Japan was going through a light winter in the early month of  December. I wiped some snow off the edge of the building. As always, I found comfort in the cold. I watched as a few kids built a snow man together. I let out a deep breath as I thought of the mess I was in. I had let so many teenagers down, and I couldn't reach every child as fast as I wanted.

Then, I realized Pitch always wanted me to be dependent of him. He couldn't wreak havoc of nightmares without the loss of love or some control over me. He always made me constantly depressed or afraid so that I would sloppily do my job.

I sniffled as I wiped a tear off my cheek. I took a deep breath and looked down at the kids who were throwing snowballs at each other. I smiled as the children laughed. I didn't want to be alone. But people needed me. I felt my transparent, golden wings appear and lift me off the building a bit.

The children laughed louder, and I couldn't help but listen. They began whispering to each other and pointed at me. I waved and hovered to the other side of the roof. I looked at the setting sun and smiled.

I began flying toward the Caribbean, my new home, but the wind felt colder than normal for the Caribbean. My brows furrowed as a soft chill touched my cheek.

I visited two orphaned children, and I gave them apples. They were twins. They were kicked onto the streets by their aunt. I flew them to my island after the sun set.

My island was small with many trees and beaten paths. It had been deserted by humans thousands of years before. My two-story house was hidden in the middle of the island where a few trees hid the top. My house looked much like a cottage, with a touch of modern materials used to hold it together as Father Time sought it would be better for the building.

I bandaged the twins' wounds. Father Time welcomed me into my home. He had black hair that was cut into layers that touched the top of his eyebrows. His blue eyes were a deep dark blue. He was tall and had broad shoulders as a twenty-four year old. The twins marveled at his long blue, hooded cloak with gold embroidery. He set tea for the twins. They ran to the table when he called for them.

"You act like an old man," the older twin said. "My grandpa would drink tea all the time."

Father Time laughed. "I get that a lot." He transformed himself into his ten year old form. "But I also get told that I act like a kid personality wise. I guess my grown up forms are a lot the same." He transformed himself back into his adult form.

The kids laughed. "You're magical!"

I smiled. "We both are, and so is the love that you two can hold for each other. You might not have a mom, but you have each other."

The twins looked at each other. The younger one said, "does that mean we have magic like you?"

"No, dummy," the older one said. "That means we can do awesome things because of the love we have as brother and sister!"

I let out a laugh, and I bent down to meet my gaze with theirs. "Don't forget that. Your love is stronger than any magic or nightmare in the world. Now, let's go home."

"But we want to stay here," The older one said.

"It's warm, and you could be our mom," the younger one said. "And you could be our dad!"

I smiled. "There are other little boys and girls who need our help too. And you need to go to bed," I said.

They sadly said their good-byes, and I flew them to an orphanage. They yawned on the way to the orphanage and fell asleep. I hid at the top of a building, hitting them with arrows to wake up. They knocked on the orphanage, and a man and lady welcomed them in.

I took a deep breath and flew back to my island. Father Time stood in his adult form in the doorway of the house. He had a frown.

"That's a nice welcome, Ray."

Ray rolled his eyes. "I'm proud of what you did today. But, I'm wondering where you've been for the past two days."

I walked into the house. "I was helping a boy named Liel. His friend really."

"Who?"

"The adopted kid in Galway."

"Oh." Ray sighed. "Is it getting better for him?"

I nodded. "I think he understands he is surrounded by the love of his friends. He simply fears being separated from them because of the foster system."

"I understand his feelings," Ray said. "The separation anyway."

"Hey, Ray." I sat at the table. "How's Mother Nature? Did you visit her while I was gone?"

I instantly felt his heart beat a little fast.

Ray sat at the table with a guilty frown. "No. I stayed home. I looked for some kids to help... She most likely doesn't want to see me. Besides, last time we saw each other she said, 'Raynerof, I cannot be with you. Good-bye, Raynerof Tiempo.'" He looked at me. "Did you find out if Pitch is gone?"

I frowned. "He's back... And fully convinced I to blame for troubled teens..."

Ray's expression hardened. "You didn't believe him this time, did you?"

I shrugged. "Lost teens feel lost for a reason, and romantic love is one of the few things many of those lost ones look forward to. And the way they were raised or taught as a child leads them to things like this. I don't know how to get through. I understand that love isn't everything, that's why I've spied on Pitch like the Moon asked, but... It's so powerful to them. In a negative and positive way."

Ray almost reached to touch my hand, but he stopped. "You will hone this power as I have honed mine."

I looked at him with heavy shoulders. "How many years did it take you?"

"Oh, girl." Ray shook his head. "I was seventy-six when I understood what I was supposed to do with this cursed thing! Sometimes, even I forget the 'if I touch someone they'll die' thing."

I smiled. "That's what makes Emily special, doesn't it?"

Ray sighed. "Yeah, I guess. That, and I love her. I suppose nature is a cycle of life and death, so she was... technically best for me... but she was amazing. There's no one quite like her, but she doesn't want to be with me. But, she said she loved me... I don't know. But, I do know I have to be patient."

