers, then it was important.

And Jack nodded, catching her eyes in a long gaze.

"Emma would've liked you, Tooth...You're not an easy person to forget."

She smiled.

"Thanks, Jack," she chuckled weakly and looked down before peeking up at him a second later. His blue eyes were making everything harder than they needed to be. Maybe it was better that they'd demoted back out of the friendship status – things would've been too hard and it was better to be just partners.

But at the rate they were going, it looked like they would be best friends instead.

Jack smiled at her – he'd never met a girl his age yet that he liked so much. For him, relationships were usually a one-time sorta thing brought on by flirtation and a sudden drive for affection just to fill a void. But Tooth was already filling that void and there was nothing left he really wanted to do but know everything about her.

And Tooth pushed her hair behind her ear – she'd never been this comfortable with a guy before (especially one who pretty much dragged her to hell and back), and now she was wanting it more and more with Jack. It was pretty obvious to her, to him, and everyone around them, but she didn't care if Jack wanted to be just...whatever-they-were because at least she'd managed to be on some sort of level with him. And it was great.

As she placed a new bandage on his chest again, they kept staring at each other, alternating between eye-rolls and head shakes. Until Jack bit his cheek.

"What about your sisters?" he asked cautiously. "What are they like?"

As Tooth finished pressing the gauze over his heart, she smiled up at him.

"You'll know when you meet them," she said simply. Then Jack blinked and nodded, respecting her answer.

She had a good point, all warmth aside. There was still a fight going on between them and Pitch, and they couldn't forget that her sisters were being taken one by one every day. Jack would have time to talk pleasantries later, but only after they were safe and sound like Emma.

But once he started thinking about her clones again, his mind went to other places.

"That's why," he mumbled and Tooth paused.

"What?"

As she started again, Jack shook his head and pushed the fringe of his bangs out of his eyelashes.

"When I was a GUARDIAN, they advised the female agents not to have kids."

"They did?" When she saw where his train of thought was going, she frowned. "...They did, huh?"

"It's why GUARDIANs weren't married or had relationships. But I'd assumed it was to avoid emotional compromise. But it makes sense now..."

He looked at her.

"The Center Gene affects our bodies, but having a kid inside you, with all the hormones going off, affects our DNA and backfires on us. The advisory was probably to respect your mom's situation."

Tooth looked at the carpet, squeezing her bare legs together.

"Maybe..."

"The founder did say she was the best GUARDIAN the program ever had, Tooth. And I think her pregnancy transformation scared everyone but...but it meant she saved other female GUARDIANs lives by hanging on for you."

And Tooth looked up at him wide-eyed. Jack frowned a little.

"How...did your mom survive? If the children from the INNOCENCE program died instantly from the gene...why didn't she and...why didn't you?"

Tooth's lips grew dry and she licked them.

She'd never thought about it like that before. Jack was right, but while he kept asking all the right questions...she didn't have the right answers.

And she frowned too. "I don't know, Jack...I don't know. But something kept her hanging on."

"That's an easy one," he said as he put on his shirt again. "She wanted to see you, obviously...But we'll get through this and figure it all out...Okay?"

And she threw him a sad smile, wondering if her mom ever did get to see her to the end.

"Okay."

And when his heavy gaze fell on her again, blinding her with his intensity, he suddenly realised something.

"Oh dammit."

Tooth frowned and raised an eyebrow.

"W-What is it?"

"I just..."

Jack rubbed a hand to his forehead under his bangs. He glared at a spot on the ground.

"I just remembered that I left my coloured contacts back at Aster's bunker."

And Tooth frowned.

"T-That's okay," she tried to reassure him. "The agencies are looking for you now with brown eyes remember? S-So maybe it's time for switch, you know?"

"I guess," Jack sighed. "But it's necessary in case something happens. And I've never gone anywhere without it."

Then Tooth raised her eyebrows and leaned in slightly.

Jack saw her and paused just in front of her.

"What?"

