Now There Are Five... Wait... Six?

Chapter 4

North shot Katherine a curious look, "He an acquaintance of yours?"

Still smiling that smile that Jack knew all too well, Katherine walked directly up to Jack, "Friend, actually. Been close to two hundred years about this time."

Aster glanced from her to Jack, noting the look of stunned shock on the winter spirit's face, "Friend?"

Jack mentally shook himself, "U-uh y-yeah... I guess..."

Katherine tilted her head, giving Jack a look, "You guess?"

Jack felt himself heat up under her stare and looked away, hiding his slight blush with his hand, "Sorry... A lot to process."

"No offense taken," she reassured him, secretly happy he was taking this so well.

Aster raised his hand in objection, "Actually, yes, offense taken! Why didn't we hear about this before? How long?"

"You know I still don't like the name," Katherine stated vaguely, earning a chuckle from North.

"Oh, bloody knickers! You're still hung up on that?" Aster protested, "It's been nearly five hundred years since then!"

"Have you seen a picture of me in the human world, Bunny?"

"You've seen mine?"

"Touche."

North placed himself between them, ending the argument, "Not the time, Goose. We have important business with our guest."

"Yeah, why am I here?" Jack demanded, shooting Katherine a look. He furrows his brows, thinking carefully, "I must have done something really bad to get you four-" he glanced at Katherine, correcting himself "-five to get together. Am I on the naughty list?" he leaned in to hiss in Katherine's ear, "Is this about the time I walked in on you and-?"

Katherine furiously waved her hands for Jack to shut up, shaking her head violently.

Aster's ear twitched, "I'm sorry, what?"

Not having the bunny's good ears, North snorted at Jack's first question, "On the naughty list?" he sobered up, "You hold record. But it's no matter anymore! As of now, we are wiping clean the slate!"

Jack looked intrigued, "How come?"

North held out an expecting hand toward Katherine, "Goose?"

Katherine hesitated, "Really? Now?"

"Goose," North motioned at her insistently.

Sighing, she obeyed, pulling out an oversized book, a different one from her usual tome, from her robes.

Jack leaned over, his crystal blue eyes scanning her up and down. Where has she been keeping that?

Katherine self-consciously smoothed the folds of her clothing. 

"How come?" North continued where they left off, breaking out in a wide grin, "I tell you, how come! For now, you are Guardian!"

Jack's brain stopped working for a split second as the yetis raised blazing torches overhead while the elves began playing a celebrant tune on various drums and trumpets. 

Katherine rubbed her eyes, already knowing Jack's ultimate reaction to the sudden show of pomp and unexplained attention. She saw the annoyance slowly building up under Jack's cold expression, noting the tension of his hand gripping his staff, the twitch of his facial muscles, and the cold snap in his eyes.

I'd better back up a little...

Not an instant later, Jack had raised his staff and slammed it against the ground, blasting a gale of cold wind through the room, snuffing out the torches and sending slippery ice across the floor.