A/N: There will be a lemon in this chapter, but I'll warn y'all before it starts, okay? That way you can skip over it if you don't wanna read it. Without further ado, on with the show! ^w^

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Chapter 17

Everyone in attendance partied like there was no tomorrow. As it got closer and closer to midnight, though, the air seemed to thicken with light tension. When it got to the final 5 minutes before midnight, Novus stood at the balcony overlooking the floor and raised the mic to his lips.

"Alright, ladies and gents, we're gonna slow things down for the last dance of the year," he said, smiling. "Alfie, put 'er on."

The slow music began, and I barely suppressed a squeal when I heard it. It was Ne-Yo's "Never Knew I Needed." Jack took my hand and led me to the center of the floor. He looked down at me with a soft smile as he placed a hand at my waist and held my right in his left. I rose my eyebrows in surprise as he led me through a waltz.

"I never knew you could waltz, Jack," I said, impressed.

He grinned sheepishly. "I asked Tooth to teach me, heh . . . I wanted to be able to slow-dance with you, so . . ." He trailed off, turning baby blue in his embarrassment.

I flushed pink and smiled up at him. "That's so sweet, Jack . . ." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He smiled and let me go to spin me before pulling me back to him. I felt my eyes widen and show my surprise, and he grinned impishly. "I had Tooth teach me a lot."

I giggled and shook my head a little. "You are such a precocious boy, Jack."

He chuckled. "You're the one who goes around in the revealing outfit, princess," he teased, winking at me. "It doesn't help any."

I gaped and flushed, then grinned at him wickedly. "Did you check me out when I wasn't looking, Snowcone?"

He smirked and leaned in so his lips barely brushed mine. "Wouldn't you like to know, Skye~ . . ." he whispered teasingly.

I drew in a sharp breath and sent him a playful glare. He went to lean back, but I held him by the collar of his shirt. "Oh no, Jacky boy~ . . . You don't tease a girl like that without giving her something~ . . ."

I pulled him in and kissed him deeply, and I felt my dragons begin to glow. The sight was most likely attracting attention, but I couldn't care less at that moment. When I pulled back, I saw Jack's eyes were a bit darker, and slightly sharper as well.

"And you call me precocious," he whispered, his voice slightly husky.

I gave him a coy smile and fluttered my eyelashes playfully. "Well, you don't help it any; when you propose a challenge like that, who am I to back down, Jack~?"

The song ended, and just as Jack opened his mouth to say something, Novus was at the mic once more.

"Alright, everyone! Time for the countdown!" he called out with a grin.

Everyone gathered into a cluster on the dance floor, and the other four Guardians stood with Jack and I. When Novus gave the signal, we all started counting down.

"Ten . . . Nine . . . Eight . . . Seven . . . Six . . . Five . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . ONE!"

"Woohoo! Happy New Year, everyone!" yelled Novus, glowing with a bright, yellow light.

We all cheered, and then settled down as Novus's glow died down. "Alright; now, let's start off the New Year RIGHT! SKYE! How's about you give us an encore?"

Everyone looked at me and I let out a peal of laughter. "Alright, Novus! If you insist!"

I floated up to the balcony, then grinned at Alfred. "How's about we get some music from the Orient goin' on, Mr. DJ?"

He returned my grin and gave me a thumbs up. "You got it, doll!"

As he went through his music, I put the headset back on and turned to everyone with a smirk. "I think it's time I showed off my Asian roots; what say you guys?" I called out.

I was met with loud cheers, the loudest coming from other Asian or part Asian spirits like myself. I gave them a wide grin as Alfred's first song began to play and I began to sing.

"Itai hodo namida afureru shinkai no yoru o koe!"
GARASU no suimen te o nobaseba hikari ni todoita!"

"Mieru mono dake ga kikoeru koe dake ga
Subete janai koto ni kidzuite!
Shinjirareru mono hitotsu fueta
Ima nara tsuyoku nareru ne!"

