Jack's Excellent Adventure

Alright, this is a mix request by a number of readers. I'm taking aspects of their suggestions to create this. I apologize because I can't remember everyone who donated prompts but I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions. This follows the Finding Understanding series where Pitch has reluctantly joined the Guardians all thanks to Jack.

No one saw it coming, it happened so fast and it was a situation the Guardians rarely were called on. A small mining village in Northern Turkey was being attacked by angry Tommy knockers who were not happy with the reopening of one of the old gold mines. It wouldn't have been a matter for the Guardians until group of children suddenly went missing. That made MiM concerned and he contacted North about the situation.

Normally Tommy knockers were not considered overly dangerous, at least not toward children because children never stole from them but for whatever reason they were so offended by these miners that they lashed out at everyone and thing. When the Guardians arrived it was as if the Knockers knew in advance they were on their way. They ambushed the six Guardians almost the moment they stepped into the town. For the most part the battle wasn't over strenuous, not with Pitch's nightmares, Sandy's dreams creatures and Jack's snow wolves as well as the Guardians arsenal of weapons. But the Knockers were sneaky and they adapted quickly and even though the Guardians freed the children and forced the Knockers back into the depths of the mines they did not go without planning one tremendous blow and broke Jack's staff into as many pieces as possible. The boy was nearly paralyzed by the backlash of magic and his fellow Guardians rushed to his aid.

Although his staff had been broken on several occasions before it had never been broken to the point it could not be repaired by his magic. In fact it seemed as if he no longer had any magic, as if every ounce of his had been stripped from him. He huddled on the rock floor trying to get his bearings and rechannel his power but it was no use, he was near powerless. He didn't notice when North picked him up or Pitch gathered the remains of his staff knowing full well how much the ancient object meant to him. The others finished off the Tommy Knockers before following suit and joining North, Pitch and Jack at Santoff Claussen.

The pieces of the staff were placed on a low coffee table in front of the love seat where Jack sat staring at it forlornly. There were so many small pieces, far more than he had seen before as if the staff was now some incredibly large and awkward puzzle for him to solve.

"Just use your power," Pitch said almost sternly, as if annoyed that it was taking Jack so long to fix the crook staff.

"It's not the simple," Bunny said, taking the words right from Jack's mouth. "Look at him, he looks ready to vomit. Jackie, why not just take a nap and we'll deal with this later. North can always put it in the vault to protect the pieces from little hands." He glanced sideways at an elf that was peeking around the loveseat at the pile of wood with curiosity.

Jack shook his head. "I don't think it can be fixed. I can't even feel it anymore."

"Nonsense," North said with a wave of his meaty hand. "You just need a little rest and then you can try fixing it and even if it cannot be fixed then you'll simply learn to use your magic without it, dah?"

"I suppose."

Except it didn't work. Nothing worked and Jack's power didn't return. He was like any other human with absolutely no magic. He began to mope, sitting in window seats and trying to climb up to the rafters and falling to the ground, nearly breaking an arm or leg in the process. That lasted for several days before he started getting antsy and easily agitated. He began snapping at the elves and then the yetis and soon his fellow Guardians, especially when everyone began thinking he was helpless.

"Jack, you can't simply go outside. Without you power you may not be able to handle the cold," North said when Jack opened a window on the second floor, ready to jump out into the wind and play in the snow. He was tired of being cooped up inside.

"I'm fine. I'm just going out for a few minutes. What's the big deal?" Jack snapped, sounding like a distraught and grumpy little boy rather than an immortal teen. He actually glared at North and it made the large man take a step back in surprise.

"Jack, I think you need to go to your room and calm down. We're only trying to help you," North said gently, as if trying to calm a wild animal. He kept his hands raised and in sight.

"He's right, Sweet Tooth, Tooth piped in with a gentle motherly smile that nearly drove Jack insane.

Jack ran his hands through his hair and looked frantic. "I just…I just need some fresh air. Just a little flight around the workshop and I'll be right back, quick as Bunny."

"Jack…" Tooth tried again.

"Jackie, don't be silly, mate. That's a twenty foot drop and without your magic you could seriously hurt yourself," Bunny added, stepping forward and ready to take the brunt of the youth's anger. "That's not just fluffy snow down there but a lot of ice that's just as hard and deadly as concrete."

"I've smashed into concrete and ice for that matter. I'm not going to get hurt," Jack responded in annoyance. He pushed open the window, ready to jump out when long fingers grabbed him around the waist and gold sand pulled the window firmly shut. Before Jack could so much as kick out he was thrown over a black shoulder and dangling upside-down. "Hey! Put me down! Put me down! God damn it, Pitch! PUT ME DOWN!"

"If you insist on acting like an infant then you better be ready to be treated as one," the shade said, his voice stern and unwilling to tolerate any more insolence.

