It had been almost twenty years since Pitch had taken over. North, Tooth and Bunny stayed together, near Burgess where the last light had vanished before they even reached it.
They where living in the forest, near the lake Jack called home. They had no idea where Jack was, he had been gone since Bunny shouted at him after Easter. They had searched for him, knowing that he always returned to Burgess, but he was nowhere to be seen.
None of them had given up hope, not yet, but none of them knew what to do. It was miserable, sitting each night watching as the nightmares spread terror and sadness to children, not being able to do anything to defend them.
Meanwhile Jack was travelling, it's hard to travel when you can't communicate with anybody around you. Especially from a place like Antarctica all the way to Burgess. He had managed to get onto a boat back, he had travelled most of the way walking only taking advantage of things like boats when he really needed it.
He was finally, after twenty years of travelling, reaching his destination, he wasn't sure why he went back to Burgess or what he would do when he got there. But he would figure it out. All he wanted right now was to get home, to see the familiar town and the lake that he called home. He was sad knowing that all the kids he loved and played with would have now grown up after having a childhood filled with nightmares and fear. But he still wanted to get home.
Bunny was asleep when he picked up the familiar scent of the winter spirit, he twitched his ears his nose in the air, he couldn't believe it, chances where it was just a mistake. So he got up and went to investigate alone. He could come back in a second or simply just call the others if he was right.
His eyes widened when he saw the boy, he didn't have the familiar staff but he did have his hoodie and the old brown trousers on. And there was no mistaking that snowy white hair. Bunny laughed at the sight making the boy turns his head curiously, eyes narrowing when he saw the bunny.
"Hey guys! Come here!" he called to the others making Jack realize who the bunny was and stared wide eyes for a second.
"Bunny?"
"Yeah.. oh yeah, you ain't seen me like this before..." Bunny sighed, he didn't like his new form but twenty years was enough to get used to anything.
"No" Jack simply confirmed and knelt down to look at Bunny "what you doing here?"
"The last light was here... we didn't make it in time, we decided to stay because... we didn't have the strength to go anywhere else and we know this is sort of your home, so yeah..."
"My home...? You where waiting for me...?"
"Yeah, well... we where sort of worried, I didn't mean to let my anger out on you, we should have let you explain. Talking of which I'd like it if you came with me to Tooth and North so that you can, explain."
Jack hesitated then nodded "sure, I guess..."
"You guess?"
"Can't they come here? I just got back, I miss this lake."
Bunny looked at him then shrugged "sure, I'll get them, stay put do, if your not here when I get back I swear I will beat you up, fluffy bunny or not!"
Jack chuckled "sure thing Bunny."
Bunny disappeared into the bushes, Jack turned around as if to leave, Baby Tooth pulled his hair and chirped annoyed. Jack chuckled and picked her up placing her on a tree branch.
"Don't worry, I just need to check on something, chirp when you see them coming, I'll only be a second" he reassured and went over to the rocks he knelt down and seemed to just vanish.
Baby Tooth looked surprised then shook her head and sighed looking out for the guardians. They appeared a lot sooner then she or Jack had expected, they obviously hadn't been far at all. She chirped, but Jack didn't come.
"Come on, his here!" Bunny called then froze when he didn't spot Jack "Jack!" he shouted.
"You said he was here? I don't see him..." Tooth said.
"You sure your not just sleepy, Bunny?" North asked.
"I told him to stay put" said Bunny angrily.
"I'm here!" Jack called making the guardians jump. It came from under the snow, confusing them even more, then Jack jumped up "sorry, was... warm, snow is cold."
"There is something seriously wrong with you mate if your warm in this weather!"
"Bunny, I'm the embodiment of winter" Jack said simply grinning at the guardians.
North and Tooth where still shocked. Jack slid across the frozen lake gracefully and jumped in front of them bowing as if meeting with a king and queen "so, what I miss?"
"The last light went out, Pitch took over."
"Yeah, that much I figured out, twenty years I'd have to be pretty stupid to not realize."
"Now, Jack talk! We want to know what happened, from Easter to now."
Jack sighed "fine" he said sitting down, Baby Tooth spread her wrings and managed to glide down to Jack who reached out a hand to catch her and place her on his shoulder where she always sat now.
