Hello and thank you for clicking on my story!

Although this is a Rise of the Guardians story at its core I have taken some elements from some Rankin/Bass Christmas tales. You will find many references to stories like A Year Without a Santa Claus and likewise (but not quite as extensively) the 1979 special Jack Frost. I've done to the best of my ability to combine these stories and place them into the Rise of the Guardians universe.

I hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated and valued.

Chapter 1

There's No Winter In South City

Christmas came earlier every year. Once the Halloween decorations went down, the lights and wreaths went up. There was so much snickering about thisdisplay of holiday cheer so early, you would have assumed people were doing it out of jealousy of the winter season. Maybe it was true that the colors of amber and crimson leaves were not pondered on long enough, and that their fallen state was just as temporary as those who gaze down to gladly acknowledge the harvest. Even in the heart of autumn itself, Thanksgiving, was almost completely vanquished from the minds of folks. Surely if there were a Turkey guardian he'd be gone years ago; there simply wasn't room in the minds of humanity for such things anymore. Sad yes, but at the same time this attention brought over to the birth of winter gave meaning to others; other guardians whose purpose was to bring joy, wonder and a little bit of fun to humanity.

Burgess had already received its first flurry days ago. Like the start of the earlier holiday season, winter seemed to be creeping up on the world alongside it. Those white Christmas wishes many of the children so longed for were just as evident as the rising sun, and when you get kid season mixed with snowfall it's like a dream come true. The adults on the other hand, could care less for it. Snow storms meant car problems, harder commutes and shoveling snow off the drive way. Though despite that the snow hadn't even started sticking to the ground yet, parents were already complaining.

"Hey Jamie!" A woman's voice called from the window of the kitchen. Immediately heat began to fly out the window once the barrier concealing the outside was parted, and with it the smell of roasting chicken engulfed the small front yard, "Jamie, can you salt the driveway, please? I've got my hands full and we're supposed to be receiving another small snowstorm soon."

"Aw, come on!" Jamie was a good kid, don't be too quick to judge, but if there was one thing he disliked the most it was preventing snow from falling the way it should. Ever since that Easter Sunday two years ago, Jamie had been keeping his eyes glued on the skies every approaching winter. He wanted to spot the winter guardian again; he wanted to see Jack Frost. "Mom, please, can I just wait and do it tomorrow? I hear it's not as effective to salt before it freezes anyway."

"Jamie, listen to me and do as I say please." His mother was relentless, "If you start now you can get it done before dinner is ready."

Jamie lightly rolled his eyes, and if anything responded then just to satisfy his mom, "Fine." He said bluntly.

The little ten year old heaved out of defiance, allowing his breath to escape him like a chimney huffing smoke and started towards the garage. The sound of icy grass crunching beneath his feet seemed loud in his rather desolate front yard, only giving into the more powerful cold gusts and breezes that thought to sway in at random moments. All the while his brown eyes continued to shift from his path to the garage and to the skies, ever watchful to see if his dear friend would return. "You said you would come back." Jamie huffed again as his tiny lips formed into a pout, with his newly saddened expression bringing his brows together in a disappointed furrow. Jack had said he would always be with him, and that much was already obvious from the oncoming winter air. Was he too busy for him now to not actually be present here? Maybe he was just taking his time; surely it was difficult adding the right amount of snowflakes in certain places. It had to be an art, this snow and frost making, after all.

"Think fast!" A chuckle followed the chilly air, but even with the prior warning Jamie wasn't prepared for the adequately pact snowball that suddenly hit him on the right side of his face. With the cold puff of snow catching him off guard the boy was tossed to the side, landing on the crunchy grass with a plop as his hands quickly dived onto his cheek to shave off what snow powder was left on him.

"Jack!" The boys narrowed eyes quickly brightened once his line of vision was cleared, seeing the mysterious white haired boy balancing atop of his fence like it was as easy as placing an ornament on a tree.

"Did you miss me?" Jack chimed.