"Why didn't you wash the hair dye out either?" she suggested. "They're looking for a Jack with brown hair too remember?"

But he shook his head.

"The wanted lists list me as either seen with full brown hair or full white," he reminded her. "So my two-tones will continue to hide me."

"Well...for what it's worth–"

And Jack paused what he was doing to look directly up at Tooth again, she smiled.

"– I mean, I know you know you think you're not...really you anymore...B-But I think your blue eyes and a full head of white hair, even though I haven't since yet for myself...really suit you."

And she brushed his bangs, slightly with her fingers and a small grin.

But as she did, Jack suddenly felt something slap the back of his mind.

He inhaled sharply and Tooth pulled away a little, but still a couple inches away from his face.

"Wh-What's wrong?"

And like liquid fire and earthquakes, Jack's skin tingled and his heart suddenly pounded.

"Jack?"

"Can you hear me?"

Jack suddenly felt one last memory take over his senses. He kept his eyes open, like Tooth had earlier instructed, but every time he tried to remember her voice from one moment...he kept hearing it from another.

"Did you...What did you..."

He saw blurry lights, smelled blood and moist concrete, and felt a tingle on his cheek. Warm and fluttering.

He remembered the kiss. The one Tooth left on his cheek before her presence drifted away.

"You deserve better than a geek, than a princess freak like me. You deserve better than all of this."

"Jack, what d'you see?" Tooth asked and moved her fingers up again to brush his bangs out of his impossibly wide eyes. She had a tiny, hopeful smile on her face. Anything he remembered now was an added bonus to helping him remember more of who he was.

Except she didn't think for one second, that it might mean memories with her in it.

"I really do put you through shit. I'm so sorry..."

Her breath fluttered over him like a feather and he nearly collapsed in the senses that had swallowed him then. She'd never known how much her being there with him made him feel safe, made him feel comforted. Because while he didn't understand anything of what was happening, just hearing her voice and sensing what was undeniably Toothiana, made Jack calm. At least until she left for a portion of the night.

But then he sensed her again and suddenly his lips were on fire.

"And I choose now."

But he remembered it vanished, something a force of nature, being ripped away from him and he needed it back. So he pushed up to catch it, to keep it all to himself. And the next thing he knew...

There was a waist in his hands and hair tickling his jaw – and he wanted it more, imagining it on some subconscious as the embodiment of care and comfort.

He imagined Tooth.

And he held her close and moved her under him until his heart felt like it was explode. But then she pulled away and he didn't feel it anymore – because sleep took over.

Or at least...sleep had already taken over. Hadn't it?

"Jack?"

Hadn't it?

"Thank you..."

Tooth frowned a little and pulled her hand away from his hair to bring it back to her lap–

Jack caught it and held it tightly beside their faces.

She was ready to open her mouth and ask him what was wrong, but then she saw the look in his eyes.

He was staring her...but he was looking with a dark, clouded gaze. His jaw was tight and his mouth was unreadable.

But then he moved his lips, and she felt like the world had just ended.

"...We kissed."

Tooth's heart raced, as he leaned in dangerously close to her face.

"N-No, we didn't...R-Remember? W-We banged noses and–"

"No, not then." She was petrified by the deep tenor in his tone and his glare softened.

"You know what I'm talking about."

Tooth tried to focus on his eyes – not his neck, or the deep Adam's apple, or the arch in his skin the disappeared under his white Henley shirt.

"I...Jack, n–I mean..."

His words were like a fire slowly burning her at her core, and when his eyes grew at her response, she panicked. Tooth got up from the chair and pushed it back under the table, trying to move around the bed.

But Jack got up and spun to catch her wrist.

When she turned back around, he looked down at her, heart racing, fingers twitching.

"Did we?"

"Ja–"

"Tooth."

So she stopped – because what could she do, lie? Argue? No, they were past that. And Jack was smart, and Tooth was...Tooth was...

She gulped.

"...B...H-How did you know? Y-You said you..."

