A/N: Hello, and welcome to my main RotG fan fic! I've had this first chapter sitting around for the better part of the year now, waiting to post it up when I'd have more time to write the rest...but leaving it in the shadows does not help in seeing that it gets done. I just hope a story similar to what I have planned hasn't already happened while I've been waiting... But still, I hope you enjoy what's in store for this!

North and Bunnymund's accents will be spelled out in this, so if you ever have any confusion over what's being said, ask and I can clarify. Though I'll be keeping it fairly simple and hope no misunderstanding will arise.

That's...about it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or its characters.

I

Gone With A Trace

"Excellent! Keep up good verk," praised North as he made his rounds of the workshop. The yetis were toiling away, crafting the toys that he had designed in clear ice. Each design was special, filling the needs and wants of those children that were on the Nice List. Lights flashed, and sound rang through the various levels as each toy was tested to make certain it was in working order. It may have been a several weeks away from Christmas at the moment, but the hustle and bustle of the workshop was present year-round (and only got worse the closer it was to the holiday).

All that noise and the chaotic organization was home for North. A flying toy went whizzing by, causing the red-clad man to duck. He gave a warm chuckle, glad to see the new plane design working so well. It would be a big hit with the children, that he knew.

The jingling of bells rose as a group of elves scurried out of the way in front of him. What they were going to do with the odds and ends that they carried, North was happier not knowing. A yeti got onto the elevator with him, and he took that time to inspect the toy robot it carried.

"Very nice. But make edges less sharp. Ve vouldn't vant kids to hurt dhemselves on it." North gave the yeti a grin and a clap on the shoulder as he stepped onto his floor before the elevator continued on its way. Many toys had been constructed all ready, but there were still more to make, and more to design. His inspections complete for now, it was time for him to capture even more wonder in new toys. And, as much as he enjoyed the organized chaos of the workshop, the peace and quiet of his office was his preferred place to sculpt.

While taking long strides to reach his office sooner, North glanced up at the giant globe that continued to rotate slowly. Seeing those twinkling lights always brought a smile to his face. The children were safe. Some may flicker out, as a child grows up and stops believing, but new lights were quick to shine. It was normal, and nothing to worry about, and yet...

"Vhat dhe..." Smile faltering, North changed direction and headed towards the globe. North America was in view, and, further north, lights began to flicker out in a city, only there were none coming to shine in replacement. Granted, there was not always one new child for one that stopped believing, but something about the occurrence was not sitting right in North's belly. And when it came to the safety of the children, he always listened to his belly.

"You!" shouted North, pointing to a yeti passing by the control panel. It startled at the loud voice, nearly dropping the toy in its hands. "Is data correct? Is it being received correctly?" The yeti tried to check the status through the control panel, but North took over the second he reached it. "Somedhing vrong vidh output?" he murmured, checking over everything that he thought could be malfunctioning.

Nothing.

Everything was as it should be. No errors. No misaligned axis. No altered rotation. There was nothing to indicate that what he saw on the globe was wrong, yet his belly would not stop telling him the opposite. Brow furrowing, he looked back up at the globe, that city rotating around as a few more lights in it went out. Something was wrong. It just had to be. And if the children were in danger, no matter how slight the chance, something had to be done.

North was set, his decision final. Reaching across the control panel, he pushed down the mighty switch. The globe sprung to life, waves of coloured light rolling across it before shooting up through the gap in the ceiling above. When it came to protecting the children of the world, he would need all of the Guardians.

"Oh! Incoming! We got a central incisor at eighteen Vera Street! Watch out, there's a storm warning in the area!" Toothiana waved the Baby Tooth off before issuing more orders to the other tiny fairies that waited to find out where they had to collect teeth. Each was sent to a different place, just so long as children were sleeping and had a tooth tucked under their pillows.

Fairy upon fairy fluttered in and out of the palace, half of them bringing in the teeth that they had collected, while the other half were leaving to collect teeth. Their work was never done.

With a sigh, Toothiana finished handing out assignments that came with the influx of teeth. Smiling, she looked at all the Baby Teeth that flew in and out of the palace, and the memories within the teeth that they brought back.