"Are you kidding?!" Jamie gasped as he sat up with excitement, at the moment not even thinking to gather up a snow ball of his own to get back at the winter guardian. "It's felt like forever! How's the gang?"

"Oh, you mean The Grumpy Easter Kangaroo and his pals of hard working chumps? Heh, they're cool, since I've been around at least." He smirked at his own childish insult to Bunnymund and his following pun, "But I really missed this. It's been starting to get more difficult waiting until winter to bring you guys snow, and now that I think of it, not enough time until Spring comes around. You think Bunny would get mad at me if I threw in another snowstorm after the New Year?"

"It's never not the wrong time for snow." Jamie chuckled, "It could be the middle of summer and I'd be happy with spending a day building snowmen."

"Ha, if only it were that straightforward." Jack jumped from the fence and landed on the ground, walking over toward Jamie who had been standing there like a statue ever since he came into the picture.

"What do you mean?" Jamie's eyes widened a little when Jack told him the bad news, "You're Jack Frost! You can make it snow anytime, anywhere!"

"I'm not one for rules, but summer is supposed to be hot, not cold. I've thought about it before, but... I haven't given it much of a try. I usually stick to the northern hemisphere around that time; mostly just hanging out with North at the pole."

"So you just make it snow extra good when winter comes?" Jamie smiled lightly, "Gotta make up for it."

Jack paused a moment. He had been hanging out in Burgess and the northern hemisphere for so long that it just now dawned on him that he hadn't been paying much attention to the cities toward the south. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he always had such a friendly familiarity where he was that he didn't consider going anywhere else. As a guardian he was supposed to bring snowballs and fun times. "Yeah, I'll make it snow extra good this winter." Jack cooed to himself as he twirled his staff, "What poor unfortunate souls have the least amount of snowfall without me?"

"Well, Hawaii I guess or other beach places..." Jamie suggested, "But I don't think they're the ones to give snow."

"What do you mean, everyone needs snow!" Jack looked surprised for a moment, "Is it because they like making sandcastles over snow angels? Please, what loser does that?"

"South City." Jamie added then, "I had a friend from first grade move to South City. Maybe you could pay them a visit? I hear they rarely get snow, if not at all."

"Where is that?" Jack paced towards the garage a tad, pondering over the small cracks in the brick.

"The south, duh." Jamie giggled again, "But if you want me to be more accurate that place is in Texas. But I'm sure you can get there okay."

"I don't know, that's a long trip. Pennsylvania all the way down to Texas is a pretty long way. Do you know how many miles that is?"

"Don't play like that with me, you told me you can get from Russia and back in only a few minutes."

"Yeah, you're right, I did say that didn't I?" Jack turned around to look at Jamie, walking over to his side and then gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Okay, let me drop you a little snowstorm before I leave, and then you keep your eyes on the news. I'm going to blast the south with so much snow that you'd think they were in the North Pole."

"That'll be awesome! All the world will know that Jack Frost is the ultimate fun maker, just you wait and see!" Jamie jumped a little out of sheer happiness for his friend, clasping his hands together tightly as he thought of all the attention Jack would receive once those who hadn't seen snow in years suddenly looked up and saw the guardian of winter himself had paid them a visit. "They'll have to believe. Soon you'll be known all over!"

"Little steps at a time, kid." Jack attempted to respond seriously, but he manage to break a smile anyway, "Hasn't your mom told you not to get your hopes up to high or you'll be disappointed?"

"What are you talking about, my hopes are always up!" Jamie jumped again.

"Ha, good then!" Jack said, this time followed by letting loose a heavy laugh, "Okay, watch this." Jack lifted his staff over his head, this in itself causing the wind to pick up and clusters of clouds to form above. Once he was satisfied with the quality and quantity of the clouds, his staff came tumbling back down, and upon hitting the already icy grasses, through his staff Jack unleashed a wave of frost that began to scatter over the grasses and flow onto the rooftops around them. Only moments later did flurries began to fall from the sky, quickly beginning to blanket the cold ground with white.

"This is so awesome!" Jamie yelled this time as his hands opened wide to embrace the falling white dots, "This is going to be the best winter ever!"

