Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D I don't have much to say this time around, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. =)


~ XXIX ~

The Tooth Team!

She was known as the Tooth Fairy amongst her peers

Collecting teeth and gifting coins

To those who brushed with care

The heart of her work rested in the village of Santoff Claussen

Where her fairies would store the teeth

Holding childhood memories long forgotten

Now, she got to share this tradition with Jack

Who had his own wiggly tooth

That would soon come loose

...

It was Tooth's turn to show Jack what she did for a living, and she was beyond ecstatic. She had her fairies help her reorganize things around her home, and polished up the place for when Jack came to visit. Tooth had already explained a bit about what she did for her job to the winter child, but not only would she be going in-depth about her occupation, but she'd get to show Jack what she did during it.

"Alrighty, girls, that's enough cleaning!" Tooth said, smiling at the tidied tooth holding station. Tooth liked to stay organized and proper, and the area had already been cleaned at least thrice that day. But the Tooth Fairy was having trouble keeping still; she was nervous, fretting if Jack would find her work interesting or not. The winter child seemed to love all the Guardians' jobs, so Tooth didn't know why she was so worried.

She only wanted to impress him, the Sister of Flight deemed, though Jack was already supportive of all the Guardians when it came to their work. The Tooth Fairy let out a small sigh, and her feathers stopped twitching. She would be fine, and she knew that Jack would have a lot of fun spending time with her.

"Jack should be here any moment now," she said, mostly to herself. The other mini fairies surrounded her, chirping excitedly. They adored Jack with everything they had and were greatly looking forward to having him join them. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Tooth's eyes brightened.

"He's here! Everyone be on their best behavior!" Tooth exclaimed. She flitted over to the door and pulled it open, a bright grin on her face. "Hello, Jack! Hi, North! Wow, it's quite a chilly night, isn't it?"

North smiled. "Hello, Toothy! And yes, it is rather cold. But Jack has been enjoying the weather, haven't you moy mal'chik?"

"Uh-huh," said Jack, his voice muffled. The young snow sprite was currently wiggling his loose tooth—his first loose tooth. When the news first reached Tooth, she had doted all over him. In her culture, teeth were cherished, precious items that held one's earliest memories of their childhood. These teeth were collected and saved so that when one grew older, one could access all the memories of their past.

Tooth had told Jack all this already, and she was looking forward to when his tooth would fall out. Jack had been wiggling his tooth for a while, and though it was really, really loose, it refused to come out. He had tried eating hard foods and even attempted to pull it out (which North stopped him from doing so). But the little tooth stubbornly stayed in place, and Jack was getting quite frustrated with it.

"Your tooth will fall out in time, moy mal'chik," said North, gently pulling Jack's hand out of his mouth.

Jack frowned. "But I want it to come out now!"

"Don't worry, Jack. It'll fall out soon," Tooth chirped. "It might even come out when you're not wiggling it."

"He has been wiggling it every day," said North. Jack began to wiggle his tooth again."I find him asleep sometimes with his finger in his mouth."

Tooth giggled. "With all that wiggling, it's bound to fall out sooner than later."

North nodded. "I have to get back to Workshop now. I will pick up Jack once you return from your rounds?"

"As pre-planned," said Tooth with a smile. Jack gave North a hug and told him goodbye before heading inside with Tooth. The Tooth Fairy admired the sweet scene and welcomed Jack inside. She shut the door behind them, and, as expected, the mini fairies swarmed the winter child, chirping excitedly. Jack giggled, greeting each of the mini fairies with a smile. They cooed and swooned at the sight of his teeth. Jack was a snow sprite, and snow sprites were known for having the whitest teeth on earth. The watched as her girls buzzed around the boy, a small smirk on her face. Jack was only six, and yet he was already a charmer.

"Now girls…what did I say about controlling yourselves?" Tooth lightly chided. The mini fairies paused and reluctantly moved away from Jack, giving him more room. Baby Tooth was the only one who remained. Out of all the mini fairies, she was what you would call the most "normal." Jack was her best friend, and she wasn't madly infatuated with him like the others. The little fairy chirped and perched herself on Jack's shoulder. The winter child giggled, and Baby Tooth's sisters stared at her with silent envy.

"Okay! Once Jack removes his winter clothes, we can begin the tour!" Tooth said cheerfully. She helped the boy undo his buttons and hang his coat, hat, and gloves. Once his items were put away, Jack took Tooth's hand as she guided him to the dentistry part of her dwelling. It wasn't large, and Jack had only been there a few times for a daily check-up. Thankfully, he didn't have any cavities, and Tooth hoped that he never would. Although she suggested that Aster watched how much chocolate he gave him (she was still a bit disgruntled about the amount of sugar he allowed him to have before leaving with Sandy).

In this particular part of the house, Tooth kept most of her mosaics and tesselations decorated on the walls, and it was filled with comfortable chairs for people to sit in while they waited. There were tables positioned in front of these chairs, and there was even a small box of toys for the children to play with as they waited to be called in.