His eyebrows set firmly on his forehead and his jaw was tight as he clenched softly on his teeth. His dark eyes, unblinking, gazed down on her with an unknown emotion flashing through them that put her on edge.

"I did kiss you..." Jack whispered shakily. "...d-didn't I?"

Toothiana looked up at him, wide and afraid.

A deep flush spread across her skin and the silk of her pajamas made her feel less clothed than she felt. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and ready to be shredded to pieces. But as Jack's eyes grew intense and his expression became somewhere between a mix of pain and pleasure, he knew that was exactly what he wanted.

And maybe...that's she wanted too.

"W...W-We did," she admitted bravely. "I-I mean, I did...and y-you did kiss me."

And somehow, they were moving in closer than they originally could.

Jack felt drawn to her. Her smell, her golden skin, her visible shivers. Tooth was so alluring, so breathtaking...and all his. Almost instantly, he felt himself start to lean over her - like Rome all over again, wanting to catch her eyes in the light, her lips in the dark.

The wind outside their window howled in the night sky.

"But...But why didn't you say anything?" he exhaled as his face darkened in the angled shadows. His cheekbones were more prominent, his throat more exposed, and every heavy breath he tried to restrain made her want to move away in fear.

Toothiana shook her head a little.

"B-Because...you got shot, Jack!" and she tried to back away. "And you were unconscious, a-and I was stupid, and Edmund was there and we're always in danger, always running and I–"

But his grip on her hand tightened and she stopped.

When she looked again, Jack's face was severe.

He pulled her hand to him before she could get away, like he always seemed to let her – but he was done.

She wasn't getting away. Not this time.

And before she could finish licking her lips shakily, she started to walk back to him. He rubbed her knuckle as he stood face-to-face with him.

"Tooth..."

She blinked up at him, eyes glassy and a tiny, pathetic frown trying to split on her mouth.

"An...And you said we were friends. So I..."

And his frown deepened.

"So you...didn't want to jeopardize it? Is that what you're saying?"

"...Because I thought this would be over before it started."

And the ache in her voice, and the ache in her bones, was raw and heavy...but it was a complete reflection of his own.

"But...what about now?" Jack mumbled and despite his control, he swallowed a lump in his throat.

He tugged her even closer.

Then he tilted his head down over hers until his bangs were almost dancing atop hers. Tooth tilted her head up slightly, hovering just below his face.

"N-Now?"

"Yeah. Now..." he repeated but she shook her head a little.

"B-But...you don't have another–"

"I don't."

Their proximity and their Center genes made her skin electrify.

"S...Same." And she fell silent – but she swore she could almost feel his racing heart as he spoke.

"We agreed we suck as friends, as pathetic as that sounds but we...we know we're something else. So..."

Tooth looked up at Jack, eyes steady, and he felt that deep energy beat between them. It was stronger than ever, passing through her skin and into his chest, making his pupils dilate.

"What if I...W-What if I wanted to..." he murmured.

And after a moment of hesitation, he slowly took a hold of her cheeks.

Tooth's heart stopped, but Jack's dry mouth and hot gaze was too busy taking in the color of her eyes, her small nose, the way she looked at him...He wanted to give her the respect she deserved. But his head, his heart...

"What would happen...if we tried again?"

Her words were caught in her throat as his bright, sapphire eyes pierced into hers. He had never looked at her that way before, so ready that she thought she'd set on fire from his intensity.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak.

But even though she felt all her rational thoughts caving...she swallowed. Hard.

"I...I don't..." she whispered.

Something inside his whisper, behind the unsteady confidence, drove her wild.

He was saying the things she never dreamed he'd say – well, she dreamed about it...fantasized about it maybe even a little too much but–

Tooth's breath hitched.

Jack never dropped his gaze. He traced her deeper than he'd ever trace a target in his life...and he was ashamed to say that...he loved it.

"...I-I don't know."