"Or the coolest winter ever." Jack smirked again.

Jamie laughed and started running around the yard. His feet started picking up snow quickly, and with it building onto the ground with every minute Jamie's legs began to kick it in the air, causing the yard to become kissed with a very faint mist of ice.

"Jamie, is it snowing already?" His mother called through the window again, "And have you even started doing what I asked?"

Jamie stopped in his tracks, cringing his teeth together as he listened to his mother's voice grow irritated, "Uh, sorry mom..." Jamie looked up at Jack, whose expression seemed to mirror his own at this point, "I'll do it right now."

"Good luck with that." Jack patted his back sympathetically, yet with a twinge of teasing in his voice, "While you do all this boring stuff I'm going to head to... what was it, South City? Yeah that place."

Before Jack could even begin to move away, Jamie's little arms wrapped tightly around Jack's waist, "I'm going to miss you." Jamie huffed again.

"Hey, I won't be gone long. I'll just give those guys a big enough blast so that the snow will stay with them until after the holidays. I'm sure North would appreciate the extra help spreading Christmas cheer."

Jamie wouldn't let go just yet. The little boy was still keen on keeping his embrace around the winter guardian until he felt it was his time to let go. It wasn't really fair, honestly. Jack was so busy, especially this time of year, that he rarely saw him. At least didn't see him as enough as he wanted. The boy waited all year for winter to come, and now finally that he was able to see Jack, he already had to leave. But Jamie knew better. All the world needed a little bit of fun, not just him. "See you soon, then." Jamie finally let go, stepping back enough to give Jack the room he needed to take off.

"Soon, Jamie. And keep an eye on the news, I plan on making a scene." Jack smiled once more before the winter wind suddenly picked him up, causing Jack to fly high into the sky and disappear into the clouds.

. . . . . . . .

"Why didn't I do this sooner?" Jack mused to himself. The wind continued to carry him through the skies, leaving behind the familiarity of Burgess and off to distant, unattended lands. The fresh crisp air that Jack left in Burgess continued to follow him as he went, traveling around him like a cloud that then dropped to the passing towns below as he flew by.

It felt good, really good. There was really no perfect explanation to express the feeling Jack got when he pondered over his handy work. It was a new season, the beginning of winter, his time to shine, his spotlight! Not only that but it was also the dawn of his new start, the start of a guardian. Only two years ago Jack was a nobody, a lost cause. He traveled aimlessly, desperately seeking meaning in his existence, yet now that was all changed. He had children who actually believed him. Little eyes that hopefully looked skyward for his return, and that audience of adoring believers was steadily growing, especially around those who often spoke to Jamie. It gave Jack hope. If he was able to get this far, who knows what other sorts of feats he could do. Jack imagined what it would be like now that he was stretching his boundaries. This South City that Jamie talked about, that lacked snow must have been dreadful. A city deprived of snow and fun would certainly need a change in weather, and perhaps even when it did happen he would be believed in. Wouldn't it be a surprise! Those folk waking up one morning to find that they would have a white Christmas, and not a bland boring brown one.

The passing wind around him suddenly grew warm. His small cloud that he had been hanging onto from the beginning slowly began to dissipate into the steamy air around him, and with a sudden heave the air gave in and all that was left of his lingering winter air vanished.

Jack was surprised, but not worried.

"Obviously these people need help." Jack muttered to himself as he turned his staff, commanding the wind to slow down. Immediately he could see it; South City was not as quaint as a place like Burgess but more rather large and busy. Jack's eyes quickly fell on a toll way below, whose evening commute was bundled up like a bunch of little children in bumper cars that had no idea what they were doing. Among the busy traffic the tall skyscrapers and buildings seemed to reflect the setting sun, making them look like towering bars of gold glass. Just the appearance however, wasn't what was getting to him though.

"Ugh, it has to be at least eighty degrees here, what's going on? I thought summer ended months ago!" Jack steered his staff again, creating a wave in the air that took him around the city to get a better look. The city was big though. Where was he to begin? Perhaps a snow cloud right in the center would do well, or better yet, maybe a wave from the north would suffice. Either way, he was going to give this place all he had, he just wanted to do it right.