"Kizutsuite mata kagayaku
Muteki no kizuna kanjiteru;
Dareka janakute kimi janakya dame
Setsunai hodo motometeru!
Kiseki ga kasanareba
Unmei ni kawaru mitai ni;
Utagai nante yaburi suteyou
Katai kizuna o shinjite~ . . ."
(("Kizuna" from Mermaid Melody))

Everyone applauded when I eventually finished, and I smiled and repressed a squeal when the next song came up. I looked out over everyone.

"Now here's for all you Vocaloid lovers, if you've heard Mayu's cover of the song! If you know the dance, don't hold back!" I called out. They whooped and I began singing.

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku
Ashita wo kaeteku
Kokoro ni niji wo tsukuru kisetsu ni~!
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY mayowazu ni
Oikaketai no wa
Dareka ga tsukuru 'ima' ja nai kara~ . . ."

"Neratteta SHIITO wa hitoashi chigai de dareka ni
Nanka chigatteru n ja nai densha no mado yurasu tameiki."

"Nanatsu KOROPI hattsu de oki itakute mo waraeba mirai ga kawaru?"

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku
ANATA mo kaeteku
Kokoro ni niji wo tsukuru kisetsu ni~!
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY YUME iro ni
ANATA ga irozuku
Hitotsu shika nai sono egao de~ . . ."

"Suki na UTA utatte suki na hito no shashin wo mite
Chotto YARUki ni natte iru SHINPURU na KANJI mo ii n ja nai~ . . . ?"

"Owari dake ga yokereba OK?
Sore dake ja KOOKAI saki ni tachisou~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY bukiyou de
KAKKO warukute mo
Dareka ga tsukuru "ima" ja nai kara~!
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kawaranai
Tokimeki sagashite
ANATA ga tsukuru ashita kanjite~ . . ."

" 'Kimi ga ii' erabitakute erabarenai KOTO bakari de.
kizutsuku tabi kezutte kita PURAIDO no yukue wo ou no wa yamete~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kaete yuku
ANATA mo kaete yuku
SUKOORU niji wo kakeru kisetsu ni~!
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY nana iro ni
Ashita ga irozuku
Mune ni daita sono egao de~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY kawaranai
Tokimeki sagashite
ANATA ga tsukuru ashita kanjite~!
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY YUME iro ni
ANATA mo irozuku
Hitotsu shika nai sono egao de~ . . ."

"L-L-L-LOVE & JOY, CAN I CHANGE MY LIFE?
L-L-L-LOVE & JOY, CAN I CHANGE MY LIFE?"
(("Love and Joy" by Yuki Kimura))

I kept up the pace of singing Japanese and Vocaloid songs, and then I also moved into singing K-pop. I did songs from Block B, Hyuna, PSY, and Big Bang. Everyone was loving the different music, and as I finished what I figured would be my last song, an idea for a better final song hit me in the face. I felt like a dork for not thinking of it sooner; after all, it was perfect for me personally, and it was a great song to dance to.

I went to Alfred's side. "Hey, Alfred, you got the Vocaloid song 'Wave'? Preferably 96Neko's cover, since it has the timing I want and the backup vocals I'll need."

He searched through and gave me a grin. "Yup, I've got it. This gonna be your last one?"

I nodded. "Yeah; I have a super idea for the song that would make it a great finale," i answered, giving him a sly grin.

He laughed. "Alright, doll. You got it."

I turned to the crowd down below. "Alright, y'all, this is my last song. And get ready to embrace your inner techno self," I added, chuckling. "This is for the Moon!"

This got a rise out of the lot of them, and the Moon's light came in through one of the windows, shining on me as if to tell me he was listening. I smiled up at him as the intro for the song played, and then I closed my eyes, preparing myself to dance as I floated over the balcony rail.

"Ah~."

"Machigaete uchuu owatte
Aoshingou wa itsumodoori
Tonde mata tomatte
Mata tobi souda."

"Kokoro konekuto
Kodaijin to koi shita
Mousou korekuto
Kazeki tekina romansu"

"Ha~an~
Yume ni odoru no!"

"Tsuki no akari ga boku o tsutsunde
Narihibiku oto karada o nomikonde iku
Mou osoreru koto o kanjinai kurai no
Mabushi sa ni ima
Kokoro o nerawa rete iru no
Mawaru mawaru se-ka-i wa."