I nodded. "I'm going out to fly for a bit." I stopped at the door way of the front of the house. "You should talk to her one more time. Make sure she's open with you this time." I took off to the sky.

Quickly, I took to the sky and and started to head towards America. However, I didn't get far from my island.

"Hey."

My eyes widened as I slowly looked to my right. I gasped as I saw Jack's face, and my wings disappeared, making me fall toward the ocean.

Jack laughed and flew after me, catching me before we hit the surface of the water and large waves. He grinned. "I knew it had to be you."

"You..." I blushed. "Let me explain."

Jack smiled and pressed his forehead against mine. "It's okay. I know you had a reason for lying to  me. I also know that it's definitely you this time." He flew to the shore of my island since I hadn't flown that far and gave me some space.

"This time?" I locked my gaze with his.

"You can stop pretending now. I did kind of believe the whole descendant thing." Jack hugged his staff as he looked me over. "You almost convinced me. Your eyes are different, red now, and I didn't think black was your color. But you look exactly the same." He took a step towards me with a grin. "And I thought about you tearing up. Your descendant definitely wouldn't do that for me."

I looked away, recalling these were clothes Pitch gave me. I shrugged as I looked Jack over. "I didn't think hoodies were your thing."

Jack laughed. "Okay, point taken. But they're comfortable."

"I can believe that." I smiled.

Jack was about to smile, but his face fell. "Where were you this entire time? The past three hundred years I mean. This whole time I never thought you were Cupid." His eyes grew soft and shaky. "I thought you were..."

I looked into his eyes, knowing exactly the same thing I thought of him three hundred years before. "On a small island of mine, speaking with fireflies and living with Father Time."

"Father Time?" Jack raised a brow. "No one has seen him in a while."

"Well," I said, "turns out he wants to keep it that way."

"Oh," Jack said. "So you talk to fire flies on your island and live with him?"

I nodded. "It's the reason a lot of fanfictions involve fireflies flying around couples at night."

Jack nodded, and his brows furrowed. "What's a fanfiction?"

I smirked. "Stories teenagers write online. I learned about a few because I had to help a few teenagers believe they were loved after a horrible break up and, you know, find their soul mate..."

"Believe they're loved?"

"Sometimes they forget that they're surrounded by love and aren't truly alone. I know the Guardians need kids to believe in them, but for me..." I sighed as my gaze locked with Jack's. "What good can I do if I only appear in their lives once? It's better they know someone is there at all times."

Jack paused, and he slowly rose his gaze to my face. "You're a- you're a guardian aren't you?"

I shook my head. "I never took the oath. And MiM never announced me as one. He never told me he chose me as one--" 

"He never told me." Jack smiled.

I shrugged. "I know he hasn't chose me as one. Like I said, I'm only in someone's life once. Children I can visit over and over, but children and teens? So I just travel the world and do as I please. Help when I see I'm needed." I gestured at the ocean.

"You've been in my life twice now." Jack smirked.

I let out a small laugh. I shook my head. "This counts as once."

"This is our second meeting, so there has to be a reason that you're who you are now." Jack took my hand and froze, his shoulders slowly fell. Realization began to hit him. "Wait. You're..."

"...Cupid." I nodded glumly. "And I haven't done a good job of it. I did after first but then... my cupidity got in the way."

"Cupidity?"

"It means greed," I said. "I started shooting arrows at teens just to have them stop crying instead of helping find their soul mates. Things got out of hand one day... I wasn't there for one of them. They were infatuated with someone that was cheating on them... They found out, and then they ran away... I haven't been able to find them. It's been about twenty years..."

Jack's eyes were wide.

"For the second century as Cupid, I helped many children feel loved when they needed to feel that way. But I was more pressing after the teen ran away. I'm scared something may have happened to them to this day, and I never stop looking for them. My eyes look around a lot when I travel."

"But as Cupid you..." Jack looked me over with his mouth agape. "You're not a guardian. You're just an--"

"An embodiment. I know." I nodded quickly. "It's not my job to protect children, but I try in so many ways. It's an instinct."

"The lost ones..."

I smiled awkwardly.

Jack smiled back. "That's probably why the Moon chose you to be Cupid. You never let stranded kids suffer. Not even when we were human. Remember the Christmas kid?"

"Jack, there's something I have to tell you." I lowered my eyes and sat on a log near me. "It's a long story. You may want to sit."

Jack sat next to me and stared at me, waiting for me to speak.

I smiled at the familiar gesture of comfort he'd give me three hundred years ago. "The night you died, I became Cupid. I moved from one life to another. I'd seen a bunch of nightmares in all sorts of forms, shapes, and sizes. I'd take them away from children by poking them with arrows in their sleep. Nothing really came of it. Sometimes, all I had to do was sooth the child's head as the sandman's dream seeped in. The child would smile in their sleep as Sandy crafted their dreams.

"I did this multiple times because I knew where the nightmares would be. But then one night, there was a storm of nightmares in Burgess. I was trapped in the middle of the city by the nightmares. I ran to the forest to lower them in number. When I was finished, I saw you and..." I lowered my head. I still didn't know what I saw, but Jack said it for me. "Well, uh..."