"What?" asked Toothiana, whirling around upon hearing a distraught cry from one of her fairies. Through the masses, she saw a single fairy flying against the traffic of those leaving the palace. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Baby Tooth, calm down. What's wrong?" she questioned, holding out her hands to catch the worried Baby Tooth. "Shh, shh. It's okay." Trying her hardest to calm down the little fairy, Toothiana ran her hand over the fairy's head until the indiscernible chattering ceased. "There, there. It's okay. Now, what happened?"

After taking a few deep breaths, the Baby Tooth then tried to explain again, this time her chirps slower and understandable, if still distraught.

"What?!" Toothiana's eyes went wide in disbelief. "H-how can that be? The tooth just...disappeared?" The fairy in her hands chattered more hysterically, becoming hard to understand again before Toothiana soothed Baby Tooth down. Despite trying to comfort her little fairy, Toothiana did not feel reassured at all. Her wings that were usually moving at such a rapid rate that they were nothing more than a blur came to a halt as she settled onto the floor of her palace. "How did it happen? Did you notice anything?" The little fairy in her hands could give no further information on the matter. "Shh, it's okay. Where was the child's tooth from?"

After finding out the country and city, Toothiana zipped back into the air, Baby Tooth still in hand. Each section of her palace was split into representations of continent, country, city, and all the way down to street and house numbers. She found her way through the different tiers until she reached the city from where Baby Tooth had been, for the tooth that had disappeared was not the child's first. Hovering around slowly, she made her way across the section that held all the teeth from the kids on that one street in the city until...

"They're...they're gone!" gasped Toothiana. She flew closer to inspect, making sure that golden box containing all of the child's memories was not simply misplaced (although even that would have been something to cause alarm). No matter where she looked, she could not find the box or the teeth that should have been inside. Worry began to creep into the back of her mind. Concerned, she zipped around the other streets in the town, only to have her growing fears confirmed. "Why are the children's teeth...gone?" Toothiana stared helplessly at where the teeth should have been stored for each child in the city. Many still remained, but enough were gone to cause concern, and they were gone with no sign of anyone, or anything, else having been there.

A loud series of chirps from Baby Tooth brought her back to reality. She looked up to where the tiny fairy pointed and stared at the ribbons of light that danced across the sky. The summons could not have come at a better time. After pushing aside her worry, Toothiana took to the air and headed north as fast as her wings could carry her. The children were in danger, and the others had to be told.

Everything was blanketed in white. Buildings were hidden beneath a decent layer of snow, looking more alike now than they ever did in the summer, each having at least one side plastered with the cold substance. The only hint of colour in the land was from the pine trees that dotted the scenery, but even that was mostly hidden under the blanket of white. To wrap it all up, the sky was nothing but a curtain of clouds, blocking out the blue that lay beyond.

Snow was carried on the wind, along with a nip in the air. Most people in the area did not enjoy the nip, nor did they enjoy the hassle that came with the weather that was unanimous with their country (the large number of currently unploughed driveways was testament to that), but there were those that always enjoyed it, and the more snow, the better.

Slinging his staff over his shoulders, Jack walked along a telephone line as he watched a group of kids below. Some of them were still shoving on shards of their winter clothing, having been too excited to trudge through the deep snow to fully dress before leaving their houses. They enthused to one another about the day-off from school they had gotten, and the test that they were then missing. Jack chuckled under his breath. It was always a little bonus when he brought a snow-day on the day of a test for children.

"Well, I do hope you guys still studied," mused Jack, hopping over to the next roof. "Afraid all I can do is postpone a test, not get rid of it." The friends below continued to talk as they made their way towards the perfect hill that rested further down the highway. In winter, all covered in snow as it was now, the hill was ideal for sledding. Though it was early, other people had already gathered there. Sleds in hand, the friends would soon be joining the growing crowd.

From atop his perch, Jack smiled. There were still other places to where he had to bring some snow, but he allowed himself a moment to see just how the children loved his gift. A sigh escaped him. With a shake of his head, Jack reminded himself that he was a Guardian now, and did have responsibilities to fill. Fun still had to be brought to more children, not just the ones in the current city.

