Burgess, Penn. 1912
A soft sigh escaped the pale lips of the young teen, his breath coming out like a fog as it always did. White hair wind ruffled, eyes so blue that they were a captivating color that could never be in any human and he wasn't. Frost graced the blue hoodie just as it did the wooden shepherd's crook he carried with him. His beautiful eyes watched with sad envy was families ushered children in for the evening. The laughter of a child off in the distance caught his attention. Why should this child be happy when he was so alone? When no one saw him, when he had no one? Anger and jealousy surged through him as he spun around, looking for the sound; his eyes alighted on a young girl who stood before a man he hadn't seen before. The other was so much larger than the girl both in height and in girth; not saying the other was so much fat as burly. Dressed in a red shirt and black pants, the man's hair was as white as the snow that was the boy's only constant companion aside from the wind.
The child giggled as she looked up fondly at the older man who was beaming at the child.
"Emily! Time to come in! Who are talking to?" Came the voice of the girl's mother as the last of the day's light faded, leaving the land in a darkness the teen was familiar with.
"Santa's here mum!" She replied. The teen, who was none other than Jack Frost, stared at the girl. He'd heard the name before, but to actually think that such a person existed… He looked at the man who seemed to know that he was being watched for his gaze shifted from the girl and looked at him. Right at him, could the other…? He felt his heart beat a little faster as he slowly walked forward, forgetting his anger and jealousy over the two as the mother ushered her child inside.
"Tell me, what do you want for Christmas?" The man asked, a bright smile on his face as he took in the boy who now stood before him. Jack wasn't sure what to say. How could the man before him ask such a question?
"You can ask anything." He said when he saw the boy hesitate.
"I want to be seen… where were you?" The question came out softer than he meant it to be and shock seemed to flicker over the jolly features as the merry eyes flickered over him and realization then seemed to dawn upon him that he was not faced with a mortal boy. This was the teen that the North Wind had whispered of. Jack Frost.
"I have my job to do, lad. Just as you have yours; is almost Christmas. Don't get carried away this year, no?" He said with a smile and Jack blinked, only able to watch as the other spirit walked off towards a waiting sleigh and was off into the air with a snap of the reins before Jack could think to say anymore. Just like that, he'd been brushed off. He felt a jolt from it, what had he expected? The other spirit hadn't sought him out before… were there others? Well, Jack was going to see if there were. He would love to just have… someone pay some attention to him, maybe be his friend... Someone to talk to him and keep him company. Feeling a flicker of hope for the first time since he had emerged from the ice, not knowing anything more than his own name and discovering that he had power over the elements of winter, Jack took to the air and set out across the world. He couldn't be the only spirit… and he had a feeling that there were certainly others with whom he could talk to. Perhaps they would be more welcoming than the "jolly" Guardian had been. Jack couldn't help the excitement he felt suddenly, after 200 years of not being seen someone had finally seen him! Him! He danced in the air as he zoomed off to yet another town to see if he could root out any other spirits who might want some company on this winter's night.
North Pole 100 years later
"I must have done something to get you four together." Jack said, walking off from the elf he'd frozen. Why had he been stuffed into a sack and tossed into a magical portal? Why were all the Guardians all collected here at the North Pole? Was it because of him? Had he really done something so bad this time to cause them to make such a fuss? Then an idea occurred to him and he turned to look over his shoulder at them with a mischievous smirk.
"Am I on the naughty list?"
"On naughty list? You hold record, but no matter, now we are wiping clean the slate." North replied, making a wiping gesture across the "naughty" tattoo on his arm.
"How come?" The question was out before Jack really registered he'd spoke.
"Eh, good question." Bunny said, Jack nearly rolled his eyes at the grumpy, oversized rabbit.
"How come? I tell you how come!" North said, nearly booming out his next words.
