Jack and Poppy
Jack hardly even glanced at poppy fields. The one time he did nearly sent him into tears. Sandy wants to know why. A sort-of tie-in with Jack and His Camera.
A/N: Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing!
Jack, in all of his three hundred and something years, hardly ever glanced at poppy fields. When he did, he always felt immeasurable sadness that he could never pinpoint.
That is, until after the Battle of Belief and he got his memories back in that crevice in Antarctica.
Now, he couldn't even think about those flowers. Those flowers that meant dreams, oblivion, remembrance… they taunted him, now. His sister, little Poppy Overland Frost, was long since dead, and he didn't even remember her until a few months ago.
Was she one of the funerals he had attended? Did she grow up? Did she have a family, or did she remain stuck on his death at the pond that one fateful day?
Jack shook his head every time these thoughts popped up, trying to get rid of them as a dog shakes off water. He couldn't let his emotions through too much, else he'll cover whatever area he's in in a new ice age. (That's why those poor penguins had to deal with all those storms down in Antarctica. Jack always felt bad, but he couldn't help it, they were made for cold and Antarctica as the least populated place on the planet.)
No one else noticed this development in Jack. Not until after his first Christmas, when he went to visit Sandy on his Dreamship.
You see, Jack gave the Guardians a floral wreath he made himself. It almost killed his heart when he went into a white poppy field to get Sandy flowers that meant "dreams". Jack thought that maybe, just maybe, if luck was on his side, he would never have to look at the wreath again.
Luck was not on his side, because right there in the entry way was Jack's wreath, right at eye level. Jack looked away, instead choosing to look at the doorknob below it.
Now, Sandy wasn't oblivious. He had to be observant for his job, so that way he wouldn't send a dream that was easily turned into a nightmare, which would just be screaming "Come and get me, Pitch!" (Sandy knew about the necessity that was nightmares, as did Jack. There needed to be balance between belief and fear, just as there was balance in nature. That didn't mean he liked kids having nightmares, though.) Sandy noticed the way Jack's eyes teared up a little, and how they quickly glanced away from… the floral wreath?
Sandy didn't get it. Why would Jack be upset with something he made? The golden man knew that many artists were critical of their own work, but Jack seemed confident with handing over the frozen flowers. So why was he so upset?
The Sandman knew that now wasn't the time to ask, so Sandy instead led the frost child to his room that Sandy set aside for him, getting a "thanks" before Jack crashed on the bed.
Now, Sandy normally respected privacy, but he knew Jack would never tell him anything, even if Sandman was the only spirit that had noticed Jack and treated him kindly in his three hundred years of loneliness. So Sandy blew a bit of dreamsand into Jack's face, watching as it formed the dream of a snowball fight between Jack and the Burgess Believers, as Jack had taken to calling them instead of listing the seven children by name. Wait- there were nine people there, including Jack. So who was the eighth child?
Sandy peered closer at the dream and… there! A little girl, wearing a dress with lining around the wait and at the bottom, who had shoulder-length hair and was grabbing Jack by the hand, was the eight child.
Both the dream Jack and real Jack were smiling sadly. Sandy allowed the dream to end and exited his ship. He still had about 30 minutes before Jack woke up. Sandy flew as fast as possible towards Tooth Palace, hoping Tooth would at least know the name of the mysterious girl.
As it turns out, she did.
"Poppy Overland Burgess."
A large amount of sand exclamation points went over Sandy's head at this point.
"What is it Sandy? What's wrong?"
Sandy alone was the one spirit, other than Baby Tooth, who Jack had trusted with telling him about his past life, including his name.
Sandy made a picture of Jack and Poppy, then a picture of Jamie and Sophie with and equal sign.
"She's Jack's sister?"
Sandy made a thumbs up at Tooth, proving that the fairy had guessed correctly.
"Why did you want to know?"
Sandy attempted to explain what had happened at the ship with his dreamsand pictures, and after a little while, Tooth had the story.
"She's not dead."
More exclamation points, this time with a question mark at the end.
"She still has two baby teeth left, see?" Tooth opened the box, revealing two empty spots. "As a spirit, the only way she'll lose them is through them being pulled or punched out. She won't lose them naturally."
Another question mark.
"I'm not sure what you're asking, Sandy."
A few fairies popped up, being quickly directed by Tooth before she told them to ask Baby Tooth, who was put temporarily in charge while Tooth chatted with Sandy.
A picture of the moon, a flower, Poppy, and another question mark.
