1 - 1
Three days. That was all they had... no, that was all he had. Jack sat in the room he'd shared with Jamie just hours ago. Jamie had left, likely to fetch his mother whom he'd forgotten about and had only just remembered after seeing his sister safely at the pole and away from that monster called the Jabberwocky. The Jabberwocky. For all of a monster that being was, it was very easy on the eyes and nothing like Jack pictured that it should look like. No, it had to be beautiful and its voice had been pleasant to listen to. Gods did he hate it! It had only been hours since the sand had dissolved after having let the creature speak to them to send a message. That message was that it would let Jamie go free, but at a terrible price. It wanted Jack and Jamie's unborn child. Jack was curled up on the bed he'd shared with Jamie, arms curled protectively around the orb that had gotten a little bigger than before but he didn't really notice. Three days... their child would grow up never knowing the man who created it. The wonderful teen who had been Jack's first believer... then his lover... his mate... and now... Jack hugged the orb a little tighter as he began to silently dissolve into tears once more. How could this have happened? Why had it? He'd had so little time with Jamie... only having recently found him again after spending ten years searching tirelessly for him on the word of a dear friend... That friend was gone now as well. Beyond his reach and the reach of any spirit now. Jack wasn't sure what was worse, the demands of the Jabberwocky or the inevitability that he knew was going to come in a matter of just days. That he would again lose the one person who meant so much to him. He was so deep in his depression that he almost didn't hear the knock at his door; almost, but even though he did he ignored it. He didn't want company, he just... he wanted things to go back the way they were a few days ago. He closed his eyes. How could this be happening to him again? Was he cursed? Was everyone he got close to going to up and disappear on him? Were his friends next? He didn't notice the door open or the fact that a woman walked in and that woman had blonde hair. She crossed her arms as she looked down at him. The orb was at one end of the bed and Jack was on the other, he felt conflicted; wanting to protect it and at the same time hating that it was the reason that he would lose Jamie and that this time Jamie would be gone for good. There would be no bringing him back. Immortals could live forever, provided they weren't overpowered by some special weaponry or ... in Jamie's case... devoured by another immortal. Jack was shaking uncontrollably when Sophie stepped up to him, she frowned. This wasn't the Jack Frost she knew. Who had stood up to Pitch. With an inward sigh she gritted her teeth and hoped to high heavens that her brother would forgive her as she reached out with one hand and smacked Jack. The sting on his cheek shocked him. He sat bolt up, eyes wide even though his body was still shaking a little.
"Now that I have your attention. Are you quite through moping?" Jack could only stare at her and this time she sighed aloud.
"Do you seriously think that you only have two options? I, for one, have not given up on my brother just yet. I'm surprised you have after everything the two of you have been through." Jack's eyes widened further. Given up? What choice was there? She wasn't seriously suggesting that he should feed that monster his child was she?! Sophie rolled her eyes at him.
"Honestly, there are FIVE of you and ONE Jabberwock. You can beat this thing, I know it! You still have time! We have three days to find out how this creature was beaten. Who would know?" Jack was silent, dare he even entertain the smallest flicker of hope?
"Pitch... Pitch would know." Jack said softly.
"So track down that no good shadow and force it out of him." She said, hands on her hips and Jack could only marvel at how she seemed so strong and she was just a mortal; here he was, an immortal being, able to control the elements of winter and he was cowering like a newborn.
"Thanks Soph." He said, taking a deep breath. He could see it, in her green eyes; the same spirit he'd always seen in Jamie's and there was some comfort in that. She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"How about you do us a favor and babysit?" That seemed to shock the girl.
"Don't need to do much, just keep it safe, okay?" She nodded and Jack was up from the bed in one fluid motion and out the door; leaving the girl to just gape before she walked over to the orb and picked it up.
"You sure are going to have an interesting set of parents, you know that right?" She murmured to the orb as it seemed to pulse in her hands. Wait... was it just a trick of the light or was she seeing two lights in what seemed to be a semi-transparent ball? Twins? Jack didn't tell anyone where he was going, he strode towards the globe room; he was going to see Pitch, but it turned out that he didn't need to seek him out. Rather, it seemed the shadow was staring down four unhappy Guardians and a group of yetis.
