(running, panting) Must…escape…clutches…of everyday life!
READERS! I HAVE RETURNED! Like Ed McCain, I've fought my way back from the dead just to be with y'all! I'm so sorry I've been away for so long! I've been job hunting and I've recently learned the manly art of knitting! (…) Seriously—back in the medieval days it was a man's thing to do because it was a type of weave, and weaving was man's work. But I've learned how to do it (one style, anyway) and now I am the proud owner/wearer of a genuine handmade GRYFFINDOR SCARF! Now I just have to wait for winter and speaking of winter…
I have returned to offer you my first RoTG story! Before you read it, I should warn you: Yes, this is another Jack Frost Girlfriend fic, 'cause let's face it, every fangirl wants him and I am no different. I've read a couple of the others and I thought I'd join in on the Fangirl Agony. I don't even know if this will be any different from the others, but it will be different in at least one way: It's mine.
This story will also usher a first for me as a fan fiction writer: I'm on Pinterest, so some of the stuff here is what I call "Pinspiration" (like I'm the first one to coin that phrase). The biggest one, for any of you Pinners in the audience, is a Jack Frost fan pic I found that's probably on the board of every Guardian fan. It's Jack offering a snow bunny to a cute little girl that looks like Yuki Cross from "Vampire Knight" with a small caption that reads "Don't cry…you look much prettier when you smile." I'd always had a girlfriend in mind for him, but until I saw that picture, I had a rather tenuous image of what she'd look like, so I pretty much used it as a springboard (if the original artist is reading this, please don't be mad. It's a wonderful picture and it really inspired me!) and it became the work I am now offering you.
So without further ado (and tooting my own horn), I humbly present what I hope will be a new "series" of some sort (like when I went crazy with my Kingdom Hearts, next generation kick, LOL) and what I further hope y'all will love!
"Don't cry…you're much prettier when you smile." – Jack Frost from that fan pic I mentioned (it's on Pinterest and Deviantart, but I don't remember the name of the artist. Look it up, ya lazy daisies! ;))
Title: November Witch
Summary: Sometimes the moon chooses Guardians; other times he chooses Companions. This is a story about falling in love, finding your center, and forgiving yourself. JackxOC
Prologue: Cold Snow, Warm Smile
Duluth, Minnesota – 1965
The cold gray waves of Lake Superior stirred themselves up into a strange dance as Jack Frost looked grimly over the city. It was late August and it was his instinct now and then to start up the white stuff early this far north.
He made quick work of it, though, without as much of his usual cheer. He would sweep down a street or a block then hide for a couple of minutes; there was someone here he knew, someone he wanted to avoid. Unfortunately, this touch-and-go method took him longer than any other city normally would and it was two hours before he was done. Of course, it didn't really matter how long he took; sooner or later that jerk from the other side of the Lakes would show up and start corrupting his handiwork, turning a fun-filled snow day for kids into a miserable, bone-chilling, sickness-inducing ordeal. Already he could see the day turning as gray and numb as the lake. He exhaled.
"Couldn't wait a little while?" he muttered darkly, "Jerk."
By now he was tightroping a cement guard rail on the lakeshore; not wanting to see the sadness that was soon to be inflicted on the children he turned to go and was pleasantly surprised to find a small crowd of kids headed his way and throwing snowballs.
"That's more like it!" His mischievous grin returned as he started towards them but slipped away when he noticed the little girl at the front was crying and trying to shield her head. All the other kids were chasing her and throwing their snowballs only at her!
"Stop it!" she was shouting, "Leave me alone!" That only made the laughter louder and the snowballs faster, sometimes bigger.
"Or what?" one of them jeered, "You're gonna use your nature spirit powers on us? You're gonna get Daddy to rain on us?"
'What?!' Jack thought, perplexed as he watched them get closer.
"I am a spirit!" she shouted defensively, "I just wanted to play!"
Was this kid for real? Jack could tell a spirit from a human, but she wasn't close enough to tell. He shook it off; right now she was just a little girl being chased by bullies. There were few things Jack didn't tolerate, but that was one of them.
"Hey, what's the matter with you guys?" he scolded as they ran right through him, "She's just a little kid!" He knew they wouldn't hear him, but he still wanted to say it. As the last kid passed him, he distinctly saw him start to pack gravel into a snowball!
"HEY!" he snapped and swept snow into his face, leaving him to flail around trying to wipe off.
It served him right, Jack thought as he ice-slid to the rescue; a fine line was being crossed in his otherwise non-rule book. He made snow and ice so that everyone could have fun, but this was clearly not fun; it was torture.
As quick as he could, he leapt over the kids and landed right behind the small girl. To his surprise, she squeaked and ran faster, as if she had sensed his presence. He shook it off; it was probably just from one of the snowballs that hit her foot. He pointed his staff to the ground next to her.
"Hang on tight," he murmured and swept her off her feet on a racetrack of ice. The boys stopped, dropped their jaws and snowballs, and stood in an open-mouthed stupor.
"Do you guys see that?" asked one of them.
"Maybe she really is a spirit," said another one. The others just nodded silently. This was what Jack had hoped would happen; after safely sliding her into a harmless snowdrift, the sprightly youth twirled his staff with one hand and made a whole bunch of snowballs. He then slid it down to the butt and held it like a golf club.
