Story: Winds of Change
Rating: M
Pairing: Jack Frost/OC
Chapters: 21
Words: 62 294
Status: Complete
My first ever fanfiction. Review! Please and thank you.
Freezing wind. Numbness. That's all Jack Frost could feel as he flew through the cold, sub-zero Arctic winds. Behind his numb demeanor there was an anger burning, boiling through him. He couldn't believe how North had accused him of causing a blizzard so bad that he couldn't deliver presents to all the kids in the world thus endangering children's' believe in Santa Claus, when he was nowhere near North's path at all! Jack bit back the rage threatening to well up in his throat as he recalled the looks of shock, shame and anger that graced over the rest of his fellow guardian's faces. He knew he was still relatively new at all this guardian stuff but he would never intentionally sabotage a fellow guardian's duty. The last time he did that was when he was also falsely accused of destroying Bunnymund's Easter eggs on Easter Sunday.
Jack sighed and ordered the winds to take him back home. The wind complied and soon Jack found himself on the street outside of Jamie's house. It was after midnight and the teen would be sound asleep. Jack found himself recalling to 10 years ago when Jamie and his friends had helped him and the guardians defeat Pitch Black or the Boogeyman as he was known. Despite all the anger and injustice he felt, he still managed to smile at that memory. His smile soon faded and he started thinking about how he should've tried to explain himself instead of running away and making everyone think he did start the snow blizzard. He may be Jack Frost but the snow sometimes just manifest without his knowledge.
He growled and before he could stop himself, Jack raised his staff and covered the main street with a sheet of ice, using his powers to release all the pent up emotions he felt, freezing a few trees by the roadside in the process. He gave a cry and turned the whole main street into a slippery black snake while hovering over it.
Suddenly he heard the sound of a car speeding and coming down the main street right to wear he created the sheet of ice. Before Jack could lift up his staff, the car tires skidded on the road which made the car swerve and hit a tree. Jack looked on in horror. The accident happened in just a blink of his eyes! Screams could be heard from the car with the sound of a child crying?
He quickly flew down to the car wreck and tried to help the car's occupants. Jack magic-ked the car door open and looked inside. What he saw made his stomach drop and heart go into his throat. A woman and a man were lying, face forward where their heads took the worst hit and were now lying motionless. The salty, rustic tang of blood could be smelled.
Jack then looked at the back seat and his heart leaped.
"Oh jeez, what did I do?" he muttered to himself as he reached out his arms and carried a little girl out of the wreckage.
She was crying and panicking, calling for her mum and dad. Jack sat her on the ground and tried comforting her.
"Mummy! Mummy! Daddy!" she choked and Jack's heart constricted when he saw that she was more or less the same age as Sophie, Jamie's little sister, when Jack first met her.
"It's alright, you're gonna be okay," he cooed and rocked her little body. She was still sobbing.
Slowly, one by one, house lights turned on and voices could be heard as people were woken up by the loud crash. Jamie came out of his house and saw Jack in the middle of the scene.
"Jack, what're you doing here? What the heck happened?!" Jamie demanded as he took in the sight of Jack, the little girl and the wrecked car.
"Jamie, go call the ambulance, get this people to the hospital, now!" Jack demanded. "I did something terribly wrong", he said dejectedly.
"Jack, what the-"
"Now, Jamie, hurry!" Jack rushed, his striking blue eyes filled with panic as the little girl cried louder.
Jamie nodded and quickly hurried into his house to call 911 just when people came running to help the victims.
Victims, Jack's heart contracted as he thought about what he has done.
"We need ambulance, medical support, two people in the front not conscious," yelled Mr. Brown, a neighbor of Jamie's. He then noticed the little girl lying on the ground near the wreckage and picked her up. Of course, he didn't notice Jack kneeling right there.
"There, there sweetheart, what's your name?" Mr. Brown asked in a gentle voice.
The little girl looked over at Jack before he nodded and smiled at her in encouragement.
"K-K-Kayla," she replied and then she started bawling again. "I want my mummy! I want my daddy!" she cried as she hid her face in Mr. Brown's face.