"Ah~."

As I sang, my dragons glowed and came off of my skin. They floated and twirled around me in time with the music, and their soft glow mirrored that of the Moon's. As I took a break to let 96Neko's skipping vocals play after the second chorus, I caught Jack's gaze and smiled, giving him a wink before going back to the song.

"Ha~an~
Yume ni odoru no!"

"Ashita no kow ga boku o sasotte
Narihibiku oto mirai o nurikate iku
Mou todomaru koto o yurusanai kurai no
Mabushi sa ni ima
Kokoro o nerawa rete iru no
Mawaru mawaru se-ka-i kara
Mieru mieru mi-ra-i."

"Lalala lala lala
Lalala lala lala~!
Lalala lala lala
Lalala lala lala~!"

As the music faded, my dragons let out a joyous roar, causing everyone to cheer and and call out in excitement. They went back into my skin, and I floated over to Alfred. I took off the headset and gave it back to him, kissing his cheek in gratitude.

"Thanks, Alfie. You're one hell of a DJ, mah friend," I said with a smile.

He gave me a grin and a one-armed hug. "Thanks, doll. Now go back to your boy toy."

I rolled my eyes as I let out a laugh, floating back down to the floor. Jack was at my side in an instant, kissing my cheek.

"You sure know how to make a big bang," he said with a grin. He pulled me closer and pressed a gentler kiss to my temple. "You looked . . . . really beautiful, Skye . . ."

I felt my face get hot and I mentally fought for something to say. "Th-thank you, Jack . . ."

The other four Guardians came over to and complimented my performance as well. North took a look at the large clock on the eastern wall and adjusted his suit coat.

"I am thinking is time for us to go," he said over the music. "Much plans and things to prepare."

Jack and I were a bit bummed, but agreed none the less. After all, North did have a point; it was already 2 in the morning, and we hadn't gotten any sleep. Now seemed like a good time to crash.

At that thought, I yawned, covering my mouth as I nodded. "Yeah; sounds like a plan."

So, we gathered our things (Jack hunting for and eventually finding his discarded cape) and then went to say goodbye to Novus. He was a bit sad to see us leave, but gave us each a hug. He said that it was wonderful meeting Jack and I, and told us to try and visit him every now and again.

We promised we'd try, and then we left, going through one of North's snow globe portals.

When we landed at the Pole, I stretched my arms and cracked my neck. "Damn . . . I don't think I've partied that hard since my last Homecoming dance at my old school."

North laughed and patted me on the back. "HA! Go to bed, malen'kiy drakon. You too, Jack."

Said boy rolled his eyes and put an arm around my shoulders, walking me to my room. As we neared the hallway door, I heard Bunny call out.

"Oi! And no muckin' about with 'er, Frostbite!"

This caused both Jack and I to blush brightly. We turned to look back at the Pooka in unison and stuck our tongues out at him.

"Sh-shut up, Aster!" I said, making us walk a bit faster towards my room.

With our hastened pace, we came to my door a lot sooner than expected. Jack looked at me as we stopped outside my door, his face still a little blue.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth, I smiled and said, "Wanna come in? I've missed you for nine months; we need to make up for lost time, ya know?"

He smiled and kissed my cheek. "Sure."

I opened my room door and turned on the light as we walked inside. I noticed with vague surprise that my bag and sword were here already, then chalked it up to the mini-fairies or the yetis bringing them here. I kicked off my flats and let out a huge breath.

"Damn; I'm all set to never do that again till next year," I said with a wry smile. I let out my hair and shook it a little, giving Jack a grin. "How 'bout you, Snowcone?"

He laughed and sat himself on my bed, slipping off his boots. "Yeah, same. I think that will be the only time I'm ever wearing shoes; I have no idea how the rest of you can do it. They're so stifling."

I giggled and flopped in my vanity chair, removing my jewelry. "You're just not used to it, Jack. But believe me, it also depends on the kind of shoes you wear."

He came up behind me and eyed all of the priceless pieces. "Where did you even get all that? And the dress, too."

I smiled. "Tooth knows this creation spirit in Japan; his specialty is dresses and he collects jewelry. He's pretty damn awesome."