"Back off guys." Jack said, startling his fellow Guardians. He shouldered his way past the startled four to meet the golden eyes he loathed so much.
"Like it or not, he has information we need." The others stared at Jack, baffled then glared at Pitch.
"Indeed. It is not beneficial to have this creature gobbling up those who feed me anymore than it is for you to let it go about gobbling up your believers; I've no doubt this thing has done both in the short time it has been here."
"You know something. Spit it out Pitch. You're wasting time." Pitch raised an eyebrow at Jack, he knew the frost spirit had a backbone but this was far more aggressive than he ever remembered seeing the boy be.
"Fine. As I told your newest member, the answer is in the words."
"Not good enough mate." Bunny said, glaring at Pitch.
"If you want the answer that badly you're going to have to give me something in return." Jack frowned a little but nodded. For Jamie.
"What is it you want Pitch?" The others stared in blatant shock at Jack now, but he didn't seem to care anymore. Though shock turned to outrage when Pitch spoke up.
"Five years with you doing what I say, Frost." Jack was silent.
"What right have you to demand that!" Tooth asked.
"Ain't no way we-" Bunny began, his voice overlapped by North's resounding voice.
"No! No way!" Pitch merely crossed his arms as Jack was the only one who seemed to actually be considering the offer.
"What would you want him for anyway? Not like he would..." Bunny trailed off and Jack paled suddenly.
"You wouldn't!" Tooth said, eyes widening, her hands flying to her mouth. North paled considerably.
"Wouldn't I?" Pitch asked, neither denying nor confirming their suspicions.
"That is bloody sick mate! He is bonded!" Bunny spat. Pitch just smirked at the other but Jack shook his head. Bunny was right... but...
"We have a deal. Once this is all over." Jack said quietly, shocking the others into silence.
"Jack, you cannot be doing this! You are Guardian!" North protested. Jack spun around, his gaze blazing.
"What choice do we have if we're going to defeat that thing?! It's just five years. I'll live, the people of this world will... will not if we don't do something. It's stayed in Burgess for now... but we can't know that for sure. We can't know how many people have "gone missing" only to end up as fodder for that... that..." He couldn't go on.
"We... we have to do something and as a Guardian... I will do what I have to... even if it means..." He didn't say it, didn't look at Pitch or the others; his hands becoming fists. Even if it meant that... it was the oath he'd taken. They had all taken it... well, no... Jamie hadn't; yet, but Jack had little doubt that he would. For Jamie... he'd do anything. He'd said as much once and he meant it. He clenched his eyes shut tight, not wanting to think about the fact he was making a deal with one devil to be rid of another.
"We ... we have a deal."
"Very well then. Once the beast is dead and everyone is back where they need to be, come to me before the moon has risen." Jack just nodded, staring at the floor. What had he just agreed to?
1 - 2
Jack shook away the doubts that nagged at him; the other Guardians could handle Pitch, they'd have Jamie to help them and to stop him and... whatever it was that he made Jack do. There was no doubt in his own mind that things would be bad once this was over, but not as bad as losing Jamie or his child. Five years... his child would be five years old when they finally met him. He shuddered, five lonely years... again he shoved the thought in the back of his mind and the others stared at Pitch, waiting to see what the shadow man would say.
"The poem roughly translates to this: one, two! one, two! and through and through the verbal blade went snicker-snack! he left it dead, and with its head went running back." The group just stared at him and Pitch sighed.
"Don't you get it? Honestly..."
"It's the word." The group turned suddenly to see that they had been joined by Jamie's mother.
"Finally! Figures it'd take a mortal to get it." Pitch said and was a little put off when the woman scowled at him. Though he didn't show it.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"The word 'snicker-snack' is what killed the Jabberwocky. It's what has kept it where it has always been. That word, nonsensical as it is, keeps the beast from our realm."
"Just how do you know this?" North asked.
"I do a lot of reading, plus there was a mention of it being a possibility in a book my son read once."
"So then... Jamie knows?" Tooth asked.
"Possibly, I don't know if he'd remember. It was a book he'd checked out in his youth. I read everything he did, just to... make sure he wasn't getting into trouble or anything." The others just sort of stared, except Jack who rolled his eyes at the group. They really did need to get out more into the real world, or rather what the real world was like now. They were nearly seven centuries older than he was and yet it was he who seemed to be the elder when it came to matters involving the humans they protected!
