A/N: This plot bunny attacked me. :3 I've been reading so many RotG fanfics without writing anything and it's been driving me insane! Anyways, finally something came along and I'll do my best. Enjoy!
He knew he was growing up. Jamie nervously twiddled his thumbs, eyes never leaving his trembling fingers. He briefly glanced at the clock beside his bed. It was midnight. Jack was late. Jamie sighed in frustration. The immortal teen said he would be there! He said after the first snowfall, he'd come and they would talk and-
"Boo!" With a scream, Jamie jumped off his bed and spun around. The teenager slouched as he saw Jack Frost behind him, laughing his head off.
"Ha ha," Jamie said sarcastically, "you're hilarious."
"I try," Jack responded as he took a small bow. With a flick of his wrist, his staff was laid across his shoulders. "Miss me?"
"Hardly," Jamie scoffed, shoving the other teen playfully.
"Awe, I'm crushed." The winter spirit adopted a mock hurt expression. Jamie simply laughed.
"You planning a snow day any time soon? I could really use it." Jack plopped down on Jamie's bed after leaning his staff against the night table.
"Now you're using me for getting out of school? Geez, I feel loved." His response was a pillow to the face.
"C'mon, we could start the annual Burgess Snow War," Jamie prompted, nudging Jack's forearm. Jack ripped the pillow off of his face and smacked Jamie with it.
"Aren't you too old for snowball fights?" Jack asked as he sat up.
"You're never too old for a snowball fight," Jamie replied with a smirk. Jack put a hand on his shoulder.
"You have learned well, my young Padawan."
"Since when did you watch Star Wars?"
"Since Sandy kidnapped me for a Guardians' movie night."
"Oh yeah," Jamie trailed off. "Wait, wasn't that the time Bunny-"
"Let's not go there." The two sat in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the other's company. Jack's gaze wandered around his friend's room, wondering where the years had gone. Who knew a room could change so much?
Gone were the toys and stuffed animals that once covered the floor. The desk in the corner, once filled with crayon drawings, was now covered with homework and school books. With a chuckle, Jack noted that the bunny was still perched on the boy's dresser. Even as a teenager, Jamie still believed in the Guardians.
Meanwhile, Jamie noted how much his friend had changed. Jack's eyes no longer held the same sadness and anger within their blue irises. He carried himself more confidently and hardly obscured his features with his blue hood. The once broken spirit was healing from 300 years of neglect. Phantom scars were present in his eyes, but they no longer haunted Jack's mind. He had fun to have fun, not to forget.
"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked quietly after noticing Jamie's pensive expression.
"Just...how much you've changed," the teen replied.
"Huh, me too…" Jamie barely caught the comment. His eyes wandered back to his hands which were tightly clenched together. The silence around them was tense. Jamie knew he needed to talk.
"Jack," he started.
"Yeah?" Blue met brown as Jack looked at Jamie. Part of him knew what Jamie was going to say. The other wished it wasn't true. He watched as the teen bit his lip, contemplating how to continue.
"Well..." Jamie sighed. "Can adults see you?" And the prize for reading Jamie's mind goes to...Jack Frost!
Why did he have to be right?
No, now was not the time to freak out! Jamie was practically radiating anxiety and Jack knew there was no way around the question. He reached for his staff, wanting the artifact's comfort to provide the answer.
"No," Jack said with a sigh of his own. "North told me that when a kid turns 18, they stop seeing the Guardians. It doesn't matter if they still believe, they can't see us." Jamie blanched.
"But...I'm turning 18 next week," he whispered. He stood and gripped Jack's shoulders. "I'm going to be 18 and this is the first time I've seen you all winter! I don't want to lose you! We're friends!" Tears were trickling down his cheeks. "I...I don't want to lose you..." His grip slackened as he fell to his knees. "Please...I don't want to lose you."
Jack slipped off of the bed and knelt in front of his friend. Abandoning his staff on the bed, he embraced Jamie. His pale fingers slid through his brown hair as Jamie cried on his shoulder. "Shh...it'll be ok," he whispered. The boy in his arms abruptly pulled away.
"Ok? How is this going to be ok?" Jamie shouted. "I'll never see you again! What'll happen to you?"
"There will always be believers," Jack said. He was proud of the fact that his voice didn't tremble. "Jamie, we'll always be friends. It doesn't matter if you can't see me as long as you still remember. Whenever you see the snow fall or a snowball hit your face, remember that it's always me. You can still believe.