A second later, the Hypunjam princess shut her jewel-colored irises, feeling her stomach flutter in anticipation. And he shut his eyes, his heart threatening to kill him.

He now knew she was important to him – no, she was so much more than that. She was the antidote to his pain, the energy he couldn't properly place, and a woman he would never hope to understand but wanted under him like an anchor.

Like a light.

So preparing, and moving in so close that Tooth could feel his breath on her face...

Jack leaned down...

...and he kissed her.

Pure and sensual catching the plush of her lips, Jack glided his mouth smoothly over hers until they started to move slow and affectionately. They were so nervous, so gentle, and tasting of mint toothpaste. Tooth's cheeks flushed under his touch and Jack's ears burned red. And they were so wrapped up in each other, in the high of a tension that had finally burst, that when Jack's thumbs stroked her face softly, any bit of cold they felt vanished and their muscles relaxed instantly.

Tooth shivered like his strength would end her. Under his fingers, she felt him gently pull her closer to him and she complied easily.

He tilted his head and sighed under her touch when her lips moved timidly but earnestly between his.

It was euphoric.

They thought they were the only people in the world, finally at a place of tenderness and feeling stronger together than they ever felt apart.

Neither wanted to pull away for air... but three seconds later though–

She gasped.

He almost tossed his hands into her hair as he lifted them from her face.

Something electrocuted the both of them and they pulled away with a sharp intake of air.

What was that?

Tooth's eyes flew open with surprise and Jack peeked through his lashes, still wrapped up in the sensation, while they stared each other. His words floated through both their minds again.

What would happen...if we tried again?

What would happen?

She gulped, her full pink lips so inviting to him.

"I-I don't know," Tooth repeated softly.

But her eyelids were already starting to fall again with desire, and Jack's heartbeat started to accelerate.

Tooth's temperature was rising under her shirt and Jack ached for it beneath his cool skin.

"Me neither," he whispered.

Soon his hands were already pushing themselves into the rest of her hair to bring her back.

And when he slowly tilted his head down again, Tooth closed her eyes and moved her hands up to grasp Jack's face. She then pulled him back to her in agony, and Jack didn't fight it, didn't want to.

Not anymore.

He shut his eyes, and when his mouth enveloped hers, their genes sent another shock shoot through them enough to shatter their cores.

And they loved it.

Lowering his hands tortuously, Jack wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her flush against him. He closed any gap between them, hell-bent on showing that he was done with any leftover feelings, and wanting her to feel safe in his arms. Instead, Toothiana felt tiny and shuddered under his hold.

She could practically feel his power radiating from him and over to her as she pushed his sleeves higher up his arms. It sent a flushed sensation deep into the pool of her stomach. Tooth arched her back, trying to get more of him and when the princess wrapped her arms around his neck and into his wet, brown-white hair, Jack moved an arm up her back until his hand gripped her neck.

He felt provoked, goosebumps crawling all across his skin, and raw energy dripping from the crown of his head to his feet. The GUARDIAN in him admonished it – but the man in him, the Jackson that adored Toothiana immensely, wanted to consume it whole.

His fingertips made electricity course all the way down her body and she gasped into their kiss, pulling the air from his lungs. And when she did, Jack felt the fire in his heart blaze and the light inside her pull him further out of the dark, making him need her more.

He wanted her, god, he wanted her.

And she was more than he was prepared for.

But he was still there, under her spell, and after everything she'd done, he knew he didn't want to let her go.

He would follow her.

And if she wanted, she could follow him.

He wanted to stay up late with her and talk about anything. He wanted to tease her and make inside jokes with her. He wanted to take her on motorcycle rides and have her hold him until she fell asleep. And he wanted to take her home and make her anything she wanted. He wanted Tooth...everywhere and anywhere with him.

And he wanted her to know it.

So with a heavy breath, he pulled away for a gasp of air.

Then he ravished her.