Of course that didn't stop the angry teen who immediately began hitting Pitch's backside and kicking, fully expecting his grandfather to drop him but Pitch had dealt with such actions from a child before and rather than dropping Jack he bond the boy's arms and legs in shadow, stopping him from landing any more blows and then gave Jack a good slap on the rear for good measure.

"OW!" Jack screeched and wiggled about as if that would somehow free him. "LET ME GO!"

Thwack!

"OW! STOP IT!"

Thwack!

This time a gag formed in Jack's mouth to silence him and with a grunt the boy went still, not wanting another painful slap to his stinging rear. He flopped down and glared at the polished wood floor as he was carried to his room, not paying any mind to their fellow Guardians trailing behind, all in stunned silence at the way Pitch so easily took charge, almost like second nature. Even Bunny kept his mouth shut as the youth was carried to his room and dumped on his bed. He glared up at Pitch with such anger it would normally freeze someone in their place and make them back away in fear but Pitch knew fear and he didn't feel any for this wayward sprite.

Kneeling on the bed Pitch loomed over Jack and for several long seconds it was as if they were having a staring contest. Finally Jack broke eye contact and looked toward the windows as if he could somehow escape that way but without his magic he couldn't fly and there was a sheer cliff below those windows. Yeah, without his powers he was bond to get himself killed – it spirits could be killed.

Pitch grabbed Jack's chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned his head until they made eye contact once more. "Jack, whether you understand it or not everyone is just trying to help. I know your staff is destroyed and thankfully it's not because of me this time, but you can't take it out on the people who love you. Just relax and you'll figure out how to fix, alright?" He removed the gag and released the child, fully expecting Jack to be calm now. He wasn't expecting to get punched in the jaw.

"I've spent 300 years taking care of myself, I'm not a child!" Jack yelled at him as he sat up.

The Nightmare King stepped back and stared at the boy in surprise as he held his jaw. His grey-gold eyes narrowed. "No? You certainly acted like a five year old in the midst of a tantrum." He gave a low growl as he turned toward the door, gesturing for the others to leave and let the boy be. One look silenced Bunny as he was about to object to Jack being confined to his room and the Pooka padded into the hall with the others, know Pitch knew best in this particular situation. "When you've decided to act like a mature Guardian once more then you may come out of your room until then think about your attitude and if this is who you want to treat your family," Pitch told Jack as he left the room. He just got it shut when something smashed against it from the other side. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I said mature, Jackson!" he yelled through the door at the boy.

Jack only yelled some obscenity that did nothing but annoy the shade more.

"He'll be fine," he told the other Guardians when Bunny again went to speak. "He's just being a brat because of the loss of his powers. He'll be fine once they return."

"You're sure they'll come back," Tooth asked anxiously.

Sandy gave a nod, signing that it's the shock of the broken connection with his staff that made Jack so irritable.

Bunny gave a snort and glared at Pitch. "So what's you're excuse then?" he taunted.

Pitch only glared at him. "I haven't found a way to rid the world of the last Pooka without looking guilty yet," he said in such a serious voice that everyone just gapped at him.

Bunny's fur bristled but before he could say more the shade was gone. "Bloody show pony," he grumbled before glancing at Jack's door. "Should we really just leave Jackie alone?"

North gave a nod. "Hopefully Kozmotis is correct and Jack's power will return in time but until Jack accepts what has happened we'll have to give him the space he needs…even if it means grounding him to his room."

"Yes but alone?" Bunny objected, used to spending almost all his free time with the youth.

"For now," North insisted before leading everyone back to the Globe room to discuss what they were going to do about Jack and how they could possibly help him rebuild his staff or if that power could be transferred to a new conduit.

. . .

Rage filled Jack at Pitch's words. How dare he? Jack Frost was not some mere child to be talked down to. He was the bringer of frost and winter. He was over 300 years old. He was not some wayward child to be treated as if he was helpless and utterly defenseless. He knew how to protect himself, had done so long before he became a Guardian.

Without thinking he grabbed the nearest thing to him and flung it at the closing door then rolled over not caring how angry his action might make the others. He was actually a little disappointed when the door didn't open again with someone yelling at him. Instead he heard a familiar whoosh. His brows creased as he turned around.

There, right in front of the door, was a swirling vortex. His eyes widened. He had thrown one of the globes North had given him for emergencies when he was out attending his duties. Worse, without giving it a destination it was now wild and could lead anywhere. The wild portal swirled and twisted and unlike a destined portal it began sucking things into it, anything light enough or not bolted down, including Jack. The youth gave a yell, hoping someone was close enough to hear him before vanishing into the whirling vortex. Then with a loud boom the vortex closed with Jack trapped somewhere far, far away from the family he knew and loved.