"Its okay sweetheart, they're gonna be safe," he said as the wail of an ambulance could be heard.
In 15 minutes, the ambulance was loaded with the injured bodies of the girl's parents as the crowd grew steadily bigger.
"Head and chest injuries, big impact, the both of them are unconscious and the woman's pulse is growing weak," the paramedic said to Mr. Brown quietly as he looked at the little girl in a mixture of pity and compassion.
"Just get them safe and for goodness sake! Be safe, the roads are slippery tonight, what with winter here…" Mr. Brown trailed of as he thought about the weather and the unlucky circumstances it brought.
In the middle of the chaos, Jack Frost stood still with his head hung in shame. Just then Jamie came from where he was helping a few men salvage what was left of the wrecked car.
"Jack…" he began to say but Jack took him by the elbow and led him to a corner of an alley so that they could speak privately.
"Man, what happened? What did you do?" the young teen asked his guardian friend as Jack looked shameful.
"I screwed up! I was so mad at North, Bunnymund, Tooth and Sandman for accusing me of starting a blizzard that caused difficulty for North to deliver Christmas presents and I just took out my anger by turning the street into a sheet of ice. I didn't realize that there were still cars driving up and now it's my fault that those people are dead! How could I've been so stupid?" Jack screamed and ran his hands through his pale white hair. "If only I went back and told them all the truth instead of running away and causing this mess, I wouldn't have killed anyone tonight! Oh goodness, I killed them…" Jack said as he dropped his staff and sank to the ground with his face in his hands.
Jamie listened to Jack's confession with wide eyes and he took a step towards Jack with his hand outstretched.
"Jack, you didn't know and it wasn't intentional. I would tell you that everything's gonna be alright but it's not Jack. So the only thing you can do now is take care of that girl and explain to North, Tooth and everyone else," Jamie said firmly with his hands on Jack's shoulders, shaking some sense into him.
Jack looked up with tortured eyes.
"How could I tell them I murdered a family? Even if they do survive, they won't come out unscathed," the Guardian of Fun retorted, looking, for the first time, 300 years old.
Jamie hardened his eyes. "Then you just have to make sure that that girl is unscathed Jack, look out for her…" Jamie trailed of as he heard his mum and Sophie calling him.
"Shoot, I gotta go, and I think I'll convince mum to let me go to the hospital tomorrow to check up on that little girl. Goodness knows she needs all the care now," Jamie muttered as he ran his hand through his hair.
Before Jamie could even take a step, Jack launched himself into the air as he commanded the winds to take him to the hospital where Kayla would be. He wasted no time in landing before he rushed into the hospital and followed the noise of a little girl crying.
"… possibly needs surgery, little or no chance of surviving at all, the impact was too much for the both of them," Jack heard a surgeon say as he came out of the operating theater, talking to the police, and Mr. Brown.
"We just contacted the little girl's grandmother; she lived nearby and would be coming to fetch Kayla later. Who knew that a family Christmas holiday could turn out this bad…" the policeman said as he looked wearily at the surgeon and his eyes landed on the plastic chairs outside of the operating theater.
Mr. Brown was there with his wife, taking holding a tear streaked face, sleeping Kayla. The little girl's brow kept on furrowing and she was whimpering in her restless sleep.
Jack took a seat on the chair next to Kayla's and stroked her hair. He felt horrible, disgusted, and loathed himself as he looked at her sleeping.
At Jack's cold touch, Kayla seemed to settle down a little and her whimpering stopped. The surgeon took one quick look at all of them before proceeding back into the theater.
Just then, the doors flew open and a petite, white haired woman came rushing in. She spotted Kayla on the seats and quickly rushed to her.
"Hello, I'm Kayla Montgomery's grandmother, Leah Montgomery," she said to the policeman and Mr. Brown. "Can someone please tell me what happened?" she replied, her eyes wide with fear and apprehension as she took the sleeping Kayla from Mr. Brown's arms and held her, seating on the seat that was occupied by Jack.