Tooth made a sound in the back of her throat and nearly fainted in the insatiable kiss, every worry melting away in the heat of the moment as her heart pounded. Jack molded their fronts closer than ever and when he pushed his hand into her damp hair, she sighed through her nostrils, feeling an energy shoot straight down to her bones that only he could create.

She then dragged one hand up from his hair down his ear, his neck, to rest on his chest.

Clutching his white fabric and dragging him closer, Jack couldn't help a slight groan in the back of his throat. Tooth would've blushed at the sound, knowing she was the one who'd made it, until both his hands suddenly slipped back down her sides.

Jack used the smoothness of her silk top to trace her curves until he reached her waist. It was his own personal secret, but he loved her hips. He hadn't much time to appreciate them until now and didn't think he ever would but now, he had all the time to enjoy the curvature of her body.

And he almost couldn't bear it.

Their kiss was powerful and made any control over his heart fly out the window. Jack had kissed other girls before, but he couldn't describe that, beyond the center gene running through both their veins and DNA, there was just something about Toothiana that made him crazy.

There was just never enough...and he loved it.

Dropping his hands lower, Jack gripped her pelvis. He then brushed his thumbs out to stroke the sides of her stomach, finding one of her sweet spots.

Tooth mewled in the back of her throat and she nudged him backward, using the short moment to catch her breath; to get her heartbeat under control. But it was near impossible, and she admitted to herself that she never wanted to feel anything other than what she felt now with him ever again.

When Jack caught himself against the edge of the bed, Tooth saw her chance to overthrow him.

Without hesitation, she gripped his shoulders firmly and jumped, wrapping her legs securely around his waist. Then linking her arms around his neck, she brought him closer to her, breaking through all the emotional barricades he might have had left, giving her access straight to his heart.

His breath quickened and his adrenaline rose when their skin touched and the hot tightening in his chest unleashed and washed over him.

Tooth heard his breath grow husky.

His eyes darkened with a heat stronger than mere adrenaline.

It had to be the gene, it was. Red hot, searing, and oozing like molten lava between the spot where their stomachs pressed together. Their centers made things burn brighter, made the room hotter, made every touch hypersensitive.

It was almost too much to handle.

Jack gripped her harder. He hastily lifted her forward, holding her head as he kissed her deeply, then threw his other arm out to knock everything off the table behind her, not giving a shit about all their bags, their things, and his weapons all falling and clattering to the floor.

Jack then dropped Tooth on its surface and pinned her against the wall behind it. When she pulled away, earning a tiny smack from their lips, he rushed forward and pressed his forehead over hers, eyes still closed.

"Can't get away from me that easy, kitten," he said softly with a moist breath and slid down to kiss her cheek, her jaw, and her neck. As he did, his nails dragged down the wall, rocking him to his core.

Tooth tipped her head back to give him more access and moaned like her life depended on it. Every delicate touch set every single part of her body on edge, making all her muscles tighten slightly and leaving her body quivering.

"D...Don' cal..." Tooth drew ragged breaths, her heart pounding with joy, and it only riled him up more.

She buried her fingers in his hair again as he started roaming his hands all over her body (trailing the fabric, tracing the buttons), and bringing them up and dragging them down over her thighs and under her knees. When both a fire and a cooling sensation flushed across her perspiring skin, Tooth pulled away slightly to take a breath.

"Call me kitten again," she threatened with a hot breath. Then she pushed herself away from the wall back to the edge of the table to wrap her legs around Jack more closely, clenching her thighs tighter against his hips. Tooth then grabbed hold of his neck, digging her nails gently into the back of his head, pulling him down, so his face was only millimeters from hers.

"I dare you," she whispered in a low, seductive tone and tilted his head slightly to slide her lips over his again, teeth hitting his in a sensual way.

She thought it would never end.

He thought it would never end.

And then at the exact same time–

–they both gasped and pulled away from the kiss.

Because Jack's cold hand was somehow...inside her shirt, grabbing her waist.

And it sent a powerful electric jolt between them, making them wake up, frightened and hot.