"Hey, wind!" he called out, hopping on top of a chimney. "Next sto—whoa, whoa, wait. Wait! Stop!" Caught on the gust of wind, Jack brought himself back around to land on the rooftop. He slipped lightly, latching onto the chimney to keep him from falling. Brow knotting together in worry, he stared at the kids that had yet to reach the edge of all the houses. "One, two..." he began to count the hat-covered heads. "Five, six... Where...where's the seventh friend? Hey!"

Jumping off of the roof, a gust of wind helped to carry Jack all the way to the children. They braced themselves against the sudden chill that he brought with his landing, tugging down hats, or pulling up scarves.

"Hey, kids, where did your other friend go?" Jack walked briskly forward to confront the children. "He was right here with you! You had to have see—ahh!" Clenching his eyes tight, Jack gripped his staff tighter. He had lived with it for three-hundred years, but every time felt as bad as the first. The group of children had walked through him, just another reminder that, though now he was a Guardian, not all children believed in him.

Jack hugged his staff closer to him momentarily, the frost across it shimmering. Though there were the few children that believed in him, and that number had already grown in the past couple of years, it still stung like a bitter wind every time he crossed paths with a child who slipped right through him like he was not even there. Pursing his lips together, Jack shook his head and tried to push that sinking feeling aside; there were those that could now see him, he could not let himself get glum any more over those who still did not, especially when a child's safety was at stake.

"Did you guys notice anything?" he asked, starting over as he whirled around. Those friends that could not see him were still walking away, chatting amongst themselves like nothing at all had changed. "Listen to me!" Huffing under his breath, Jack reached down to gather up some of the freshly fallen snow. They may not have been able to see or hear him, but that did not mean he had no way of getting their attention. After hastily forming a snowball—it did not have to be perfect, it only had one simple job—he leaned back...

And dropped the snowball to the ground.

Blinking, he rubbed his eyes. His sight was not deceiving him, though he sorely wished that it was. "Tell me you saw that!" he shouted, despite knowing full well that the kids could not hear him. Those kids... Previously numbering at seven, then to six, had now dwindled down to five. Another child, a young girl, had disappeared right before his eyes. "Why aren't you guys seeing this?" Jack grimaced, catching back up to the remaining children. "What's going on?" Children were in danger, and there was nothing that he could do. He gripped his staff, preparing to launch into the sky so that he could contact the other Guardians, when a small sign of movement across the snow caught his attention.

"What the..." It had been where the missing girl had stood seconds ago. A thread, a single, shimmering thread, was in place of the missing girl, but not for long. The thread began to recede, pulling back across the snow and towards the heart of the city. With a grunt, Jack took off after it, for it was the only lead that he had to follow. Maybe he could find the cause. Maybe he could find the culprit. Maybe he could get something more than just questions and concerns to give to the other Guardians. He needed answers.

Buildings grew taller and more cluttered together as he followed the thread, leaving the rural edge of the city behind. It zipped and snaked across, not seeming to want to take a direct route, but Jack managed to keep track, and keep up.

"Gotcha!" Grinning, he reached out to grab the thread. A burst of a laugh escaped him when he managed to close his fingers around it. "No!" he cried out, the thread managing to slip through his fingers and continue on its way. His footing faltered, not having expected to lose his grip on the thread, but he quickly righted himself and hurried along. The wind helped carry him as he scaled up between two buildings, still chasing that missing child's thread. Upon reaching a rooftop of an apartment building, he skidded to a halt from what he saw.

Hanging in the sky was a slowly rotating mass of threads. The one that he had been chasing joined the fray, soon becoming indistinguishable from the rest. Together, it looked like an oblong ball of twine. There was no way of knowing just how many threads were actually in it. Where one stopped and another began was lost in the mass tangle. More threads drifted up from the city, and Jack wondered just how many children had disappeared with no one else noticing.

Jack just hung there, in the air, for a few moments to stare at the gathered threads. Part of him wanted to get at least one of the other Guardians for assistance, but there was no time. No matter how fast he could move, there was no way of knowing whether or not the anomaly would still be there upon return. Setting his jaw, Jack continued on towards the threads.

He was nearly at it, nearly at the answers, when new motion caught his eye. Not knowing who was behind all of this, or what he would have to face on his own, Jack slipped behind an air vent on one of the roofs. From there, he peeked around, keeping as much of himself as hidden as possible in the chance that whoever it was could see him.