Tooth showed Jack the tools that she used when checking up on people's teeth. They sat on the tables and shelves inside the rooms where she performed her check-ups. Jack was a little frightened by the sharp objects and drills, but once Tooth explained what each did, he didn't feel as fretful.

After showing him the dentistry area, Tooth moved on to the place where she knew Jack was excited to see. They headed back into the heart of Tooth's home, where the mini fairies had resumed their organizing of the teeth and money. They fluttered around, looking like miniature shooting stars as they darted here and there, hither and thither, placing children's teeth in their designated tooth boxes, or transferring new currencies into the coin-holding stations.

"I already told you what we do here," said Tooth. "But this time, I'll get to show you how fun tooth collecting is! North said it was alright for you to join me on my rounds tonight. We'll set out once it reaches eventide."

Jack grinned; he got to stay up…again! And time went by rather quickly, North had dropped Jack off late that afternoon, so the evening wasn't too far to wait for.

Tooth first assigned her fairies places to go, and instructed a small troupe to join her, Jack, and Baby Tooth as they went on a different route. The mini fairies saluted their queen and fluttered out the windows. Those who stayed with Tooth, Jack, and Baby Tooth patiently waited for further instruction. Tooth helped Jack pull on his coat and hat. It took her a while to convince him to wear his gloves (Tooth wondered why he didn't like them so much), but they were ready to set off by the time the sun had dipped halfway into the horizon.

Toothiana lifted the small boy into her arms and instructed him to hold on tight. She knew that Jack could fly, but Jack hadn't mastered the art of flying just yet. He still crashed into things and didn't know how to stop or steer, so Tooth settled on carrying him for this ride.

Jack nodded, and Tooth turned to the other fairies. "We have thirty quadrants to collect teeth from, and I know it's a chilly night, but I want you guys not to get distracted when searching through the pillows for teeth. We have a schedule to stick to, but I believe we can get tonight's collection of teeth done!"

And before Tooth could say her familiar phrase, Jack chirped, "Let's go, Tooth Team!"

Tooth's wings fluttered, and she smiled. "I like the sound of that!" she turned to her fairies. "You heard the boy! Let's get tooth collecting!"

Jack had flown with Tooth before, but he still felt exhilarated when they shot through the dome-shaped window roof and into the breezy night air. He laughed, feeling the Wind tickle his cheeks as they hovered over Santoff Claussen, and into the further regions of Lunslruna. Tooth guided her fairies from house to house, and she kindly showed Jack what took place from the window of the buildings they stopped at.

"We're able to fly through windows, so getting inside isn't a problem," explained Tooth. Jack listened intently. Tooth pointed inside, where three fairies, including Baby Tooth, were currently positioned. The fairy named Raini plucked at a tiny instrument and sang softly while another rummaged under the pillow. Baby Tooth stood guard next to the pillow, making sure that the little girl didn't stir.

"Why is Raini playing a song?" asked Jack (the mini fairy was named for her feathers, which were bluer than the rest of her sisters, and reminded Jack of the rain).

"So the children sleep more soundly," Tooth said. "We like to ensure that the children have uninterrupted, peaceful nights when we leave our gifts behind."

"Like Sandy?" inquired Jack.

Tooth playfully tapped his nose. "Just like Sandy," she affirmed. Jack giggled.

The three fairies flew out of the house with the retrieved baby tooth. Tooth smiled, took the white gem, and stored it in one of her pouches. "Good job, girls. Let's head to the next town," she said.

As they flew, Jack asked, "Do you ever run into Sandy while you're out here?"

Tooth nodded. "Sometimes," she replied. "I come out a little later than Sandy does. He's usually almost done with his work when I'm in the middle of mine. But we do cross paths from time to time."

Jack nodded, and he watched as Tooth directed her fairies and handed them the needed coins to be left in place of the teeth. He liked how Tooth always encouraged her fairies whenever they brought back a tooth, and he enjoyed the smiles on the children's faces as they slept listening to them sing. The hidden teeth under the pillows and leaving coins behind felt like a little game to Jack. A game that he, of course, wanted to take part in.

"Could I leave a coin too? I promise I'll be quiet," Jack begged Toothiana. The Tooth Fairy looked down at the boy, and though she hadn't said no, he gave her the widest, most pleading look that he could possibly make.

Tooth smiled softly. "Alright, Jack. When we stop at the next house, I'll let you leave a coin."

Jack grinned brightly, and the small group soon arrived at the next stop on their run. They fluttered through the window, entering a small bedroom with two beds inside. A girl occupied one and a boy occupied the other. They looked to be about a year older than Jack.

The room was littered with toys, and the children were most likely due to tidy it. Tooth gently set Jack down, and Baby Tooth rested on his shoulder. Tooth handed Jack a gold coin and held a finger up to her lips.