"You saw Tooth and I having  a moment." Jack let out a small laugh. "Nothing really came of it."

"What?" I blinked and looked at him. "But you guys looked so... Okay, so you didn't..."

Jack shook his head. "There were all kinds of differences. She was always busy with tooth orders. There were times we were having a moment, and she stopped to give orders to her fairies that came by."

I paused realizing how judgemental I was being.

"Yeah." Jack laughed lightly. "It happened several times, and she said that she needed the time to order her fairies around. And you know me, I couldn't just sit and do nothing." He shook his head as he smirked. "Basically, it didn't and couldn't work."

I smiled at him. "Well, you succeeded in finding a girl that would make me jealous."

Jack let out a small laugh. "Three hundred and four years later." He smirked at me. "Didn't I tell you that I'd turn her down?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Technically you went out with her."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm here now."

"Yeah..." I paused with wide eyes. "Yes! Jack! You're here! And I'm here!"

Jack raised a brow with wide eyes. "Uh... yeah?"

"Jack! You don't get it. Love found a way. We're here." I grinned to myself. "We're both here."

Jack smiled and moved my hair out of my face. He took a hold of my hand. "Close your eyes. I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

He kissed my hand tenderly. "Trust me. You'll like it."

I closed my eyes and felt Jack pick me up and begin to fly off. Jack laughed lightly. "Okay. You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes and looked at all the lights of the city below me. I gasped as I looked around. "Where are we?" Jack put me down on a building.

Jack smirked and sat by my side. "Moscow."

I smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Think so?"

A wispy voice said, "Delightfully so, Jack."

My eyes widened, and Jack and I whirled behind us to Pitch.

Pitch grinned. "How wonderful. Old friends united at last. You're still just a friend aren't you, Cupid?"

Jack pointed his staff at Pitch. I stepped back, spawning a gold-glowing arrow.

Pitch let out a small laugh. "Is that fear I smell coming from you Cupid? Are you afraid of what I might tell Jack?"

I didn't flinch, but my breath became heavy.

Jack blinked quickly glancing from me to Pitch. "What is he talking about?"

I aimed my arrow at Pitch. I felt something grab my ankle and throw me towards Pitch. Pitch wrapped an arm around me, and I stabbed the back of his shoulder with my arrow. He pushed me toward the ground.

 Jack fired an ice-shot, making Pitch block it with his scythe. I aimed my arrow, but Pitch appeared behind Jack. My eyes widened as Pitch grabbed Jack from behind and pressed his scythe against Jack's neck, pulling Jack up and back.

Pitch grinned. "You know how I love deals, Cupid."

I glared at Pitch and lowered my arrow. "I think I know every detail of it."

Pitch grinned wickedly. "Then tell me your answer. Quickly." Jack grunted from pain.

I glared at Pitch for another second, and then I threw my bow and arrow to the side.

Pitch smiled. "Good girl."

"No!"

Pitch kicked Jack down and kicked Jack's core. My eyes widened when I heard Jack grunt. He disappeared with Jack, and I looked around. Pitch's laugh echoed. I felt something pull my arms back, and suddenly I was in the air.

"Jack!" I watched Jack fall into the lights of the city. Then, there was darkness. I couldn't see anything, not even my hands. Desperate, I felt around me. I felt bars, like I was in a cage. I kept feeling around me, more bars.

"Did you really think that just finding Jack would make your world complete?" Pitch's voice echoed.

"It did for quite a bit of time." I sat back against the bars.

"Then, you can't blame me for trying to save you from the heartbreak again." Pitch laugh loudly. "Well... now I've got one problem."

"If you mean the Guardians know of your escape, don't you mean you have two problems?"

Pitch laughed loudly again. "If you're talking about your feelings for him, or the Guardians even beginning a search for you because you THINK Jack loves you, you are mistaken." Pitch's face was suddenly visible against the bars in front of me. "I know they won't believe him. I know they will take time to consider his words. By the time they do believe him, it will be too late." He grinned. "And at that time, they won't believe a word Jack has to say about you."

I glared at him. "Had you told me this two days ago, I would have believed you. But I know you're wrong."

Pitch chuckled. "Prove it."

"Love found a way, Pitch." I smiled. "Jack and I have found each other again, and now we can be together."

Pitch laughed. "Did he say that to you? Did he really say he had feelings for you? Or are you just going off his gentle little kisses that made your heart flutter?"

I glared at Pitch.

Pitch let out a small laugh. "You should know better than anyone how worthless THAT and many other words are." He began to speak lowly, almost a whisper. "The truth is, Cupid, the Guardians won't lift a finger to find you, Jack isn't coming to save you, and I will have you strike fear into the hearts of children." He grinned and began to walk away.

My words faltered a bit when I spoke. "He found this place before."

Pitch stopped in his tracks. He chuckled lightly, and slowly turned his head to me. "Only because I brought him here. Life isn't just a fairy tale. The villains are the progression of heroes."