"I'm not gonna lie, this is really going to suck." Jamie laughed at Jack's bluntness. "But remember that I'll always be here." Jack poked Jamie's chest.
"In my heart? That's a little sappy for you."
"Not your heart," Jack said with a smirk. "No, it's something far more powerful."
"My...rib cage?"
"No," Jack shook his head with a smile, "Your center." The two stared at each other, taking in the other's features carefully for possibly the last time. Jack's pure white hair was messier than usual, but his smile was genuine. Jamie's eyes were red from crying and tear tracks stained his face. He had grown so much, now as tall as Jack, but the spirit still saw little Jamie Bennett. They sat together in silence before Jack broke out in a wicked smirk.
"Well, there's still enough time to make the ultimate snow day. You know, at least a foot of snow with snow banks towering over your head." Grabbing his staff, Jack sprang up and walked towards the window. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Daddy, Daddy, wake up! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" Jamie groaned as his daughter jumped up and down on the bed he and his wife shared.
"Alright, alright, I'm up," he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He smiled to himself as he wiped away the remains of golden sand. The sound of mischievous giggling reached his ears as he pulled the sheets away.
"Mwhah?" The woman beside him propped herself on her elbows. "What's going on?"
"It's Christmas, Mommy!" the girl squealed. "Time for presents!"
"That's right Katherine," Jamie chuckled. "Now, let's go see what Nicholas St. North gave you."
"Santa!" The girl shrieked as she raced out of the room. Jamie sighed as her shouts of joy echoed down the hallway. Two arms made their way around his chest. He raised a hand to hold the one over his heart.
"Well, should we join her?" his wife asked with a sleepy smile.
"Of course," he replied. "Let's see what North brought her."
Minutes later, the family was assembled before the Christmas tree. Wrapping paper flew as scraps of tissue paper floated through the air. Katherine squealed and laughed as each present was unwrapped. Her parents exchanged gifts and watched their daughter's joy, both snuggled up on the couch under the warmth of a blanket.
"Daddy, this one's for you!" Katherine shouted with glee. In her hands was a small blue box tied together with a silver ribbon. "I don't remember Mommy getting this one…" Her face lit up. "Maybe it's from North!" Jamie laughed.
"You know the Guardians haven't given me anything in years," he said. "They are the Guardians of Childhood." Still, he could not contain the child-like curiosity nipping at the forefront of his mind. Without further hesitation, he accepted the box from his daughter. Carefully pulling off the ribbon, he could only imagine what was inside.
"Open it!" Well, there was no arguing with that logic. Pulling the lid away, he was immediately met with a folded piece of paper.
"Who is it from?" his wife asked. He gently unfolded the paper and his eyes widened. After skimming over the message, he looked inside the box. Cradled in the white silk lining was a snowflake. It was barely the size of his palm and appeared to be made of ice. Quickly, he grabbed the lid and walked upstairs to his shared bedroom.
"Daddy," Katherine shouted after him, "is something wrong?"
"No," he replied. "Everything's…great." As he rejoined his bewildered family, Jamie grabbed his coat and boots. "C'mon, let's see who's ready for the annual Burgess Snow War." His gaze drifted to a frost-covered window. "We're gonna have a little fun."
Two hours and seven families later, the neighborhood gathered around the fire pit in Jamie's backyard. Katherine and her friends whispered excitedly as Jamie approached the flame. After distributing the proper s'mores ingredients and copious amounts of hot chocolate, the children were ready for this Christmas tradition.
"Tell the story again, Daddy!" Katherine exclaimed, the kids joining her request. Jamie held up his hands in defeat.
"Ok, I guess there's no way around it," he laughed. "Once upon a time, there was a kid named Jamie and he had a best friend. That friend was none other than-"
"Jack Frost!" one child shouted.
"That's right, Jack Frost. Now, Jack Frost was no 'Old Man Winter'. No, he was a teenager and he liked to have fun. But, he was a mischievous spirit and he sometimes caused trouble. It was never in malice, it just came with having fun. So one day, Jack decided to take Jamie for a ride on the North Wind…"
And so, Jamie recounted his tales of Jack Frost and the Guardians. He told the children about the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman and the Easter (Kangaroo) Bunny. He told them about Santa Claus and his yetis and the workshop in the North Pole. He filled them with wonder, hope, dreams, memories and fun. By the time he had finished, every child was a firm believer.