Tooth gasped "Baby Tooth?! But you didn't have her back in Easter!"
"No, I went and got her back" Jack said calmly making himself comfortable in the soft snow.
"But... how?"
Jack hesitated for a second then decided there was no point hiding anything "I made a trade with Pitch, Baby Tooth for my staff."
"But... don't you use that staff to use your powers?" North asked wide eyed.
"Yeah, never said I made a good trade, then again never expected him to break it..."
"He did what?!"
Jack moved his hand in a dismissing manner "can I start from zero rather then going questions after questions jumping back and forth?"
The Guardians sighed and sat down to listen. Jack, with Baby Tooth's help, explained what had happened on Easter, how he heard the familiar voice and followed it to Pitch's lair, he explained how he went to Antarctica and Pitch came. He explained how he saw his memories and all do he refused to say much about them he told them that he no longer doubted the guardians thing.
Then he explained how he had made his way back to Burgess. Climbing out of the cavern and all the walking and walking.
"I'm sorry" Tooth whispered "had we realized you where alone and with no way back we would have gone to find you..."
"Gone to find me? If you don't have enough energy to make it to the pole how do you expect to get to Antarctica? It's even further away!" Jack shouted then burst into laughter "what is it with adults and contradicting themselves?" he asked Baby Tooth.
Baby Tooth shrugged then chirped.
"You two must have grow a strong connection" Tooth said "twenty years... I'm so glad you had each other, had you been all alone for twenty years I-I.. I couldn't bear the fought."
"I would have been no more alone then I was during does three hundred years prior."
Tooth flinched at the fought "your right Jack... and I can't bear the fought of that either Jack."
"I'm used to being alone... not that I don't love the company" he said smiling and cuddling Baby Tooth who chirped happily.
"Jack, listen, I'm sorry" Bunny said, he let out a sigh.
"For Easter? It's fine, can't say it looked to good on my half."
"There is no excuse for what I did, Jack, but that isn't all I want to say sorry for, I knew you existed and I knew you where alone and unseen. I didn't move a paw to help you, and for that I am sorry. And if I can help it you wont be alone, not like that, ever again... no matter what the outcome."
Jack looked surprised, he rarely fought of his time alone and when he did he blamed it on the moon, he never fought about Bunny or the other spirits who lefts him alone.
"It's not big deal..." he said "...to be honest, I never fought about it that way before."
Bunny smiled "you don't antagonize people the way I do, but that doesn't change the facts."
"Thanks Bunny, I appreciate does words" he said then grinned "I'm guessing this means I'm not all problems now?"
"Your still a big problem mate, but I understand your so much more than just that now" he admitted.
Jack grinned then looked at all the guardians "so, what's the plan?"
"Plan?" Tooth asked.
"Don't tell me you have made no plan in twenty years, how have you not been beaten by him earlier?" he asked grinning and he stood up.
"Well you've had just as much time as us, what plan did you make."
"I have been trying to get home" he said looking down at bunny with a smirk "but, if you must know, I'm going to Pitch's base, am going to release the Baby Teeth, get my staff back or the bits of it and making as much of a mess as I possible can."
"Good to know you fought of something" Bunny said rolling his eyes "and how do you want to do that?"
"Sandy spent all night spreading his dreams, all do I doubt Pitch is as... devoted, I have no doubt that he must spend at least an hour or so each day out doing his job."
"And how do you plan to figure out what hour that is? And what if he senses you when you enter?"
"I don't, I'll just go in and hope I'm lucky as for sensing me... well at least I can say I tried!"
"Jack! You can't risk it!"
"What's the worst that can happen? He flies me back to Antarctica and dumps me in another whole?"
"He could lock you up! Like the Baby Teeth!"
"Lock me up? Ha! Nobody can keep Jack Frost locked up!"
"You haven't even got your staff!"
"Not yet" Jack grinned, he was not going to change his mind no matter what.
The guardians sighed, they had played it safe for twenty years, perhaps it was time to risk it. So they nodded "okay, but you ain't going alone."
"We're not all going."
"No, but your not going alone, we will organize ourselves and make a slightly more detailed plan."
"Hm... guess I can't argue to that."
"Then let us begin planing!" Shouted North excited about the idea of finally doing something.