"So... how am I supposed to find this creature?" Jack asked after a moment.
"Didn't it say it would meet you in three days?" Bunny asked.
"Yes, but that's cutting it close. I'd rather not if you don't mind." The group turned to where Pitch had been, to see if the shade had any idea but he was gone. Jack sighed, none of them really surprised that he had slinked away while they had been distracted. The five Guardians began to talk amongst themselves about how they were going to find the monster that had Jamie before time ran out; in the mean time, Jamie's mother - who seemed to have been forgotten momentarily by the others - decided that she would spend this time with her daughter. She'd actually been too enthralled with the place to seek Sophie out and now, though she was still a little dazed at all the wondrous things about, she began to wonder the halls again and opening doors on the level where she'd found Jack before she found the room her daughter was staying in. It didn't surprise her to find her daughter was up and about, though what did startle her a little was the fact that Sophie was sitting in a large comfortable chair wearing a deep green robe and sipping at some hot coco while staring off out the window. The bed was clearly rumpled and suddenly she began to wonder if perhaps her other child was going to be attached to one of the five immortals she'd just been talking with. She was pretty sure that was true as she'd never seen her daughter seem to glow so with quiet contentment before.
"Sophie?" Sophie turned at the familiar voice and smiled despite that she was surprised that the person who came in wasn't who she was expecting at all.
"Mom!" She set the cup down on a nearby tray, that held the remnants of breakfast, and rushed over to embrace her mother.
"I was wondering when they'd bring you here."
"Yes, well Jack was very prompt when I called." Sophie gave her mother a strange look, then she realized that something was wrong indeed; her mother looked haggard. Had she missed something? Was there something that she knew that Bunny hadn't told her? Sophie watched as the elderly woman sighed and began to tell her what had happened. True to the woman she'd become over the years, Sophie didn't lose any part of her calm and had simply sipped at what remained of her drink while her mother had pulled up a second chair to talk.
"I see... well I can understand why you did what you did and I think Jamie would too. Jack's been... not quite himself since the orb was made. I think he's acting a lot like a pregnant woman." Sophie's lips twitched in a smile and was glad when her mother seemed to share the sentiment.
"Wait... why would he be acting like that?" Sophie nearly choked down the last of her drink when she realized no one had told her.
"Um... well, I'm not sure how I'm going to fully explain this. See that?" She pointed to the foot of the bed and her mother's eyes turned to see that there was the strangest yet most decorated orb she'd ever seen. It was made of ice and had leaf patterns all over it and seemed to glow with an inner light and at the same time, also seemed to be semi-transparent.
"What about it?"
"That's holding your grandbabies." She watched with a smile as the news sunk in and her mother's eyes widened.
"M-my... I'm going to be a grandmother?" Sophie nodded and watched her mother get up and move towards the floating orb, running her hands over it in curious wonder. Never had she seen something like this and it was both warm and cool to the touch. As she looked at it, she realized that one of the lights inside seemed to have a pink hue while the other had a blue.
"Wow... I... How...?" Sophie shrugged at the question.
"I imagine it has something to do with them both being spirits, I actually haven't questioned it. Jack stuck me with baby sitting duty a couple of hours ago." She watched at the older woman turned around and raised an eyebrow at her daughter.
"I certainly hope you didn't engage in what I think you did young lady, especially not around my grandchildren!" Sophie's eyes widened. How had she... ? Her cheeks flushed crimson as she realized what her mother was implying.
"N-no! Nothing like that... I... um..." The older woman's features softened a little.
"Which one?" Sophie fidgeted a little.
"Bunnymund." She all but squeaked out, Sophie had taken a shower recently but it had not occurred to her that her mother would think she'd been doing that with her beloved while watching over her niece and nephew. Not that she hadn't been tempted when Bunny had come in earlier, but she had pushed it away. She stood up and went again and went over to the wardrobe on one side of the room; she picked out a dark green tunic and a set of baggy brown pants and quickly dressed. She wondered what her mother would think, not just that her daughter was in love with an immortal, but one of a completely different species to boot! Sophie couldn't help it, he was so gentle... He had always been kind to her, even if he was a little rough around the edges and he had always made her feel like she could do anything. He'd been the one to encourage her to look after children as a job while she wrote her books before she'd become semi-famous.