"Daddy, did you really know Jack Frost?" Katherine asked with a yawn. Jamie smiled and tucked her in.
"Of course…I still do," he replied. His daughter's eyes widened.
"Really?! Wow, when can I see him? I've never seen him before," she said sadly.
"Don't worry, you'll see him. You're five years old Katherine, you'll see him soon," Jamie reassured. "How about I take you to the lake tomorrow? After all, it is Jack's home." Before his daughter could become too excited to sleep, he added, "But sleep now or else the Sandman won't come." She nodded.
"Daddy, all your stories are true…right?" The question scared him more than it should have.
"Yes, they are. What made you ask that?"
"Ralphie doesn't really believe you and says that if you can't see it then it's not true. I've never seen Santa or Tooth or Sandy or Bunny or Jack…so I didn't know." She perked up immediately. "But you said they're real, so they're real! You're always right! But…why can't I see them?"
"Well you see," Jamie started as he sat down on the bed, "not everyone has the chance to see the Guardians. They are so busy with giving kids dreams and making toys that they can't see many people. But in order to keep their power, they must be believed in. That's where I come in," Jamie said with a smile. "On very rare occasions, the Guardians must come together to protect the children of the world. Things happen and sometimes they meet the kids. Those kids eventually grow up, but we never lose our faith in the Guardians.
"When I was a kid, I met Jack Frost. I was his first believer and still am today. We were the best of friends and we had so many crazy adventures…but the day came when I grew up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see him. I still can't." A lone tear trickled down his cheek. "But I can still remember everything we did. I remember the fun we had together and I don't regret a single second of it. What happened years ago really happened and it's my job to help the Guardians. I keep the belief alive."
"So…you're like Santa's Helper?" Katherine asked with a quizzical expression on her face.
"Better," Jamie replied, softly flicking her nose. "I'm a Guardians' Helper."
"Can you tell me another story?"
Fern frost delicately spread over the windowpane as Jamie regaled his adventures with Jack Frost. Although the man couldn't see it, the girl could. Before she fell asleep, she could have sworn there was a boy watching her father. A boy, who wore a blue hoodie, had white hair and possessed the most mischievous smirk anyone could ever achieve.
Two rooms down, Jack Frost lazily decorated Jamie's window with frost. "You did remember after all," he whispered with a sad smile. "You know where to find me." He glanced at the note sitting on the nightstand beside a small blue box. "Merry Christmas, Jamie."
Dear Jamie,
Sorry I've been gone for so long…like 18 years…
Ok, there's no excuse for that and Tooth's already yelled at me so you don't have to do it. I guess…I'm sorry for staying away. I was scared and hurt (I don't admit that easily so you better save this thing until you die. Sorry, that was morbid). The truth is…it was hard to lose my first friend, my first believer. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt. A lot. You should have seen Antarctica when I was done. Let's just say that there's no such thing as "Global Warming" now.
I'm sorry I wasn't there and I never want that to happen again. I know you have a family now and Man in the Moon forbid that Pitch come back. But in case you ever need me, I made something for you.
There's a snowflake inside that box. If you and/or your family is in any trouble (even something as stupid as a power out), break it and I'll come flying. You don't have to worry about it melting or shattering it accidently because I took care of that. Magic is amazing, huh? By the way, I owe Phil so much right now. It's a wonder I'm not his slave yet…
Well, that's that. Even after years to think this over, I still don't know what to say. First off, I hope you still believe because if not, then this letter just became extremely awkward. What am I saying? Of course you still believe!
Anyways, North told me that some of the lights on the globe are adults. They're the ones who've had a special experience with one or more of the Guardians and will believe in us until their dying days. That's you Jamie, I'd know your light anywhere.
These special people are what we call the Guardians' Helpers. They keep children believing in us even when we're not around...even when they can't see us for themselves. I just thought I'd let you know because, well...you're Jamie.
Alright, I better end this before I start telling you my life story. That's the last thing either of us needs right now. I may be a teen, but I'm not a girl (no matter what Bunny says).
Merry Christmas kid.
Your friend,
Jack Frost
A/N: Done! I…am not proud of this. Ugh! I had this epic idea and I feel like I fell short…a lot. Frag it, I didn't mean to make Jamie cry THAT much! Wow…
Anyways, I don't know how well I wrote these guys and I'm sorry for any OOCness going on. Thanks so much for reading!