He let out a short hum in response, watching me in the mirror as I took all of the pieces off. Then, I caught a glint in his eyes that made me pause.

"Jack . . . ?"

He stood me up and held me to him, so my back was to his chest. "Quick question: how did he know your size to make the dress?"

"Oh. He took my measurements, of course," I answered honestly. "And let me tell you, once he starts working on a dress, he's totally focused on the subject. He made it right on me, too, which was totes cool.

Jack went quiet for a moment. "He made it on you?" he asked in a low murmur; his tone baffled me. I couldn't tell if he was angry, jealous, both, or something else. So, I decided to ask.

"Jack, are you . . . jealous?" I looked at him in my mirror, my brow furrowed. "If you are, there is no reason to be. He was completely professional, even when he measured my chest."

His grip tightened around my waist slightly, and he closed his eyes, letting out a few calming breaths, it seemed. "Skye . . . how can I not be jealous?" he asked, opening his eyes. He flushed a bit and looked to the side. "He got to see you practically naked before I did . . . ." he mumbled.

I flushed as my eyes widened, and I looked down. "O-oh . . ."

He turned me around and lifted my face to look at him. "Skye . . . Uhm," he started, flushing a deeper blue. "C-can I, uh . . . w-what I mean to s-say is- . . ." He sighed and looked down. "Dammit . . ."

"Jack?" I looked at him curiously, wondering just what exactly was making him so damn flustered.

He took a deep breath, then said, "IsitokayifIstayherewithyoutonight?"

I blinked. "Uhm, Snowcone, you're gonna have to repeat that. And go a bit slower . . ."

He huffed a frustrated breath, then looked at me with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Is it okay if . . . I s-stay here . . . with you t-tonight . . . ?"

I gaped a little, my eyes widening and my face heating up. Then, I looked down and smiled, saying, "S-sure . . . I don't mind, Snowcone." Then, I smirked and looked up at him. "But you best behave~ . . ."

He flushed darker for an instant, then picked up on my teasing mood and gave me a fox-like grin. "Since when have I ever 'behaved,' princess?"

I let out a laugh and slipped away from him, grabbing my PJs and walking to my bathroom door. "Pff, never. Well, a few times you have. But overall . . ." I trailed off, grinning and laughing again. I gave him a coy smile over my shoulder as I stepped into my bathroom. "However . . . sometimes it's fun to misbehave . . ."

~ 3rd P.o.V ~

Jack gaped slightly as Skye shut the bathroom door behind her.

Di-did she just . . . ?

No matter how shocked and baffled he was, he couldn't deny that Skye had practically offered herself to him. In a teasing, slightly unclear way, but she did it all the same. I sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to sort his thoughts out.

Holy crap . . . Was she being serious? he asked himself. Or was she just teasing me again . . . ? Hmm . . . *chuckle* Well, one way to find out . . .

He grinned as he rose from her bed, stripping off his shirt and then flopping down to lay on one side of her bed. With a glance, he could see the ice dragon bracelet he'd made for her as a Christmas gift. He lightly touched the choker she'd given him (which he'd hid under the collar of his shirt) and smiled.

"Man, I was blind back then," he murmured to himself.

Just then, Skye came out of the bathroom wearing a skull spaghetti strap top and matching PJ bottoms. The tattoos on her arms and collarbone were completely exposed, and he took a moment to admire them. The Celtic cross on her upper left arm had always intrigued him; he enjoyed mentally following the lines as they criss-crossed over each other and wove to and fro. The Asian dragon on her right forearm seemed to wrap around it protectively, its mouth open in a fierce roar.

But the dragon wings on her collarbone had caught his attention more times than he cared to admit, mainly because of how the design seemed to draw his eyes to her chest. Not that her outfits ever helped any to begin with.

He was brought out of his musings when the girl in question flopped down on the bed next to him, saying, "You wore it to the party . . ."

He mentally shook himself and looked up at her in confusion for a bit before it clicked. "Uh, yeah. Hid it under the shirt collar."

She gave him a tender smile that made him feel warm all over. "I'm glad . . . I'm sorry I didn't wear my bracelet," she said, frowning. "But I did wear it everyday while I traveled, at least," she added, brightening.