"Watch this," he glanced cockily at the girl and yelled, "FORE!"
The only thing better than the looks on those boys' faces was watching their dumbfounded mouths get stuffed with the very snow they had used to torment someone much smaller than themselves. Jack chuckled and shouldered his staff with a hand in his pocket, then turned his head to the girl.
"Did you see that, princess?" he asked, then noticed she looked like she was looking right at him. He remembered her claims of being a spirit and now that she was standing still, he could see clearly she had told the truth. He'd seen spirit children before; they didn't quite possess the same sense of wonder that human children did, but they were still adorable.
The girl said nothing, just stood there sniffling pitifully and sobbing in a way that sounded like a hiccup with slush on her nice winter hat. She was so small and sad it tugged at his heart.
"You all right, kid?" he asked gently as he knelt to her.
"They threw snowballs at me," she pouted and wiped her eyes, "They wouldn't leave me alone!"
Jack laid his staff against his shoulder and, watching her face, scooped up a handful of snow.
"Hey," he said softly, "Look!" She opened her eyes to see a moving bunny in his hands made of snow! She blushed with wide eyes.
"How'd you do that?" she asked and rubbed an eye, "Who are you?"
"I'm Jack Frost," he introduced himself.
"You are?" she blinked in slight surprise. He nodded and saw she hadn't smiled this whole time. He bent lower to catch her eye and smiled at her.
"There it is," he teased when she giggled, "I knew there was a pretty smile under that hat!" She was all bundled up in a bright copper-colored winter coat with white faux fur trim, red cuffs, a red scarf, a red cap with the faux fur trim, and brown boots. Her brown hair peeked out from her hat. She held out her mittened hands and Jack placed the bunny inside them.
"Thank you," she said and smiled. He smiled back and tapped her nose, making her turn red.
"You've got honey eyes, you know that?" he said.
"Honey eyes?" she repeated with her head cocked to the side.
"They're light brown with a bit of golden light in them, like honey," he explained, adoring her more every minute, "They're pretty."
"Thanks!" she smiled brightly, "Your eyes are pretty, too!"
He laughed; no one had ever said that to him before. A gust of wind that didn't belong to him swept up the shore and chilled them both. Jack only knew one kind of wind that could make even him shiver.
"We should probably get out of here," he said.
"Actually, Jack," said another, much older male voice, "you should probably get out of here."
Jack sprang to his feet and half-stepped in front of the child with his staff gripped in both hands. His grim look returned.
The man wore a dark gray trench coat, big black boots, and a black ski cap. He had a handsome yet gloomy face that magnified his purpose in the world.
"Say goodbye, dear," he said to the child, "Your mother will be here soon."
"Yes, Daddy," she said, much to Jack's surprise.
"This guy's your dad?" he raised a weird eyebrow.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, "Thanks for helping me, Jack."
"Anytime," he smiled and knelt again, "This is for you."
He held his hand open to reveal one of his signature snowflakes; he exhaled a tiny puff of snow on it and it hardened and fell into his palm with a white-silver chain hanging between his fingers. He unlatched it and put it around her neck.
"That's just for you," he said secretly as she looked at it, "Don't forget me, all right?"
"Will I ever see you again?" she asked shyly. Jack glanced for a second at the child's chilly father; considering the man always ran him off the Lakes the minute he crossed over, Jack doubted he'd get to spend much time with the daughter, if any.
"I hope so," he said. The girl looked sadly at the ground, then glanced up at him. She tucked her new necklace underneath all her clothes and placed her hands over her heart, where the snowflake was. With a red-faced smile, she leaned over to touch her forehead to his.
"I'll never forget you, Jack," she said, "I promise."
His frozen heart swelled within him as he smiled adoringly at the little spirit girl. He cupped her cheek in one hand and planted a cool deep kiss on her warm forehead. His own wind started to pick up, so he tapped her nose again in his classic Jack Frost style.
"See you around, Honey Eyes," he winked as he let himself get whisked away. The child stared in wide-eyed wonder as her hero rode away on the wind like a prince.
"Jack Frost," she whispered to herself. Her father took her hand and led her away, but she kept looking back to where Jack Frost had rescued her.
Author's Review:
Something I forgot to mention on my list of inspirations for this story. One of the Guardian fics I read before starting on mine was "Avowal," written by (IMO) the very talented, very great StarKatt427, whose take on Jack's relationship with Jamie was emotionally raw and took my breath away. I actually felt kind of vulnerable after reading it…seriously. That's how good she is (at least, I think it's a she. I could be wrong.) I know I sound like I'm exaggerating, but that really is how I felt. Maybe that's just me being weird.
Anyway, you should totally read "Avowal," and anything else she's got (which is a lot). While I'm at it, I'd like to dedicate this story to her; her dramatic and emotional depth made me reach inside myself and find this story, so if you love reading this story half as much as I love writing it ('cause I'm still handwriting it in my notebook), most of the inspirational credit goes to her. The rest goes to Pinterest! ;D
Hope you enjoy this! Y'all know what to do! See you next chapter!