"Oh! Poppy is the spirit of the laughter. Kind of fitting when you think about who her brother was. Why?"
A quick picture of a snowball before Sandy flew off as fast as he could. Jack would wake up soon, and Sandy had promised to show him the Isle of the Sleepy Sands.
Tomorrow, he decided. Tomorrow he would find little Poppy and see if she would like to see her brother.
TIME WARP AND SPACE HOP
Forget about Jack being hard to track. His sister was nearly impossible!
Then again, Sandy mused, it would make sense. There was laughter everywhere. So Sandy did the one thing he thought made sense.
He went into a kid friendly comedy club. She was a child and the spirit of laughter, why the heck not? It was worth a try.
By some extreme amount of luck, Sandy happened to enter the exact same one Poppy was in.
Surprise, surprise, it was in Burgess, where Poppy and Jack were born.
She was sitting down in a corner, laughing about how the comedian was going off about a race car and being fueled by soda. Sandy didn't get it, but he came in halfway through the joke, so maybe that atoned for it. No one noticed the Sandman, for their eyes were too focused on the comedian in front. Sandy approached Poppy and tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump.
"Hello, who are you?" she asked.
Sandy allowed some of his sand to swirl around her, her eyes widening in realization.
"The Sandman?"
Sandy nodded.
"Do you need me for something?"
Sandy attempted to explain, but his sand pictures only served to confuse the girl further. Eventually, he gave up and scribbled on a napkin,
"Do you remember who you were before you became Poppy Rei?"
She nodded sadly.
"Your brother isn't dead." Was the next scribble.
"What?" Poppy demanded before looking at the children gathered around the comedian. "Let's go outside."
So they did, and Sandy told her about how her brother became Jack Frost and then the Guardian of Fun.
Poppy laughed. "Fitting, then, how I became the Spirit of Laughter. Can I see him?"
Sandy nodded and led her to the North Pole, where Jack was currently carving ice with Phil and an elf named Jingle, whom he had befriended. Although Sandy had to keep dragging her away whenever someone laughed during the trek.
They finally reached the North Pole, going straight to where Jack was working with Phil and Jingle carving what appeared to be a snowball fight.
Jack was turning to a table somewhat behind and beside him when he caught Sandy there with Poppy.
He froze, blinking once, then twice, and finally a third time before asking Sandy "Am I sleep deprived?"
Poppy was a little offended at this. She straight up tackled her brother before swatting him in the chest.
"Jackson Overland Burgess Frost, I am not a hallucination caused by lack of sleep." Her white dress with gold and blue trimmings flared just a bit with her ire.
"Pippa?" Jack sounded so disbelieving it was almost heartbreaking.
Poppy smiled, a soft, sad, little smile, but so full of love it could only come from a sister. Another chest swat and a "don't call me that!" caused Jack to smile as well, eyes filled with love and other emotions so tangled within each other, Sandy wasn't sure Jack could tell them apart.
"Pippa!" And Jack hugged her so tight; his frame almost completely covered her.
"Jack."
Sandy, Jingle, and Phil left, leaving the two siblings to catch up.
A few days later, Jack's cave had another room right next to his, made especially for his little sister, and the Spirit of Laughter gained her first believer- Pippa, the tall, redheaded friend of Jamie.
Jack once felt extreme sadness, simply from glancing at poppy fields. Poppy couldn't even hang around in places with snow. But now that they found each other, each of their respective haunts were filled with laughter and fun.
Their names also expanded, including the titles that the Man in the Moon had given him. Jack Frost's full name was now Jackson Overland Burgess Frost Rei, and Poppy's was Poppy Overland Burgess Frost Rei, but they still went by Jack and Poppy. One would hardly be without the other, unless duty called. Poppy turned out to be a more than exceptional fighter, however, with two awls.
So, long story short, the two siblings were back together, and this time, they had an eternity to be with one another.
A/N: THE END. Because seriously, Jack's sister needs some love, not more angst. And so does Sandy. End result- this! The reason Jack calls Poppy "Pippa" is because it's a nickname he uses to annoy the heck out of her, but when they're with the Burgess Believers, he calls her Poppy to avoid confusion. And in explanation for the joke, my brother used to tell me that one all the time because I found it so hilarious when I was younger.
Also, thanks to Irish Lover Girl, who told me I should make another cute RotG thing. Check out her profile! I have no idea what's on there.
~Zorua Illusion
P.M. me if you have any ideas that you want me to attempt to write!