He smiled and then noticed her hair. "You hair . . . it got longer."

She twirled a few strands between her fingers. "Yeah; I've been thinking of getting it cut."

"Don't; it looks nice long," he said, taking a lock of it and bringing it to his lips.

She flushed and looked away, and he grinned. I guess now would be a good time to see if she was serious before . . .

"So, princess, Tooth told me that you learned a few things," he started casually. "Something about a dance from India?"

She looked at him with a smile. "Mhm! Padma taught me the basic steps of a traditional Indian dance. It was very fun. She also taught me how to properly swing my hips so I wouldn't get a cramp."

He bit back a devious smile. "Care to show me?"

She looked at him in surprise, then flushed a bit at the glint in his eyes. She smiled at him wryly and shook her head. "Nope~! If I do, you won't behave, Jacky boy."

He grinned and gently pulled her on top of him, mentally chuckling at her surprise at the sudden motion. "But didn't you say it can be fun to misbehave~?" he asked in a whisper.

Her breath hitched and she flushed. He could feel the heat coming off of her in waves, and he shivered lightly. She bit her lip and looked away.

"S-so what if I d-did?" she mumbled, her face turning a darker pink.

His breath caught in his throat. Holy shit . . . . she WAS serious!

"Well then . . . when you propose a challenge like that, who am I to back down?" he asked, mirroring her own words from earlier.

- - - - - - - - LIME STARTS HERE; IF YOU WANNA SKIP IT, GO AHEAD! ^_^ - - - - - - - -
(You can just go to the next chapter, if you wanna)

~ Skye P.o.V ~

I turned my head to look down at him in surprise, then felt cold lips pressing against my own. I let out a muffled sound of surprise before moaning and kissing him in return. His chilled arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his equally chilled chest.

I shivered, feeling my nipples harden from both the contact itself and from the temperature. I broke away from the kiss and he moaned as I caught my breath.

"You're so warm, Skye," he breathed, running his hands down my back to my ass, gripping it lightly.

I gasped, jerking forward an inch or two. He gripped me tighter and I whimpered, burying my face in his neck. He let out a shuddering breath, then brought his hands to my upper arms, lifting me so I looked down at him.

"Skye . . . I . . . I want-" he started, cutting himself off with a blush, averting his heated eyes.

My eyes widened, and then I bit my lip. ". . . . J-just . . . . be gentle, 'kay . . . ?"

He looked at me in utter shock, as if he couldn't believe what I'd just said. ". . . A-are you sure?"

I nodded. "Y-yeah . . . . I . . . I love you, Jack."

The next thing I knew, I was being hugged tightly and kissed senseless. When he pulled back, my head was swimming.

"I love you, too," he breathed, smiling with joy.

I smiled back, but then I quickly gave him a devious grin. "So, Jacky boy . . . since this is a 'challenge' . . . when are you going to start?"

He picked up on my mood instantly, his frosty blue eyes narrowing a little as he gave me a coy grin. "You think you can handle it, princess?"

I smirked and pinned his hands on either side of his head. "Oh, believe me, if it's you, then definitely."

He flipped us over and switched our positions, this time pinning me down. He held both my hands above my head with one hand, while the other teasingly stroked the top hem of my shirt.

"Good, because it's only ever going to be me," he said, going down and kissing my neck.

For the rest of the early morning, Jack kissed me all over. ALL over . . . And when we finally joined together as one, it was like Paradise had opened it's gates. He was gentle, at least at first. But when I practically demanded that he not be so gentle . . . . he completely fulfilled that order, let me tell you~ . . .

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Heyyy~! Sorry for not updating in so long (_ _) I got an IMVU account, so I got caught up in it and stuff.

Originally, this was going to be a full-on lemon, but I have to admit . . . it was a bit hard writing one for them. All I could seem to do was lime stuff :\ GOMENASAI! TT~TT

I'm really sorry if y'all were expecting a lemon . . . But this was the most I could do, in all honesty. I guess deep down I didn't want to make it too detailed or anything like that. It just didn't seem to fit the story thus far, ya know?

Until next time! (which will be the last chappie)

~vampireXgirl13X