Set during Jack's human life.

"Jack, is Santa Clause real?" Pippa asked her brother one snowy day. They were playing in a small grove of trees near their house, and had recently switched from making snow angels to building snowmen.

"Of course he is." Replied Jack confidently, patting a lump on his snowman's first section smooth. Jack was fifteen years old, and no longer truly believed in Santa, but he was not about to let his seven year old sister know that. He remembered back to the time that he stopped believing in Santa. Each Christmas after that had lost a little of its magic, its sparkle. He had made it a goal within himself the next Christmas to help his little sister to believe for as long as possible. When he listened to Pippa excitedly talk about wanting to spot Santa, or her squealing at an unholy hour on Christmas day at seeing the packages under the small tree, his childhood returned temporarily. He didn't want her to lose her adorable excitement. "What brought on a silly question like that?"

Pippa bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, starting the second section of her snowman's body. "When I was over at Katherine's house yesterday she said it was dumb to believe in Santa. She said that parents leave the presents so that the kids will be good for another year." She started pushing her little snowball along the ground, yelping when something grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the ground.

"Ja-ack!" She pouted, trying to right herself, only to get pulled to the ground again by her laughing brother. She rolled away, than jumped on him, pushing him over. She starting giggling herself as she scrambled to sit on his stomach in triumph. She ruffled his hair until he admitted defeat. He accepted his fate as a prisoner and slumped down.

"Okay! Okay, you got me. You win." He said around his laughter.

"We're soaking wet now!" She pretended to be stern.

"That was for being so silly." He moved to sit up, and she rolled off of him, laughing again. "Do you really think Katherine's right?" He asked her, slightly more serious.

"I don't know. Sometimes people with less money don't get presents, right?"

"Wrong." He said immediately. "Uhh..." He searched for an example. "Seven years ago. Do you remember seven years ago?"

"No. I was just a baby!"

"Yup. But did you know that seven years ago, the year you were born, there was no crop?"

"No crop?" She gasped in horror. "Why?"

"Too much rain." He replied grimly. "Nearly everything died. We had enough to eat, but that was it. We didn't have enough money for presents."

"So there was no Christmas?" Pippa's eyes were continually getting larger.

"There was a Christmas!" He said passionately. "Do you wanna know what I got that Christmas? It's my favorite present so far."

"Your sled?"

"No, that was two Christmas's after that. Christmas, seven years ago," he leaned forward and looked at her intently. "I got a little sister." Her mouth fell open in disbelief.

"I'm your favorite present?"

"Absolutely. Do you think you came in a box?"

She giggled. "No."

"When's your birthday?"

"January tenth. You know that!"

"Yes, I do." Jack laughed. "But do you see what I mean? You weren't under the tree, and you didn't even come on Christmas. But I knew. Mom, dad and me, we were never so excited for a Christmas present in our whole lives."

"Dad didn't get to enjoy me for very long." She said, her eyes dropping to her lap at the mention of their father. Richard Frost had died five summers ago from a raging fever, leaving their mother and the generosity of their uncle Robert to care for them. The brothers had been close, and Robert even had two children of his own. He never begrudged giving the financial help, but Jack knew his mother hated accepting.

"Well... Maybe dad was Santa's present to God."

"But he was our present first!" Pippa protested angrily.

"I know. I know. But sometimes we have to share our presents, even if we don't want to. Look at Jonah Rigdon's family. With five brothers and sisters, I can guarantee he shares special things."

"Yeah. I guess so." She said, looking disappointed.

"But the point is, we have special things. Sometimes it's hard to see where they come from, but I promise you this. Santa may not always leave presents in the conventional way, but he always comes."

Pippa looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Always?" She asked wonderingly.

"Always. Now come on, lets finish our snowmen." Pippa nodded, then jumped up, pulling on his hand to get him to move faster.

"My snowman is gonna be Santa Clause!" She said, running to get more snow. Jack dusted if the back of his pants.

"Then I call the Easter bunny!" He said, following her back to their half-made snow creations. Pippa looked at the ball he'd left in the snow, shaped with a humanoid figure in mind.

"That'll be a big bunny!" She said, laughing. "What about the Sandman?" She asked.

"Don't worry. We won't forget the Sandman. Or the Tooth fairy." And they didn't. When they went home that night, four smiling guardians stood proudly amidst a small clearing of trees. They were slightly lopsided, the tooth fairy only had one wing, and they resembled the real things not even a little bit. But Pippa still believed, and a fun time in the snow had been had. And that was what mattered.

A/N: So here is the first in a hopefully long series of one shots. I love the relationship Jack had with his sister, so there may be more like this one. I take suggestions, though most likely not ones including pairings. Love! Mariah.