Jack stood there, panting heavy and eyes wide with worry. Tooth sat there unmoving, lips swollen and eyes the exact same as the brunette. But their gazes were unreadable and their chests were heaving, Tooth's more noticeable than the twenty-four-year-old's.

How Jack managed to unbutton her top and slip his hand inside to hold her (and how Tooth hadn't realized it) terrified both of them. He hadn't unbuttoned all the way though – just enough for it to have slipped off Tooth's right shoulder, and expose her dark strapless bra to him, and the cold air he was circulating around him. He'd also managed to bring her back into him, gripping her so close that they made a friction telling him more than he should have known.

But it wasn't like Jack could jump away. Tooth had her legs around his waist and her arms possessively around his neck. She'd also arched her back under him and propped herself against the edge of the table as they were about to start something on a completely different level.

But they weren't...they weren't ready for that.

They weren't even ready for whatever the hell had just happened!

'W...What HAD just happened?!'
'...W-What had JUST happened?!'

Jack started to pull himself away. He dropped his hand from the back of her neck and stopped tangling his fingers in her hair. Then he made to step back.

Tooth unwrapped herself from around him slowly and let him back away, looking just as apologetic as he did. She had to stop herself from biting her lip though when she felt his hand slide back out of her shirt, leaving five icy trails across her bare midriff.

When they had at least foot between them, they tried to regulate their racing hearts. Jack tried to keep his eyes on her adoringly flushed face and away from her body. He felt incredibly stupid for what he just did – even if he was falling for her, slowly longing for her since Italy, he had no right. She was a princess and they were in danger and this wasn't–

Tooth gasped quietly under her breath.

She stared at Jack's messy hair and twisted shirt exposing his torso – did she do that? She remembered stroking hard muscle and something cold...but his entire body was chilled that it was hard to tell.

And his eyes were so shocked, confused, and as stunned as hers about how far their kiss went. Did that...Did that mean their level of attraction for each other went beyond what they were thinking too?

She HAD thought that their kiss would be experimental at the most, unsure if Jack even liked her that much to want to try anything major. But look at them! They looked like two crazed animals. Jack's hair was a storm, an incredibly sexy swirl of a mess, his chest heaving and his gaze heavy; and Tooth's only article of clothing was threatening to fall off, her chest was moist was sweat, and her face was raw with emotion.

Tooth didn't even want to imagine what her hair might've looked like too. And the things they'd said...wait, were they even talking or was it just her imagination?

Was it his?

First kisses were supposed to be sweet and memorable, not having to beg for more – that's what she and BT agreed, just to prove a point about romance: that it could be tender and magical like everything they taught their younger sisters.

But back then, she didn't know Jack. She didn't know what he could do to her...or what she could do to him.

And it worried her, because maybe they were too hot for each other, too quickly.

Would that mean they would burn out just as fast?

Her face softened as she started to calm her breathing. She couldn't think about it anymore...couldn't think about anything, really.

After a moment, slowly so as to not freak Jack out (as a spy, he was lethal – there was no way to know what he was like when he was just scared), Tooth lowered a leg to the ground and cautiously placed her foot on the carpet. As she did, her top started to slip more and Jack noticed the red spot that he left on her neck.

Her position didn't really do anything to ease Jack's mind. If anything, it made it worse, so thinking fast, he dropped his head and looked around the floor. All their stuff was littering the beautiful hotel carpet. He felt his ears burn red and when Tooth looked up after planting both feet firmly on the ground again, she realized he was also blushing.

'Oh my god, I made him...H-He's...'

A splash of heated skin appeared lightly on his cheeks and as she rebuttoned her top, Jack looked up at her nervously.

She looked down instantly and her mouth flew open–

"You don't have to apologize, Tooth," he mumbled.

Just as quickly, Tooth's head rose back up and her fearful gaze stayed on Jack's. But from the look of it, he wasn't mad or emotional...he was calm...almost forgiving.

And it was like a balm to her sudden aching heart which she took gratefully.