"Guess I should have known. Your brother always did tease you about being that rabbit's special 'ankle-biter.'"
"Yeah.. well, it was all just fun and games until recently. I guess I was always too nervous to speak up." She added the last bit when she saw her mother raise an eyebrow at her.
"I even found a spell that would make me like him when the time comes. I was going to do it but then the Jabberwocky showed up and... well... it just didn't seem as important."
"I understand dear. You should know that I'll support you in whatever you decide."
"Thanks mom."
"Now, what makes you think there are two?'
"Ah, well I've done some reading on this orb. Apparently however many lights are inside will tell us how many children there are. Their color also states gender."
"How long will they be in there?"
"About a month. I know, pretty quick, but it's faster - I think - because of how powerful Jack and Jamie are... the longest time that the book stated was four months."
"That's still very quick."
"Yeah... but we are talking about baby spirits, not baby humans."
"True... is this how all spirits are born?"
"Not all, just how they are born when two spirits... er..." Her mother raised a hand to forestall anything else.
"I get the picture." Sophie smiled in relief.
"So then, I take it your books are based on fact." Sophie nodded.
"They told me their stories, though it was easier to get the stories from some more than others. I wrote about Jamie too, but I haven't published it yet."
"Still writing his story?"
"More like I haven't had the time to talk to Jack about his half of the story." Sophie plopped back down on the chair she'd vacated a moment ago to get dressed and put away the robe she'd borrowed. Had she been honest with herself, she'd been a bit lazy about getting dressed and that had been why she'd been wearing the robe; plus she needed to look at least somewhat decent. She pushed aside those thoughts as she considered what it was she'd learned about Jamie and the Jabberwocky, the deal that Jack had made with Pitch and the answer that the Boogeyman had provided.
It was dark and cold, colder than Jamie would like; he wasn't exactly sure where he was at, only that he was in some forest of some sort and that a beautiful beast was slumbering nearby in a chair made from wood and forest vines. Jamie didn't make a peep, he wasn't in a cage or anything like that; there weren't any bonds that he could see but he had a pretty good idea that the Jabberwocky didn't need them. Jamie was as quiet as a mouse as he stood up and began to stretch. How long had he been in this place? He barely remembered coming here after he'd heard that lovely voice... He aimed a scowl at the figure who sat sleeping in the chair that Jamie had been laying against. This creature, who was more beautiful than Jamie could have imagined it to be, had kidnapped him; it had lain in wait, stalking his mother and for what? A single ruby eye opened and lazily regarded him, apparently the Jabberwocky wasn't so much sleeping as resting. Why was he still alive?
"What do you want from me?" He demanded and he watched as the humanoid sat up, both eyes open now.
"Nothing, you have nothing I want."
"Then why didn't you just eat me?" A soft chuckle came from his foe that sent chills up his spine.
"I may as well, but I promised Frost I would give him three days." Jamie blinked.
"Three days?"
"To exchange the young spirit for you." Jamie paled, knowing instantly that this ... this... there wasn't a word good enough to describe what he was staring at. This... thing meant to devour his unborn child! He glared at the being who seemed to regard him calmly.
"You may see me as some sort of a monster, but I am nothing if not true to my word. Mortals are tasty, yes, but they lack that certain flare that comes from having a spirit and the younger the spirit the more delicious they are." Jamie couldn't suppress a shudder. They were talking about eating live beings after all.
"You don't seem afraid." The Jabberwocky said after a moment, Jamie sat down where he was; there wasn't much of a point in standing really since he wasn't going anywhere.
"Why should I be?" The summer spirit spat, much as he heard the voice he couldn't tell if it was meant to be male or female... or perhaps it was meant to be neither since this being had shown no signs of being either gender really.
"Why wouldn't you? I could devour you now and you would spend the rest of your existence in my stomach, being slowly digested for the next hundred years." Jamie raised an eyebrow at the thing before him.
"Is that why you eat so often?" The being shrugged.
