Frost

IX. THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Jack Frost was late to the party.

This was not unusual, however; in fact, it was anticipated. If Jack was going to come to any event, party, or meeting . . . she was going to arrive late. Somewhere around a millennia into the frustration of accepting that, everyone realized she might be doing it on purpose, and thus consecutively agreed to not let it annoy them any longer.

By the time Jack arrived, it was twenty minutes in -- just long enough for everyone to have gotten into the swing of things, but not long enough that the feast at the great table had begun.

She had chosen to humor everyone this time around, donning a short, sapphire colored dress, topped by her usual leather jacket, and heeled boots. Her entrance into the great tree drew most everyone's attention, though the first to greet her was Father Time.

He smiled warmly at her, wrapping her into a brief hug before she could protest, before pulling away and gazing upon her face critically. "You, child," he said -- for he was the only one permitted to call her by such a term, "look marvelous."

The radiant smile that burst across Jack's face was rare indeed, and its lifespan was short. Soon, others were greeting her with warm smiles and smart quips, allowing her smile to fade back to a smaller, more familiar smirk.

"What in the world took you so long, Jacqueline?" Mother Nature asked, a hint of reprimand to her tone.

Jack didn't get a chance to answer before Cupid cut in. "Clearly," the handsome young man smiled charmingly, "she was seeking out the perfect dress. Which, by the way, Jackie, you look gorgeous."

No one seemed to notice Jack's subtle eye roll, though then again, they were all used to the constant flirting Cupid did when it came to Jack. They were both the only ones physically young . . . and human, so it seemed only natural that Cupid would feel the need to woo her.

Jack remained unaffected by Cupid's wooing.

"Come, everyone," a deep, melodious voice spoke over all the rest, drawing all eyes to an elaborate and splendid man. He stood as tall as Father Time, his professionally styled hair shimmering with sparkling shades of reds, blues, and purples, much like the galaxy itself. His ever-changing eyes were currently a warm mix of electric yellow and topaz, though in the next second they could be anything from maroon, to silver, to lilac, to tangerine. With a beautiful and flawless face, and a suit that shimmered like the stars, here stood North Star -- the eldest legend of them all. "I believe it is time to indulge in the lovely meal that Mother Nature has prepared for us," he said, with a kind smile in Mother's direction.

No one argued with North, and instead a chatter of agreement rose up as everyone made their way toward the great dining table. Santa passed Jack along the way, smiling in festive joy as he winked at her, Mrs. Claus on his arm.

Jack lingered purposefully near the back of the crowd, ignoring Cupid's further attempts at advances, and pointedly granting a spiteful smile to the Tooth Fairy when he brushed by her. As the other legends moved toward the table, Jack slowed patiently.

North soon stood by her side. "I suppose you're going to ask me if I've missed you?" he asked with an affable smile.

Jack flashed one of equal kindness up at him. "It was up there on my list of things to say."

North chuckled, nodding knowingly. North Star had been around so long that now, so far as humanity was concerned, he was a fact. Though they didn't realize he had the capacity to take on a physical form, they knew of his existence to a point where trying to brush it off as childish fancy was considered ignorant.

Jack frequently found herself pointing back to North's old age when it came to him knowing everything.

"I have missed you, Jackie," North said calmly, clasping his hands behind his back and watching studiously as the other legends took their seats at the table.

Jack didn't answer that right away, instead pausing to follow his line of sight. She knew he was watching everything, from how the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy bickered over whether or not the other was irrelevant, to how Sandman appeared to be gradually talking Cupid into a drowsy state. Unbeknownst to her, a small smile had successfully tugged her lips up. She didn't realize North had turned his all-seeing gaze to her.

"Jackie," North said then, his voice a whisper as she turned to look at him, "I'm proud of you. You helped Mother out a great deal, and the entire world as well."

Her smile remained in place, and had anyone aside from him seen her cheeks redden, she would've denied that she blushed at all. But North, as everyone knew, was trustworthy beyond measure -- so she merely said, "Thank you," and wrapped him up in a quick hug. "But I do quite think we should sit before Mum starts passing out the food, don't you?"

Before he could answer, she was gone, taking her place between Cupid and North's end of the table. As he moved to claim his own seat, he remarked, "It has always amused me, how you have no cultural ties, yet you choose to fall back on British English."

After an eye roll from Jack, this sparked an all new topic of conversation at the table, ignited by Cupid's inquiry, "Want to hear me speak Greek?"

It all only went further off-rails when Sandman said, "I appreciate your pointing that out, North. After all, no matter what culture or species, we all need sleep . . ."

Jack watched on in thinly veiled amusement, only shifting in her seat when Mother passed her her plate of food. She mouthed a thank you in return, and Mother hummed in acknowledgement before moving on to Cupid.

"So what, exactly," Cupid eventually asked (after the feasting had begun), "happened with winter this year?" He side-eyed Jack, clearly expecting her to speak up, though it wasn't she who answered.

"The fairies got into a juvenile argument," Father Time informed him. "It wasn't over anything, really, but their defiance caused a few setbacks in the ways of winter."

"Jack rectified it," Santa volunteered, smiling pleasantly at her as he spoke. The happiness with which he acknowledged this surprised a few of the other legends, but none mentioned it.

Jack shrugged modestly. "The heat was annoying me," she said, though she winked conspiratorially at Mum.

"I heard," Tooth Fairy said a little too loudly, "that you got into a fight with a phoenix."

A gasp arose from most at the table at that, as the implications were clear, but Jack remained stoic. "I did, what of it?" she asked, arching a brow at Tooth Fairy.

He harrumphed. "It is clearly not the best manner with which things could've been handled."

"And how would you know?" Easter Bunny asked, happy to argue just for the sake of arguing with Tooth Fairy, "It isn't as though you were there!"

"I wish I was there," Cupid remarked.

"I can assure all of you," Father Time said loudly, "that it was both necessary, and handled well."

Sandman eyed Jack suspiciously, "Have you slept since then?"

Santa nudged Sandman with a chuckle. "Give the poor girl a break, Sandy, I'm sure she'll rest when she feels like it."

And so the party went, a chaotic blur of voices and stories, tall tales and wistful retelling the likes of which would be remembered forever. Should anyone have looked upon them, they might've thought it madness, perhaps even a rarity.

Everyone within knew it to be the most normal situation they would ever encounter in their very long lived, and all preferred to keep it that way. After all, to a legend, the decade of parties Jack missed was nothing in comparison to eternity.

Though -- as any would gladly declare -- Jack Frost herself was a rarity that, no matter how frustrating, immature, or impossible she may be, was not something to be missed out on.

Jack Frost had earned her place as legend the moment she'd been born, and there was one in specific who would always see that everyone else remembered it . . .