Besides the Guardians, there were various other spirits or supernatural beings that also existed, like the Groundhog, the Leprechaun, and even Mother Nature. They had their various tasks, and were not as concerned with being believed in as the Guardians. Jack knew who they all were, or so he had thought. The woman walking, yes, walking, for a pool of light formed under her feet with each step, was no one that he had ever seen before.

The splash of gold created by her hair and the trimmings on her unfamiliar dress stood out against the white scenery, and even the mass of threads which were more of a grey-ish silver. She neared the threads, unaware of Jack's presence as she slowly walked around. Just when he thought he would be able to see her face, and possibly get some sense of who she was, she slipped behind the mass of tangled threads, hiding from view again.

Jack felt a scowl etch across his face. There was no spirit or other being that he knew of that would do such a thing to children. Not even the Boogeyman did something so horrid. Pulling himself back, he held his staff in front of him, trying to think of some plan. There he was, alone against a foe that he did not know, and faced against unknown powers. However, whatever his decision was going to be, it had to be made quickly.

"I have to do something," he whispered, trying to reassure himself in his choice. The best outcome he could think of was that he would be able to apprehend this culprit and take her back to North's Workshop and all the Guardians would be able to decide the next step from there. The worst outcome... Jack breathed out slowly. The worst outcome would be that he would fail in apprehending her, and more children would disappear, never to be found.

That could not be allowed to happen.

Wind picked up and carried him over the air vent. Readying his staff, Jack allowed the power that lay within him to course through it. Ice and frost sprung to life around it, flecks already shooting off in anticipation. He had one shot, and could not mess it up. The mass of tangles threads was still there, with the woman still not in sight. Good; the element of surprise should still be on his side.

He got closer, and closer. Any moment now, and the woman would appear from around the other side and Jack would be able to confront her. Or, that was what he wanted to do. It did not happen.

"What?!" The ice powers forming around his staff vanished. Jack came to a halt, unable to believe his eyes.

The threads were gone. So too was the woman. There was no sign of the tangled mass or the hint of gold in the snow-covered landscape. Jack spun around in the air, looking for any possible sign of the threads or the woman behind it all. "No, no. No!" he cried out, frustrated at himself for having been unsuccessful. Even as a Guardian now, he still messed things up. "Just what's going on?" he asked aloud to no one, his feet settling softly down on a nearby roof.

A sigh slipped past his lips as he stared at his hand. In all of his three-hundred some years, he had never seen anything like those threads before. That child's had been in his grasp, but he had let it slip through his fingers. Gaze heavy with regret, he started back at where the mass of threads and the woman had been moments before. What was laying at the heart of all the threads? Jack grimaced as he thought about it, not entirely wanting to know what rested at the end of all those threads, but he had to find out. He could only hope that the other Guardians held some answers.

"Wind!" he called out, trying to push the troubled feeling that began to gnaw away at him. Answers would be found. How good or bad those answers would be was another matter entirely.

A strong gust of wind answered his call, taking him up into the air, beyond the ceiling of clouds, and leaving the city behind. He rode the currents of air as quickly as he could to reach the north.

As he travelled above the clouds, his usual cheery mood was not present. Normally, he would fly through the air, dancing through the clouds and surfing the currents to travel from one part of the world to another. None of that joy was with him now as he made his way across the sky. Events kept replaying in his head, trying to pick out every detail to keep it fresh in his mind. Perhaps answers had been there after all, and the others would be able to point them out.

Along his way, northern lights appeared, the colourful ribbons dancing across the sky above him. Jack swallowed nervously at their sight. As horrible as it had been to see the children disappear, and more considering the size of the mass of threads, he hoped North was summoning all of them for that reason. If there was something else threatening the children... Jack shook his head and picked up his pace. He could not think like that.

"Jack! You made it!" cried out North.

After what felt like a longer journey than he would have liked, Jack made it into North's Workshop through the gap in the ceiling that was normally reserved for the Man in the Moon. It was just so much easier to slip in and out through that rather than any other entrance. He hopped off of the air and onto the ground, slinging his staff over his shoulder. The young Guardian tried his hardest to smile in greeting, but was not as successful as he would have liked.

The others were already present: Toothiana, Bunnymund, Sandy, and of course, North.