"I eat when I need to." Jamie considered this bit of information. What did he know about the Jabberwocky and could he use it against this thing? That poem seemed to run through his mind, or what parts he remembered; that it was mostly nonsense didn't help one bit. There was something about that line... a vorpal blade... something... something he'd read once that was trying to click in his head. What was it? What did the poem mean by vorpal blade?
1 - 3
Jamie closed his eyes, thinking about what he knew; how he could use it to escape, maybe even put an end to this creature. Come on Jamie... you know all this stuff... He thought in frustration. He knew that he couldn't simply walk away from this creature; no legend of it had said anything about it having the power to entrance anyone and while the creature was beautiful to look at and seemed to enchant every creature around it, Jamie was only disgusted. How dare such an evil citter hide behind the mask of beauty! He rubbed his eyes, raging over the creature's appearance wasn't going to change anything. The creature, he mused, could be "slain" in a matter of speaking and he'd a good idea that it had before. With a vorpal blade... Where was he going to find such a weapon? Did such a thing even exist? What would it look like when he found it? Considering that the poem had been written such a long time ago, was it likely that the vorpal blade was some sort of sword... He considered this, what kind of blade would it have had to have been to "slay" an immortal creature like the Jabberwocky? After all, one just didn't kill an immortal; one really couldn't per say, not that immortals were entirely invulnerable, just difficult to kill. It took a special sort of weapon or another immortal's power to defeat another immortal let alone destroy them. He was looking at that sort of thing in the mouth at the moment; if the Jabberwocky ate him... he'd spend the rest of his existence, however short, being digested. Well wasn't that a lovely thought? Jamie brushed it aside, he didn't fear death... what he did fear, however, was the fate of his child. He would do anything to keep the young spirit safe and if that meant being eaten alive... So be it. He closed his eyes, he'd died once before and he'd made peace with that death; no one had been at fault and if anyone was to be at fault now for his death it would be this creature. Jamie couldn't say that he wasn't afraid, no... that would be a lie and maybe he did fear what it would be like to be eaten, but considering what the alternative would be... No, he wouldn't balk at this, he would stand firm. He winced though as he thought about how hard Jack must be taking this. How was it that the winter spirit had to suffer losing him again after the short time they had spent together? There were so many places he'd wanted to share with his love, places he'd discovered in the ten years he'd had away from Jack. Jamie got up again to pace, the Jabberwocky didn't seem concerned that he'd try to escape and closed its eyes again. Even if he did get away from this creature, he had a feeling it wouldn't matter; the creature need only sing again and he'd be right back where he'd started. Sing... could he block out the music? What about the magic that he knew had to be woven into it? He thought about this a moment, most musical magic relied on the fact that he needed to be able to hear the tune in question; it wouldn't work otherwise. Where would he find something to block out the sound? Even if he could find something, what would he do? Jamie felt helpless, but he forced it down as he tried to think about what he could do; he didn't want Jack to suffer or their child to grow up with only one parent, but with as grim as things were... Jamie wasn't as sure as he'd like to be that there was another option. This wasn't some fairy tale story and he wasn't some damsel in distress. He almost laughed at the thought; almost laughed at the next one - how he hoped he gave the Jabberwocky indigestion. Gallows humor. Jamie sighed as he glanced around, birds that slept in branches nearby would no doubt sing on command. Wolves stood like guards, prowling the area and ignoring the many rabbits that cuddled like children up against the resting form of his captor. Had he not known better he'd have thought this astounding scene of a benevolent ruler. The Jabberwocky was not benevolent and was more dictator than ruler; having no care for those it had control over, much like puppets. Trying his best not to give into despair, Jamie looked around for anything that could be useful but only twigs and leaves were to be seen.
