The Spirit of Autumn // Jack Frost

Chapter 9

The silence that followed was probably so thick that everyone's ears began to ring. Jack's eyes hastily scanned Bella and Jason's faces, hoping that they believed him. Bella obviously did because her jaw was hanging open and her eyes about to pop out of her skull. Jason kept looking between Scarlett and Jack as if waiting for any sign of a bluff. Jack glanced down the hallway, having known that Bunny, Sandy, North and Tooth were standing in the doorway for most of the argument with all the guests trying to peer over their heads and failing. Cupid had somehow managed to walk underneath Bunny's legs and was standing triumphantly in front with a pleased smirk on his face like the cat from Alice in Wonderland. If Bunny had been in Jack's position, he would have said that Cupid looked like he was wetting his pants.

North's eyes were so large they were about to touch his nose, Bunny's jaw hanging open and his ears (which were still frozen) were sticking out horizontally. Tooth had her hand over her mouth and Sandy, who was standing there with a deadpan expression, looked like he wasn't enjoying the groundhog practically sitting on his head as he tried to see what was going on.

"You're bluffing," Jason announced, placing his hands on his hips. "Why would you lie about something like that?"

Jack glared, releasing Scarlett from his embrace and taking a step forward as if to punch Jason. Scarlett reached out and placed her hand on his arm to stop him from doing just that, but Jack put his face close to Jason's in a warning manner.

"You don't think I'm serious?" Jack hissed.

"Jack," Scarlett said in a soft but warning tone, "That's enough."
Jack gave Jason one more glare before taking a step back, "Yeah you're right.... it is enough."
Turning around and making sure to not hit Scarlett with his staff, he wrapped both arms around her and drawing her close to him, planting his lips on hers firmly.

There were quite a few gasps and choking sounds from the others down the hallway and Jack was quite sure that Bunny laid an egg for he heard a thud... or that might have been Sandy fainting.

Jack was hoping dearly that Scarlett was going to play along but he wasn't prepared when one of her hands snaked around his wrist and the other going up to tangle in his white hair. Slowly he pulled back from her and as Scarlett's eyes fluttered open, she gave him a look which said, 'we will talk about this later.'

Jack turned around to give Jason a death glare, but he didn't for Jason was seething, biting his lip to keep from doing something stupid. Bella was tugging at his arm, trying to get him away from the scene.

"You know," North spoke up, snapping out of his daze (Bunny looked like he had frozen with his jaw open and his ears out, a glass of punch in one paw and a half-eaten carrot in the other). "I do not remember sending you two an invitation. Did I happen to send one by accident or did you pick off someone else's invitation?"

Jason and Bella both looked like they were ready to be sick before Jason grabbed Bella's hand and stormed down the hallway, bursting past the other guests. When they were gone, everyone let out relieved sighs and Jack managed to relax.

"Thanks North," he breathed.

North shook his head before nodding toward Scarlett, "You did most of it. Though, I have a feeling ya two have something to discuss. We'll leave you to it."
With that, the large man headed back to the others and began to shoo them back into the great hall where Cupid had turned on the music blaring high. Tooth scooped up Sandy who had indeed fainted and North had to smack Bunny across the nose a few times to snap him out of it before the rabbit followed him to go thaw out his ears by the fireplace. The moment that the door closed, Jack turned to Scarlett nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.