Because...what needed to be said?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing...The actions spoke enough for themselves.

And after as she finished buttoning each one up quickly, Tooth exhaled past her swollen lips and looked at him steadily.

"N...Neither do you," she mumbled gently. And Jack nodded nervously, running a hand through his messy hair.

They didn't say a word after and taking one last moment to stare at each other, Jack dropped his head again and Tooth looked sideways.

She immediately went to find her spy pants in her bag and decided they were better after all while Jack moved to the floor to recollect and reorganize all their things. They didn't look at each other as they went about their self-punishments.

But that didn't stop the light dust of pink from appearing on their heated faces and the tiny smiles that crept on both their mouths.

…

6:37 p.m.

After that, it was nearly impossible for the two of them to look each other in the eye, afraid that the other might say or do something to ruin what hadn't yet been affected already – or worse, what they themselves might do to the other.

And they didn't want to talk about it...at least not yet.

So Toothiana promptly announced that she was going to sleep and wrapped herself in the sheets, away from Jack so he wouldn't see her flaming cheeks still. If she was lucky, the bed wouldn't start to catch fire. And Jack agreed that he wanted to rest too – with no stolen laptops or anything. Although Aster had left him with a few new gadgets to use.

But he worried Tooth might think he'd be watching her while she slept if he stayed up like he did during their last hotel fiasco. So Jack decided to rest too, ditching his early suggestion to get more food, and shut off all their lights before collapsing into the armchair.

It was only 6 p.m. and it sounded absolutely pathetic, especially with it being Christmas, that the two of them would rather sleep. But they were on the run for days and this was only time it seemed like the world had stopped spinning so much. There wasn't any immediate danger, Jack's memories had been restored, his sister was otherwise happy and safe, and they had an army to join tomorrow and storm out and reclaim Tooth's sisters. But for now, they could recharge and let the winter wonderland and head start on their clock be their Christmas gifts.

Tooth sighed into the pillow, her body trying to cave into slumber and nostalgic bliss. She would've fallen asleep at any given moment; even Jack thought she was asleep from her silence and unmoving form.

But she wasn't.

She was still awake, forcing herself to keep her eyes open in the dark. She gazed at the wall and the outline of the lights outside the window, and her body was slightly tense.

She listened to Jack, trying to prove a point. At first, there was nothing but dead silence and the assumption that he had already fallen asleep too. But then she heard him shuffle, moving his body around the armchair to get more comfortable.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

So Tooth waited until he stopped moving. When he did (after about a minute), she lay there and hesitated for a brief moment. Then she sighed softly.

Jack perked up instantly and turned his head to hers in the dark. Not a moment later, he watched the white from the bed sheets shift greatly and saw her sit up to look at him.

In what little light the room had, Jack saw her face, sweet and exhausted. She stared at him, sleepy and bleary-eyed before the corners of her lips turned upwards slightly.

Then she fanned an arm across the space of the bed next to her.

"Come on, Jack," she whispered.

Jack eyed it with tired, blue eyes but soon after, he slowly uncurled his leg from the armchair and stood up. He then walked over to the opposite of the bed.

Tooth threw the sheets aside for him as he caught her eyes again. Jack smiled back gratefully and she returned it before she rolled to the other edge of the bed and turned on her side to face the wall.

She wasn't stupid. The only way this was going to work was if they left as much space between them as possible.

As she shut her eyes again and tried to relax her muscles again, the weight of the bed behind her sunk slightly and shifted. And she couldn't stop the big smile that came on her face, knowing who had caused it. She bit her lower lip to keep it from growing.

Jack threw the sheets over his lower half before he relaxed an arm behind his head and faced the other wall. He wasn't actually cold and didn't need the blanket to keep him warm, but he decided it was better than lying in top of it and having Tooth fight him for more of it if she rolled in her sleep.

The thought of her rolling in her sleep then made his heart race. But he swallowed it down and looked up at the ceiling, eyeing the grooves in the drywall.

