Legendaries

3

A steady snow was beginning to fall when jack finally turned around to face Steph again.

"Alright, I forgive you. I don't know how you people can stand walking all the time. It's so boring!" He sang as a breeze whipped out of no where and tossed Steph in the air and jack rushed up and caught her. "Apology accepted. Let's go see North."

"Apology?" Steph cried catching her breath. "What apology"

"Ah the FROST must be getting to your poor little head." He pouted falsely.

"Was that supposed to be a reference to yourself?" She asked frowning.

"Who else?" He beamed down at her

"You're really full of yourself aren't you?" Steph asked skeptically, but she couldn't lie to herself; he was attractive, and smooth.

"We'll if I'm not full of myself, who else would pamper me this well?"

"Why don't you ask those fangirls who spend their nights dreaming about you, and doodling 'Mrs. Jack Frost' in a notebook." Steph asked rolling her eyes.

"See you're kidding, but I've found more than one note book like that." He laughed. "You know you aren't very appreciative of the man that just saved your life."

Steph sighed and ran a hand over her face. "You are right. I'm sorry. Thank you Jack."

He looked down at her astonished. "You're serious?" He asked. "Oh."

"Well. . .yes. You did save my life, I should be appreciative even if you are being an insufferable jerk."

"Ah there's always a catch."

"A catch?" She asked.

"You're apologizing to me because you know that you are being a jerk, and you don't want to admit that you are worse than me."

"Worse than you?!" Steph cried. "How on Earth do you think-"

"Ah, ah, ah." He clucked. "I'm still flying you to the North Pole. I could still leave you."

As he finished his sentence he touched down on the frozen ground, ice crackling under foot. The ice almost seemed to glow at his touch, almost reaching up to great him, eager to be near him.

"You aren't being serious. . . Are you?" Steph asked hesitantly releasing Jack's neck as he set her on the ground.

"One thing you'll learn you'll learn about me Steph is that I am rarely serious. My arms are just tired."

"Oh." Steph shrank away from his just slightly. What was it about this boy that made her feel so selfconcious and stupid? Everything that came out of her mouth sounded so stupid.

Beside her, Jack's half grin played on his lips. "I'm not Superman," He grinned. " There is no reason to be sensitive." He pressed just enough emotion into the words that it might have been mistaken for an apology. "anyways, North lives right down there. Just down on the other side of this hill."

"Ah." Steph nodded folding her arms across her stomach as if she was cold, even though whatever was stopping her nerves from feeling cold was still running full throttle. Jack tossed his crook up into the air and balanced on top of it, peering down at her. "And about this 'North' person you keep referring to. Is he like the North Wind or something?"

Steph jumped as Jack's melodious laugh echoed across the rolling miles of snow. Clutching his stomach as he laughed and tumbled down from his perch on his staff. (Steph noted irritably that even when he fell it was graceful.)

Awkwardly she shifted her weight waiting for Jack to stop his uncontrollable guffawing, but he continued to tumble through the snow. "I'm sorry." She offered half laughing. "I don't see what is so funny."

"North wind!" He gasped between breaths. "There is no physical being that is the North Wind!" He cackled happily.

"Oh." Steph blushed again feeling rather foolish. She cursed herself for just saying 'oh' again. What could she only repeat his words as questions, and say 'uh' and 'oh.'?

Jack sat up and his mood changed. He realized that he'd embraced her, and felt bad. "Does 'ho, ho, ho' ring a bell?" He said more sensitively. Jamie had warned him that sometimes he was a little insensitive when it came to females. He was set to change that. What's the fun of being immortal if you cant have a girlfriend to spend at least some of it with.

"Sana Clause?" She cried eyes growing wide so fast Jack feared they might burst from her skull.

"Don't look so excited." He smiled standing and brushing himself off as he did so. "he's not as great and jolly as his storied make him out to be."

"Really?" Steph asked sincerely.

"Really." He nodded kicking his staff up "Big Russian, he'll go full out fight on you if you aren't careful." He teased jabbing at the air with his fists. "Not near as bad as Bunny, but tough nonetheless.

"Wait, by Bunny do ou mean like. . . the Easter Bunny?"

"The one and only mate."

The voice, thick with a lilting Australian accent made both Steph and Jack jump.

"Is that only way you people know how to introduce yourselves?" Steph gasped as the gaping whole that had opened up right where she would have been standing if Jack hadn't of pulled her out of the way at the last second, released a towering grey rabbit. She physically felt herself shrink back into Jack.

"sorry Miss." The Rabbit nodded to her briefly.

"What's up bunny?' Jack cried completely releasing Steph and ignoring her.

"I could ask you the same thing Frost." He said eyes narrowed, nose twitching. "north called you hours ago. He sent me out to make sure you weren't getting another poor ankle biter hooked on magic." He cast a side glance at Steph.

"Oh please," Jack rolled his eyes. "they aren't hooked on magic. We all know they're hooked on my stellar good looks." Jack ignored the unattractive snort that came from Steph's direction.

"Yeah. Right." Bunny put his ears back up as he pointed ion the direction we were headed. "That blizzard you called has North in a panic. It's prime time Christmas season and you're dumping snow on him!"

"Its fine!" Jack laughed. "Christmas isn't for another month. Give him lots of ice to carve, so he can get his helpers to make more toys. I'm helping the guy and he knows it."

Bunny just looked at Jack, his ear twitching.
"Get to the Pole Jack. I'm going back to the Warren. Bly 124 days untilEaster." With that, Bunny stomped the ground twice and another rabbit hole opened up under his feet and he disappeared from sight.
Jack and Steph stood in silence for a few moments as Steph starred blankly at the flat solid ground in front of her.
"We'll he seems nice." She said finally. Beside her Jack snorted and rolled his eyes.
"I hope you're being sarcastic." Was all he said before picking Steph up under the arms and soaring off toward Santa's workshop.