Jack planned his actions this time rather diligently. The wind picked up and encircled him around the city, all the while his staff at a glow as he placed a halo front of cold air to contain the rest of the snowfall he was about to produce. It wasn't until about two rounds of his circling did he become satisfied with his barrier, but soon after he would focus on the center of the city. Raising his staff once again, Jack began to form a snow cloud. He could already feel the cold air he had created begin to collide with the heat, causing an uproar of gusts that blew whispers and whistles down and across the tall buildings. His little snow cloud was starting to grow, and as it did it spread over the city, shading out the golden light from the sun and replacing it with a calming violet hue. "I hope you guys keep your coats nearby." Jack stated as he glanced down at South City, who by all means was probably not prepared for what was coming to them.

Then, once the snow cloud had stretched as far as the eye could see and its grey wings had finally overtaken the skies at its fullest, did Jack let go. He watched as the cloud began to pour snowflakes, each piece of frozen liquid a perfectly constructed work of art. They danced around in the cold upper air for a moment before they glided downward, giving Jack a sense of accomplishment as a parent might sigh upon seeing their child walk across a stage on graduation. However, this fulfillment didn't last long.

As the snowflakes fell, they grew heavier. It was upon noticing their sudden increase in fall rate that Jack saw what was happening. They were melting.

"What?!" Jack gasped as his blue optics seized with his sudden exclamation, "Rain?!"

Jack dived down, swinging his staff around to desperately attempt to change these raindrops back into snowflakes. This however, was rather useless. At his panicked attempts to fluff up the raindrops they instead turned into sleet, and some unfortunately didn't even quite make it that far. To Jack, it was chaos. Despite his efforts to refreeze the snow, even the sleet didn't make it all the way down before it regretfully transformed into freezing rain.

"No! This is wrong! I must have messed up." Jack fussed as he continued to follow the plummeting raindrops. Jack landed on the ground quickly, stumbling only for a moment as he again refocused on his attempts to make it snow for these people. Passing cars on the busy roads caused him some mild disorientation, as their bright headlights reflected off the rain and into the darkened twilight. Some of the sleet that managed to make it all the way down quickly melted upon impact with the ground. "It's just not cold enough!" Jack spewed, flailing his arm upward and slamming his staff onto the ground. This caused a wave of frost to travel the streets, catching some of the sleet and creating a layer cold and slick enough on the ground to keep the pieces of sleet drops noticeable for a time.

SCREECH! The sound of wheels struggling to stay latched on the road failed, twisting a car sideways and causing it to hit another vehicle in the lane directly beside it. A domino effect suddenly took place, and one after another cars rammed into each other, and then after a few moments of slamming metal and exaggerated horns, silence overtook the little street, replacing the outbreak of destruction with the soft pat of rain as it hit the chilled ground. A few moments after this standstill people began getting out of their vehicles, some starting to cry while other decided to choose the light or dark side by either helping or yelling at each other.

Jack was dumbfounded. Not only did he fail miserably at doing the one thing he was made to do, but he caused a huge wreck on top of it. His mouth dropped as he stared, and after a few seconds his gaze slipped from the cluster of packed cars on the road in front of him and to the skies above. Rain continued to plummet and smack the ground, but a chilly air remained.

"Why won't it snow?" Jack said aloud to himself as his wide eyes narrowed to a glare. "That trick works literally everywhere else I've been, why won't it work here!? It's like this place is cursed or something!" Jack kicked at the ground, causing some of the water to fly upward and then splash back down. His pale hands tensed irritably around his staff as his free hand bundled into a first. He had to control himself from shaking. Closing his eyes he tried to think of what he might have done wrong. Going over the situation again and again in his head made no sense. By all means these people should have been buried in snow right now! Instead the streets began to lightly flood with cold water, only staying free from being submerged with the help of the gutters that took what was supposed to be his snow into the bowels of the city drains.