And when he exhaled, he let his body muscles unwind and he shut his eyes.

"Goodnight, Tooth."

His voice was so deep in the darkness and an octave lower from fatigue that it sent shivers crawling up the same parts he'd touched her. Then Tooth shut her eyes and shifted her legs around more comfortably while Jack felt hypersensitive to every move she made on the other side of the bed.

Then she exhaled too and her body finally relaxed.

"G'nite, Jack," she breathed, her voice husky and raspy all in one. Then she fell asleep.

And Jack listened.

Almost immediately, he relaxed too but he didn't fall into a complete sleep - not unless he was unconscious. That's how he'd been trained to – so on some level he'd always be in control of his Center and aware of his surroundings. And with Tooth, the latter was more than he realized.

But Jack loved it.

And with the entire journey, the entire day replaying through his mind, he fell into a light sleep. The word guardian kept drifting through his head.

Sleep then cascaded over both their bodies, lulling them from reality like dreamsand. It was beautiful and as the night darkened and Christmas died away, Jackson and Toothiana surrendered themselves to it, and subconsciously...to each other.

Tooth felt more protected by one person than she'd ever felt in her life and in a soft sigh, she rolled away from the cold edge of the bed and curled her arm above her on her pillow as she slept, facing the ceiling.

Jack was a dead weight to the earth, falling into his first dreamless slumber for days – but he rolled sideways acutely aware that he had something or someone to watch over on his left. Moving a hand up absentmindedly to hit the headboard, Jack touched her hand instead and his body instantly stopped.

In their rest, Toothiana grasped his hand, sighing again under her breath as their genes sent a tingle across her skin.

Jack's eyelids fluttered and he exhaled in his sleep.

But just as he was about to finish weaving their fingers together unconsciously, Tooth suddenly pulled away.

Tooth couldn't see it. Tooth couldn't understand it...but she felt as if her heart had just shattered into pieces.

A second later, her eyes flew open and she threw herself up from the bed, and destroying the last of the peace they had left...

...a heart-wrenching scream left her lips.

---

Chapter's soundtrack: "All I Want for Christmas is You" – Lady Antebellum

So there you have it, what we've all have been waiting for! :D Holy hell, this chapter's been staring me in the face for months O: but we made it and I'm so excited! BUT they haven't confessed their feelings directly yet so is there still a chance? Maybe, maybe not (; These two are my puppets, I swear haha. And this was the fluffiest chapter I've ever fluffed to fluff :p Oh my god I can't. Sorry it took long haha my beta told me not to cut out anything and I spazzed for days – but she was right, because every scene either plays or has played a vital role to the progress/explanation of the story. Note: Everything Tooth wished for Jack is all symbolic of feathers themselves and her drawing it on the forehead is my shoutout to the beautiful feather in the center of her actual plumage. (:

And now, thank you to the loveable sparklevampFTW for showing me this old Chris Pine movie called 'Blind Dating' that helped to me develop feels for this chapter (she's currently writing a hilarious RS AU called Different Now). Second thank yous to the wonderful Song Of A Free Heart for telling me about the fun of Balognyology and giving me her epic insight (and her mother's) into the world of hair dye and hair follicles lol (she wrote this beautiful RS AU called For Better and For Worse and for all you Jackunzel fans, check out her great fic Among the Stars). I'm not a Jackunzel shipper, but her story drives my heart into the ground and is worth it. :3 And last thank yous to my girl NewLightRiini for working with me on the steamy scene (: We had lots of laughs talking about public transit, sleep, and 'the nasty disease' oh lord (lmao so check out her amazing RS sci-fi AU called Point of No Return). As well, the two songs played in the bar were 'Oblivion' by Bastille (for sass-master-jack-frost) and 'Come What May' from Moulin Rouge (for bloodstep and Tangled Up in Blue99). And some of you guys wanted Star Trek and Friends references and for the love of me, I don't know why (: lol but there you go! Another will show up later. Until then, hang on!