"Because now you are Guardian!" Jack started, as much from the shock of the words as the music that suddenly started and the ridiculous display that suddenly seemed to unfold before him. He backed away from the fairies that tried to put some multicolored neck thing around him; he didn't want to get to close to any of the fairies since… He brushed the thought away before it caused him to flinch in pain, but he'd stumbled back over the sack, the two yetis behind him caught him and steadied him. He scowled at the elves that held up a pair of shoes for him, they seemed more ridiculous than this display! He had no intention of putting them on.
Seriously, did they NOT know who he was? As he glanced around he found his irritation rise as North boomed out as he marched in time to the tune.
"This is the best part!" Fed up, Jack raised his staff and slammed it down suddenly, frost crackling along the floor as a cold blast of air spread out from him, dousing the fire the yetis behind him held and sending the nearest elves sliding across the floor as if they had been on ice.
"What makes you think I want to be a Guardian?" He asked, the fact that the jolly Guardian, now holding a book in his hand seemed to laugh at it while no one else did. What was so funny?
"Of course you do. Music!" It started up again.
"No music!" Jack said and it died just as soon as it had started. He scowled now at the four before him. How DARE they assume that he wanted to be like THEM! He narrowed his eyes at the four.
"I don't want to be a Guardian. I am not like you four."
"Man in Moon chose you to be Guardian." North said.
"Man in Moon? After 300 years… THIS is his answer? To spend eternity in some hideout dreaming up new ways to bribe children?! Oh no… that is NOT for me." He fumed, scowling up at the moon as if it could see him. Maybe it could, but he didn't care one way or another.
"I am NOT you. You guys are hard work and deadlines; I am snowballs and fun times. I am NOT a Guardian."
"Yeah, exactly what I said!" Bunny said, but Jack ignored him. Jack spun away from the group.
"Jack, I don't think you understand what we do. Each of those lights is a child." Tooth began, motioning to the large globe with tiny lights all over it.
"A child who believes, and good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them." North picked up before Tooth could continue.
"We need you Jack. Pitch is out there doing who knows what!"
"The Boogeyman?" Jack asked, a little surprised that THIS was the reason they had brought him here, the real reason he was being asked to join them.
"Yes!" Jack frowned.
"Just who do you think I am? Why are you asking me to do this when YOU weren't there when I needed you?" Bunny narrowed his eyes while the others seemed a little taken aback at the sudden anger Jack was displaying.
"Where were YOU when I had trouble with Pitch? When I needed help dealing with him?" He stormed off, an hour later he found himself alone, leaning against one of the many window sills of North's as he tried to get himself under control. He needed to cool off or he might accidently summon a storm. He didn't want to do that. They thought ill of him enough as it was.
"Jack." He glanced over, tugging unconsciously on his hood that he'd pulled over his head earlier.
"Jack, we need your help with Pitch. He is dangerous."
"You think I don't know that? Why should I bother? Everyone always ends up alone in the end. After so long you came to me just because you need my help, not because you want to help me. Not because you have anything to offer me, but because you want something FROM me." Jack felt his anger rising again even as he heard the others gathering around him as he stood. He spun about suddenly, his eyes focused on Tooth now.
"Where were YOU when he threatened Baby Tooth's life? When he…. When I lost her?"
"Baby Tooth?" Jack frowned, but answered.
"That's what I called her… when I found her. I nursed her back to health, she was the ONLY one who seemed to care about me. Who … who took the time to be with me!" Tooth's eyes widened. She had assumed she'd lost that fairy in one of Jack's blizzards and had angrily destroyed the ice memorial that Jack had made for the fairy when she'd discovered it. Her magenta eyes were now wide with sorrow. She realized she had judged the young winter spirit wrongly and she wished she could make it up to him. Jack jerked his hood down, his hand clenching his staff. As angry as he was with them, he wasn't going to attack them. He wasn't like Pitch.
"I can't help you. I'm sorry, but I have nothing to offer you." None of them said anything as he pushed open the window and flew out. Leaving them to deal with Pitch on their own. They were the "Big Four" they didn't need him, Jack knew that; they had never needed him before, so whatever they thought they needed him for now… well… it was too late. He didn't want anything to do with them.