"So what's this awl abawt then, mate?" asked Bunnymund, hopping a few steps forward. "It can't be Pitch agin. No way could that bloke have gotten back in powah in just a cawple of years!"

"No. No Pitch. Somedhing else is endangering dhe children. Earlier today, lights on globe vere going out! Just like dhat! No varning. No Explanation. Nodhing! Somedhing happened to dhose children."

Curiosity taking its hold on him, Jack jumped into the air to circle the massive globe. He maneuvered around to hover above North America, his eyes scanning for the city where the children had disappeared.

"That happens, North. Children grow up and stop believing in us. I haven't noticed anythin' strange. How 'bawt you, Sandy?" The Sandman gave a silent response that Jack did not see from his current location. His gaze then found the city in question, and a light sigh of relief escaped him. There were still lights. Some children still remained. Had he not seen the children disappear with his own eyes, he would not even give the city a second glance. North must have happened to be in the right place at the right time to notice what had occurred. A sinking feeling pooled in Jack's stomach. Had this been the first occurrence then, after all, or had there already been others?

"No! Somedhing is vrong, I tell you! I saw it, widh my own eyes! Dhat, and my belly does not lie!"

"He's right, Bunny. Something is wrong," said Toothiana, even her voice had taken on a sombre tone. She explained of the child's tooth disappearing from the fairy's grasp and in their storage place in her palace. "I don't know what caused it. I've never seen anything like it before. And there was nothing to indicate that they had been stolen by someone. It was like...like the teeth had been erased, as though the children never existed in the first place."

"I know what happened." Jack settled back down on the ground with the others. All eyes fell on him, and he felt somewhat intimidated. He was still adjusting to being a Guardian, and the responsibilities that came with it. Having all of them look to him for answers was only a reminder. He cleared his throat. "I-I... Well, okay, not exactly. But... Tooth, North, did the city happen to be Hamilton?"

"It was," answered Tooth while North nodded. "How did you know?"

"I was there. I saw it happen!" Taking a deep breath, Jack tried to dredge up every little detail. Something that may have seemed benign or unimportant to him could spark an answer in one of the others. Even though it had only happened a short time ago, he could already feel some of those details slipping away, but he tried his hardest to recite everything that had happened, from the children disappearing, to the strange threads, and to the woman that he had seen. "Do you have any idea who she is? Or what she was doing to the children?" He looked to each of the Guardians in turn, but they were not inspiring much confidence.

Sandy stood there, as silent as ever, his dream sand forming a question mark above his head. Bunnymund, with his arms crossed, shrugged. Only the sight of his ears flattened back showed how frustrated he really was over the matter. Softly, Toothiana shook her head, her wings fluttering to a halt as she settled her feat onto the ground, the weight of the matter being too much. At last, North still managed to stand tall, looking off to the side as he stroked his beard pensively.

"Never, in all my years, have I seen or heard of anydhing like dhis." North let his hand fall down helplessly. "And, judging by Manny's silence, he does not know anydhing eidher."

At his words, Jack frowned lightly. So unused to having the Man in the Moon give answers or help, Jack had not looked there for guidance. He eyed the gap in the ceiling beyond the large globe. There was no sign of the moon, causing Jack to sigh and have his concerns heighten. Though not always giving those answers forthright, Jack had thought the Man in the Moon to know most, if not all, of occurred on Earth from his perch in the sky.

"Then what should we do?" asked Toothiana, fluttering back up into the air as she voiced the question that they all thought. "If the children are in danger, then we have to do something!"

"We wait."

All eyes fell onto Bunnymund. His arms were still crossed, and his ears were still back, only now worry lines began to tug at his mouth and eyes. The unasked question from the others hung heavily in the air: Why?

"Those children are gawn. Those threads are gawn. That woman is—"

"Gone?" finished Jack, unable to hold back a light smirk despite the situation. His cheeky attitude earned him a light glare from the Easter Bunny.

"So unless you got some secret way of trackin' her or the children that we dawn't know abawt, then there's nothin' we can do but wait until... Until it happens agin."

"What?! But then that means more children might disappear!" exclaimed Toothiana, her wings fluttering frantically.

"Look, mate, I dawn't like this idea any more than you! So if you have some othah option, I'm all ears!"