The summer spirit sighed, the best he could do would be to set the place on fire and hope someone saw it... What were the odds and yet it sparked hope in Jamie and so he began to search the surrounding area to find the best twigs and leaves. He began making small piles everywhere to he could that would be mostly out of sight and prayed that Mother Nature would forgive him for what he was about to do... The fire was huge, Pippa stared as she had seen the beginnings of it and yet it was only huge for a brief moment before it was forcibly snuffed out. What in blazes?! Fires just didn't do that! Curious, she walked into the forest where she wore she'd seen it... She passed by the scorch marks, examining them with a frown. This couldn't be right... Fire couldn't spell out words and yet here in one tree was: Get help
She moved to another: Jabberwocky
Now this was getting stranger and stranger by the moment and she flipped open her phone to the notepad to jot down the odd words and ended up with:
Get help
Jabberwocky
Tell them
From Guardians
Dangerous here
Believe
Pippa frowned as she walked back the way she'd come, Jamie watched his one-time friend jot down the message he'd managed to leave with the flames on various trees before the Jabberwocky's song had interrupted him and forced him to douse the flames. It wasn't a full message and the animals had hidden while both Jamie and the Jabberwocky watched her; she was oblivious to them both obviously. With a shrug she headed off to Cupcake's, she seemed to lose interest but it was an act. Not because she had actually seen Jamie or the Jabberwocky but because she felt that she was being watched and she was too smart to make it seem like she'd any real interest in this. She made sure to take a picture of one tree.
"Someone is going to have a field day with this on the net." She said aloud with a grin and skipped off, giddy in her steps but her gaze became serious though she doubted that whoever or whatever was watching her would realize this. Only when the feeling of being watched subsided did she bolt at a dead run. She banged on the door when she reached the house, the frantic knocking brought an answer quickly.
"Pippa?" The once huge girl had become a medium sized woman, but she had lost none of what made her intimidating; if anything she was more so now that she'd grown, but that had never bothered Pippa. They'd grown up together, why would she be intimidated by her friend?
"Cupcake, this is important. I found something you should see." She gave Pippa a funny look before letting her inside.
"Look at this." She showed her the image of the tree that had the words "Get help" burned into it.
"Okay, yeah... That's bizarre, fire doesn't do that normally." She frowned at the image Pippa was showing her.
"I think it's a message from someone... someone who needs our help. I found other words, similarly burned into the area and other trees." Pippa closed the image and opened the notepad, setting it in front of him. She looked at it a moment.
"I'm not sure it's in order. It doesn't look like it makes sense."
"Yeah... I'm not the best at this sort of thing but it looks to me like this order makes the most sense. Though, you know me, I'm not the egghead Monty was. I think it's...: Dangerous here, get help from Guardians. Jabberwocky. Tell them. Believe.
"Believe what?"
"I'm guessing in the Guardians." There was a moment of silence, the two girls hadn't believed since they were kids.
"But... that just a dream." Cupcake protested, but at the moment it looked like a feeble thing in face of Pippa's strange messages. After all, even humans couldn't carve messages like this in trees.
"I thought it was too, but... if it wasn't, as this suggests..."
"Then... we need to believe to help." There was a long silence then.
"Alright, what should we do then?" Cupcake asked.
"The old pond... it's connected to Jack, maybe we can get in touch with him there."
"And if he's the one in trouble?"
"We won't know until we try." Cupcake didn't bother with a coat as Pippa stowed the phone away in a pocket. The two headed off into the forest, it wasn't hard to find the pond that they remembered from their childhood as if they had only been there the day before. The two looked at one another before Pippa picked up a rock and hurled it at the ice. They waited a moment and then Pippa picked up another one, hurling it like the first and began to search for a few more even before the pebble had landed against the frozen ice with a soft thunk. After the fourth rock though the two nearly fell over at the gust of wind that suddenly blew from behind them and they looked at one another though they didn't see anyone. With a huff, Pippa closed her eyes, remembering what the message had said: Believe.
"We have to believe..." She murmured to Cupcake who closed her eyes as Pippa had and the two stood there for a moment, when they opened their eyes they nearly gasped; not in surprise because they saw Jack, but because he seemed so different than they remembered. His skin seemed to have an odd sheen to it that they didn't remember from when they had seen him in their childhood and while he seems to glow with health, his eyes seem to speak of a weariness that his physical body isn't showing. A soft smile plays at his lips as he sees the two.
"Hey Pippa, Cupcake. Long time no see." Cupcake just smiled in greeting.
"You look... different, but in a good way!" Pippa said with a smile.
"You've grown too." He replied, not wanting to waste any time in explaining anything.
"What's up? I mean, you obviously called me."
"Well... there's something we think you should see." Pippa said after a moment.