"You can get the girl's tooth while I get the boy's," she whispered. "Remember to be quiet!"

Jack nodded slowly, and he maneuvered his way through the path of toys that lay in his way. He moved quietly, making sure that his boots didn't press on any of the items before him. He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding when he reached the girl's bedside.

Baby Tooth fluttered from Jack's shoulder and told him to wait as she dove under and searched for the tooth. Jack trusted Baby Tooth to find it; she had been doing this much longer than him, and Jack feared that he'd wake the girl if he tried searching for the tooth.

Baby Tooth worked quickly, and she shimmied out from the pillow, holding a shiny cuspid in her little hands. Jack smiled and slipped the coin under the girl's pillow. He silently whooped with joy. Mission accomplished!

As Tooth finished collecting the boy's tooth, Jack studied the girl briefly. She had been touched by Sandy's dreamsand, and over her head, the dreamsand took shaped her and her family seated at the dining table eating together. Jack smiled softly; he loved family dinners as well.

On the other side of the room, Jack heard the brother yawn and roll over in bed. He turned around to find that Tooth had just left the coin in place of his tooth. She turned to Jack, seeing that Baby Tooth fluttered next to him, carrying the girl's cuspid.

Tooth smiled. "Nice job, you two. Now, let's head back to Santoff Claussen and wrap things up, shall we?"

Jack smiled, and Baby Tooth chirped quietly. Tooth carried Jack and they fluttered out of the room, meeting up with the two other fairies who had accompanied them. They flew all the way back home; the moon acting as their beacon. Big Root and the village soon came to view, and the fairies dived back into their home. Warmth embraced them once they arrived inside.

The fairies who had returned earlier acknowledged the return of Tooth, Jack, and the others. They took the teeth that they had amassed and began to swiftly place them in their proper tooth boxes. Tooth set Jack down at a table, and the winter child removed his coat, gloves, and hat. Tooth returned with a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of biscuits.

"Feel free to munch!" Tooth said, placing the food in front of him. She ruffled his hair before fluttering off to see how the other fairies were doing.

Jack smiled and he reached for a biscuit, chewing it thoughtfully. He thought of all the sleeping children that he and Tooth encountered. Jack found that he enjoyed the smiles that graced their faces, and he had a lot of fun collecting the teeth and leaving coins behind—that was his favorite part.

Perhaps he could become a Tooth Fairy? The idea sounded silly, but Jack wanted to help when he could.

The winter child sipped his mug of hot chocolate and reached for another biscuit. He took a bite, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mouth. Something hard rested on his tongue, and he instinctively spat it onto the plate. Jack rubbed his cheek, wondering what had caused him such pain when he felt an empty gap in the upper row of his teeth. Jack looked down at the object he had previously been in his mouth. His eyes widened when he realized that it was his tooth…his baby tooth! His tooth had finally fallen out!

The mini fairies who had been watching the boy fluttered over instantly, chirping and squealing and hovering over the small tooth that had just fallen out. Tooth spotted the commotion, and she fluttered over as well.

"What's going on here?" asked Tooth.

Jack looked at Tooth and held up his tooth. "I lost my tooth!" he exclaimed.

Tooth's feathers burst and she gasped. The Tooth Fairy took the little tooth and cradled the tooth in her palm. She cooed.

"Awww! Have you seen a more adorable lateral incisor in all of your life?" Tooth squealed, showing off the tooth to the surrounding fairies. "Look how he flossed! Oh, Jack, I'm so happy for you! It seems like just yesterday your teeth were first beginning to come in."

Jack smiled, a gap in his grin. Tooth helped him rinse his mouth and his tooth so that it was nice and clean when it would be stored away. Jack did so, and Tooth gave the incisor to the little boy to show North when he came to pick him up. Just a few moments had passed when there was a knock at the door. North had arrived to take Jack home. The winter child ran up to him, holding his tooth.

"North, North! My tooth fell out!" he cried. North's eyes widened.

"It did?" the ex-Cossack asked in surprise. Jack held up his tooth proudly. North laughed. "Oh, good for you, moy mal'chik! It was about time tooth fell out, da?"

Jack nodded. "It fell out when I bit into a biscuit! I actually forgot about it while I was with Tooth collecting teeth. I'm happy it's out now."

Tooth fluttered over and placed a coin in Jack's other palm. "For helping me with my rounds today, and for losing your first tooth," she said. "You can place your tooth in your tooth box at home, and then you can bring it here tomorrow so we can make sure it stays safe."

And that was exactly what he did when he got home. After being bathed by North and putting on his pajamas, Jack pulled out the tooth box that Tooth had given him when he was a baby. He placed his tooth inside the box and closed it, placing it on his desk.

"We can drop box off at Tooth's tomorrow," said North. Jack smiled, and North couldn't help but gaze at the gap in his grin.

His little boy was really growing up.