Breath taker

Part 6- I Am Calm

Lorelai followed the two men as they wandered through the North's headquarters.

"Nothing personal North, I'm just too busy to be able to help you guys. What you do, it's really not my thing." she said as they walked.

"Manny says it is your thing!" North said.

"Ha ha, yeah I don't care what he says anymore." she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" North asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing." she responded.

"So is Grim Reaper your actual name or did you lose the lottery in the name department?" Jack asked her.

"Hm? Well, I might have a name, I might not. Will I tell you it? Maybe."

"You really like to stay mysterious, don't you?" he laughed.

"Well, you know what they say, Death is a mysterious force. I have a lot of other nicknames though. Life stealer, Breath taker, Destroyer of men, Death, the Pale Rider, the Destroyer, Reaper, Angel of Death, Angel of Dark and Light-"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you there before you run out of fingers." Jack laughed.

"Good idea." she replied.

"So what's up with you and Pitch?" he asked as he watched her tense up from the name.

"What do you mean what's up?" she said as she pulled her hood higher over her head, hiding what little of her face he could see.

"You clearly hate him. But you don't want to fight him with us. I'm just wondering, why?"

"It's.... a long story. Involving me, him and the Moon. And it's mine to give away, not yours to know." she said, leaving the hallway in silence.

North, who was walking ahead of them, opened the door to his workshop and gestured for the Grim Reaper to enter.

"Ladies first." he said.

Jack whispered to North as he went through the door "If you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do, you might not wanna do the aggressive shove against the wall thing."

"Nah, I'm going to do it." North responded.

"You're going to get yourself killed." Jack whispered back.

"What are you guys whispering about?" the Grim Reaper whispered in Jack's ear, seeming to have appeared behind Jack from the shadows.

"Argh! How did you do that?" he asked, jumping out of his skin.

"Shadows aren't your enemies. They're a part of light. Don't forget that Frosty. Plus, practice, skill and a need to hide can help you to learn how to use things to your advantage."

"Enough of the metaphors, fruitcake?" North asked, offering the cake in his hand.

"Not my thing, but thanks." she declined. North threw the fruit cake.

"Now then, we get down to text address....." he said, cracking his knuckles.

Does anyone know what it was that he said there? I have slowed it down, replayed it a thousand times and I can't figure out what it was.

"What?" she asked. As she heard the click of the door locking behind her. Reflexively, she looked back at the door, which had locked by itself and reached for one of her daggers on her belt.

Turning around again, she froze as North began charging at her. "Who are you Reaper? What is your center?".

Regaining her senses partially, she knocked down the six foot three man and clicked a button on her dagger, turning it into a long sword as she advanced on the man, placing the blade at his neck.

"What was that about?" she asked him. Behind her, she heard a voice. "Told you so North." turning around, she saw Jack sitting on North's desk, clearly amused.

"You think this is funny?" she asked, every muscle in her body tense, grinding her teeth.

"Alright, calm down." Jack said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Immediately, she changed her target, grabbing the cold hand and forcing it and the rest of it's body against one of the pillars in North's workshop as her long sword transformed into a khopesh which she placed against his throat.

"I am calm. I am under pressure and under threat. I taught myself a long time ago how to stay calm. If you aren't calm, then the other side has an advantage over you. Even the slightest advantage for them can get you killed, or worse. I can take almost anything and remain calm." she told him with little emotion in her voice.

"Okay then, can you stop attacking us, we're not your enemy." he looked into her grey eyes. They were focused, emotionless, cold. If her eyes seemed so cold, he wondered what she saw in his eyes, or was she just seeing red now?

"Funny, isn't that what the enemy would say?" she asked him, teeth grinding like metal.

A knock could be heard on the door. "Guys? Hello? Are you in there? Why is the door locked? We need you guys, trouble at Sandman's castle." Bunny could be heard outside the door, pounding on it.

"Ok! Uh, we'll be out in a minute!" North called to him, slowly getting up off of the floor.

The Grim Reaper slowly removed her sword from Jack's throat, clicking the button on it, returning it to its dagger form. Walking away from him, he let out a deep sigh of relief as he reached out to touch her shoulder. However, before he could touch her, the Reaper said three words which escaped from under her hood as clearly as a thunder clap. "Don't touch me." .

Jack immediately retracted his hand. He rushed over to where North was getting up, rubbing his behind in pain. "I think I broke a hip!" he cried.

"Yeah, I think I feel the same way. Why did you get up so slow?" Jack asked.

"I dunno, it felt like I couldn't. Like she had me under some kind of spell and my body was under her control." North said shocked.

"Yeah. Whoever this new Guardian is, she's certainly a powerful one."

The Grim Reaper popped her head back into the workshop. "Helloooo! We're waiting on you guys, so finish up your conversation so we can head off to Dreamland. Also, how ARE we getting there."

Jack chuckled. "The sleigh." he said.

"Oh dear Death no. The way you said that doesn't make me trust this sleigh thing. Is it a torture device or a suicide mission?"

"Oh no, everyone loves the sleigh." North assured her.