Jack scoffed as he felt her body going through him and just stood up with a scowl. The policeman seated Mrs. Montgomery on the plastic chair before he proceeded to tell her the night's events.
Mrs. Montgomery's hand flew to her mouth. "Will they be alright? How bad are they? Oh gosh, poor Kayla…"
Before the policeman could open his mouth, the surgeon walked out, with a look of defeat on his face.
Mrs. Montgomery knew the answer before he even said anything.
"I'm sorry," the surgeon said quietly. "We tried, but the injuries were too much…" he trailed off.
There seemed to be a moment of dead pan silence before Mrs. Montgomery got up, carrying Kayla and said in a voice full of unshed tears "I-I don't know what to say, but just thank you for the help."
"It was the least we could do," Mr. Brown replied while blowing his nose with a handkerchief as his wife held onto his arm with tears in her eyes
"I'm sorry this happened Ma'am, what's more on Christmas Eve," the policeman said quietly.
Mrs. Montgomery nodded, carrying her granddaughter and walked back to her car. Jack also got up with a remorseful look on his face as he followed them. I must not cry for the sake of the girl, she chanted. Oh, poor Kayla, she thought as tears fell from her eyes. She looked through the rearview mirror to see Kayla slowly waking up and yawning.
Jack sat beside her as she started to stir, holding his staff in one hand while taking the young girls hand in his. Kayla woke up and smiled at Jack before realizing that she was in her Nana's car.
"Nana?" the little girl asked.
Mrs. Montgomery quickly stopped the car and looked back at her granddaughter. "Yes, love?" she asked Kayla gently.
"Where's mummy and daddy? Why aren't they here with us? Am I spending Christmas at your house?" Kayla inquired with such childlike innocence that Jack and Mrs. Montgomery's hearts constricted.
"No, Kayla dear, I'll tell you when we reach home, okay?" Mrs. Montgomery started her car and drove again.
"Okay," Kayla replied and looked up at Jack. Jack smiled at her and squeezed her little hand in his ice cold ones.
"Who're you?" Kayla whispered, as she looked up at Jack. But Jack just smiled and shook his head, as if to say, later.
The car soon reached the house and Mrs. Montgomery took Kayla out and took her to the living room. Jack followed them as they reached the house and slipped right through it, seating on the couch, next to Mrs. Montgomery and Kayla.
Mrs. Montgomery took a deep breath, sat Kayla on her lap and stared telling her the truth.
"Kayla, do you remember what happened when Lulu your doggie wasn't around?" she asked and Kayla nodded. "Do you know where she went to?" Mrs. Montgomery asked gently.
"Mummy said she went to heaven to be with God, the angels and all her other doggie friends," Kayla replied, feeling slightly confused to the turn of the conversation.
Mrs. Montgomery took another deep breath as she wiped a lone stray tear away. "Well honey, mummy and daddy are there to now, that's why you'll be celebrating Christmas with me. They've gone to heaven now," she said as she finally broke down and sobbed.
Kayla looked at her with horrified, brown eyes. "You mean they won't come back anymore?" she asked, her voice rising up two octaves.
"Yes, baby girl, they won't," Mrs. Montgomery sniffed as her small frame was wrecked with silent sobs.
Kayla momentarily forgot about Jack, who was sitting there with a few tears falling from his face, cold as the deep pit of self loathing he felt.
She sniffed and cried hugging her grandmother as the both of them let out their sadness, holding each other's trembling bodies that were wrecked with sadness.
"Mummy, daddy, no, mummy," Kayla kept on chanting as she cried even more.
The both of them cried themselves out until they were exhausted. Mrs. Montgomery then carried Kayla to the guest room where she wiped her tears of and tucked her in bed.
She closed the door as Jack silently stepped in. He noticed how dwarfed the girl looked in that giant of a bed as he sat down on it, by her side.
"What's your name?" Kayla's voice cut through Jack's dwelling.
"My names Jack, Jack Frost," he replied with a smile on his face.
"How come my Nana can't see you, and why do follow us?" she asked, sounding accusing.