Toothiana slowed to a halt, coming to settle on the floor again. She cast her amethyst eyes away, unable to respond in any other way. The air grew heavy with the realization that Bunnymund was right. Jack grimaced as he stared back at the globe and the twinkling lights on it. To figure out was going on, or to at least find that woman, more children would have to disappear. That thought caused an unpleasant feeling to begin to churn in his stomach. That course of action, or, rather, lack of action, did not sit well with anyone.

They were the Guardians. They were there to protect the children, not sit back and let harm come to them.

"Ve Vait..." sighed North heavily. He ran a hand down his beard slowly. "Ve vait... And once ve know vhat is going on, ve vill get dhem back! Everyone!" His familiar gusto back, North called out to the yetis. "Monitor dhat globe! Readings do not show children disappearing, so vatch dhe lights like your life depends on it!"

The yetis that had been nearby snapped to attention as any gifts that they held were put aside. Bunnymund hopped towards the globe, getting as close as the workshop allowed, while Jack, Toothiana, and Sandy took up positions in the air around the globe. As much of it as possible had to be under surveillance now.

The wait began.

Jack never knew that waiting could be so agonizing. Every light that flickered out in his view caught his attention and made his heart race, but they were all normal. A new light soon glowed into existence, be it in the same town or a nearby one. He bit his bottom lip as he scanned as much of the globe as he could see. Part of him did not want to see the lights of a city or town to go out. He did not want any more children to disappear. Let that woman stay gone, and those threads a mystery, as long as no other children got hurt. But... A knot formed in Jack's throat, and he tried to swallow it away. Children were already missing. While the friends left behind could not remember, the Guardians still did, and it was up to them to help those that were lost.

A loud ringing noise filled the air, pulling Jack from his thoughts. He tore his eyes away from the globe to see Sandy shaking a poor elf again, having needed the little being to get the rest of their attentions easily.

"Vhat is it, Sandy? Is it happening again?" asked North, trying to move into a better position. Sandy pointed frantically at the part of the globe in front of him, creating arrows from his sand as Jack and Toothiana came to his side. "Vell, vhere is it?"

Glacial eyes followed the trail of sand to the town in question. Jack felt his heart jump into his throat when he realized just which town it was. "No..." he murmured. Out of all the towns in the world, it had to be that one. The one that held the most memories of his. The one where the first child who saw him lived. His home...

"Burgess," called out Toothiana once she saw that Jack had lost his voice. All eyes fell onto the young Guardian who could only silently hover in the air.

"Dhen let's get going! Ve don't have much time!"

"Wait, wait. We're nawt takin' the sleigh?" asked Bunnymund, a light, hopeful grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Take too long to get ready!" replied North, slipping on his red coat and black hat that the yetis had brought for him Even his swords were now within reach, allowing the bulky man to be ready for anything. Once prepared, he whipped out a snow globe, but instead of just snow swirling inside, hints of magic also coursed behind the layer of glass.

"Uh, I think I'll still take mah tunnels, mate."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Whoa!" cried out Bunnymund when North grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him along. The other Guardians made their way to North's side as well. Jack felt numb as his feet hit the ground. He watched, trying not to look back at the globe to see how many lights in Burgess had gone out, and trying not to think whether or not Jamie's was one that had already vanished, as North made the snow globe in his hand come to life and then threw it to form a portal. Bunnymund was tossed through first, despite his protests, followed by North who strode on through. Sandy and Toothiana zipped on after, the few fairies that had been with her also disappearing into the vortex of magic.

Jack stood there a moment longer, finally caving in and glancing back at the globe. The town of Burgess was gone from sight, having rotated away from his viewpoint. He swallowed nervously before gripping his staff and dashing for the portal...

And appearing on the other side in the snow-covered town.

A/N: And there's the first chapter. Just jumping straight into the plot with this.

The inclusion of the city of Hamilton is a little shoutout to my home in Canada, just had to because...I could.

Updates for this will be slow, you have been forewarned. I'm in my last year of college so a lot of attention has to be given to my assignments. That and I have other fics on here that I work on so I basically rotate through them from one chapter to the next, or whichever I'm in the mood for. But, I do have the plot of this planned out, so it's only a matter of time.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction and look forward to more!