"Woah, slow down there buddy, first of all, no one can see me and second…" he hesitated, not sure how to tell a 4 year old girl that he had caused the accident that killed her parents. "I'm the Guardian of Fun! I always try and comfort kids when they're sad, that's why" he replied with a huge smile on his face.
Kayla laughed as she looked as his expression but she quickly turned sad. "I'm sorry Jack, I can't be happy now, my mummy and daddy are in heaven, and they won't come back to see me, they're… They're gone," she said with a sniff as tears began falling down again.
Darn it! I didn't mean to make her feel guilty! Can't you do anything right Frost? Jack mentally scolded himself.
"It's okay, it's okay, I didn't mean it, I'm here to comfort you not to make you feel guilty," he replied in a cheery tone as he took Kayla into his arms.
"Geel-ty?" Kayla asked with a frown on her cute face. "What's that mean?" she asked, momentarily distracted.
Jack laughed a warm laugh as he pulled the covers closer to her. "You know, that feeling you get when you steal cookies that you can't take and not tell anyone?" Jack said as he pulled a mock stern expression. Kayla's face then turned into a guilty expression.
"Oh, that feeling," she said.
"Aha, I knew it, you did do something like that, but it's okay, I think I can rustle up my buddy Santa Claus to let you of the naughty list," Jack said in a teasing tone as he tickled her sides.
Kayla gave a small shriek and laughed, dodging his hands. She then grew slightly serious as she took his hand in hers and memorize it.
"What're you staring at little ankle biter?" Jack asked in his best Australian accent, mimicking Bunnymund, which honestly, was a really bad one.
"Why are your hands so cold? Did you forget to put your gloves on?" Kayla asked accusingly as she turned to look at Jack.
Jack gave a little laugh as he wrapped his arms around her. Instead of answering, Jack conjured up a delicate snowflake on the palm of his hand and showed it to her.
Kayla gasped as tried grabbing the snowflake and it disappeared. She then grew disappointed. Jack conjured up a few snowflakes and let it fly across the room, over the both of them as he saw her giggle and stick out her tongue to catch stray snowflakes.
"Snow!" Kayla said and then she remembered a book her mum gave her during her birthday which told stories of all imaginary people and then she remembered something else.
"You're Jack Frost? The old man who creates snow? And ice?" she guessed as she turned around to look at Jack. Jack had to stifle a laugh at her description.
"Yup, I'm Jack Frost alright, minus being an old man," Jack fake groans.
Kayla laughed again but soon stifled it with a yawn.
Jack smiled kindly at her as he tucked her in and swept her hair out of her face.
"Hey, can I stay here tonight? I don't wanna go back to my guardian duties," Jack said as he looked with hopeful eyes at Kayla. He didn't know why but he wanted to stay here and keep her companied.
"Okay, but first you have to show me more tricks," Kayla demanded as she folded her arms through the blanket.
Jack gave a mock exasperated sigh. "Whatever her royal princess wants, the court jester will provide," he said as he got up to touch the window. Frost tendrils curled on the glass and Jack traced a picture of a puppy on the window. He blew on it and the figure rose from the window, prancing around the room and disappearing with a trail of snowflakes around it.
The image had such a magical effect on Kayla that she was stunned into silence. She then turned to Jack with a huge grin on her face.
"Okay, you can hang out with me," Kayla said as she scooted of the bed to give Jack more space.
Jack bowed and playfully retorted "Thank you, fair princess; the court jester shall sleep now".
Kayla just smiled as Jack wrapped his arms around her gently. Before she fell asleep, Kayla muttered to herself. "Daddy always held me in his arms when I was sad," she said and with one lone tear, she fell asleep, too tired from the day's events to even think.
Jack sat up and watched her innocent face smooth into a deep sleep as he brushed her brown hair out of her face. Just then, he saw a trail of golden sand coming in through the window to form over Kayla's head, molding itself into a slide and water park. Jack smiled as he looked at the image and vowed to keep nightmares of losing her parents away from her.