"Right, Jack" came the spooky voice of the boogie man as he appeared next to Jack grinning at the weak guardians. All three looked shocked, even Bunny, he had blamed Jack for what happened to the eggs, but he never truly believed Jack capable of siding with there enemy.
"Well, now that there is not a single believer left and you just lost your only way of transpiration, what will you do?"
"We're going to beat you up" Bunny growled, being the first to recover.
"Oh, you? Are going to beat me up?" Pitch laughed.
"I'll beat you both, someone got to beat some sense in to ya" Bunny said glaring at Jack.
"Well I'd love to stay around and see how you pull that of, but seems now that there are no more believer left, I have a lot of work to do, right Jack?"
Jack nodded, and grinned as he fought of getting some believer, finally. After three hundred years.
"You all look horrible by the way, can't wait to see how you sort yourselves out" he said flying of. Jack looked at Pitch then to the Guardians and flew after Pitch.
"Don't worry!" he called out from a distance "the children will be safe, I'll be making sure of it!"
Bunny raised an eyebrow at that, but he was too far to shout at Jack. Not that he would have known what to say, probably something mean that Jack would ignore or laugh at.
"So... what now?" Jack said watching Pitch as he talked with the nightmares.
"I must call of the nightmares, like I promised, they will no longer bother the children I am currently having them get the baby teeth back to there mistress, better then having them all running around here" Pitch explained. Jack nodded.
"Then we begin with getting believers" he said, grinning, this made Jack smiled his eyes filled with excitement, he nodded.
"How... how do we do that?" Jack asked.
Pitch smirked "well I got this idea when we where in Antarctica."
"Do share" Jack said looking curious.
"Remember that big thing of ice and darkness?"
Jack nodded "what about it?"
"I say we make more... think about it for a second, children see a big thing of unnatural ice, they begin to make explanations for it, someone has to guess Jack Frost or the Boogie man, when they see you they are fully sure they tell there friends and the tales spread."
"Sounds, good?" Jack had expected something much more exciting. Yet what Pitch said made sense and there was no pain in trying, he nodded and grinned "when do we start?"
"Tomorrow, tonight, you should rest" Pitch decided, Jack was about to argue but before he could Pitch was back to instructing the nightmares and Jack decided he best not bother him. So instead he left the lair to go for a walk.
He walked though the frozen forest of Burgess heading towards the lake he so often returned to and had considered home for so long. Baby Tooth popped her head out once she realized they where out of the lair. She let out a few squeaks to draw Jack's attention.
Jack smiled down at her and took her out placing her on his shoulder "hey, Baby Tooth, how are you?" he asked smiling.
She let out an angry squeak. But it didn't stop Jack from smiling.
"I know you don't like Pitch but... his my best option, next time I see Tooth you can go back to her if you want, I don't mind" he said, but Tooth shook her head. Someone had to keep an eye on Jack.
Jack laughed and wished he could cuddle her, he appreciated her company very much. He reached his lake and sat down for a bit, silently thinking about what he had done. He didn't regret it. Not at all. He simply wondered, what would happen next.
The next morning as Pitch had said they went all around the world to each town and city making one of the 'beautiful' ice sculptures. Jack was extremely tired by the end of the day but still refused to rest, he insisted he wanted another walk and Pitch didn't really argue very much. He knew Jack knew how to take care of himself and trusted Jack had no plans to meet the guardians.
Jack soon stood in front of the ice sculpture they had made for Burgess, it was near his lake, it stood tall and strong "what do you think Baby Tooth?" he asked.
Baby Tooth looked at it, she didn't like it, but she had to admit it looked rather cool. And she impressed by Jack's power.
"What do you think it is?" came some children's voices.
Jack turned to see Jamie and his friend coming out of the trees to take a closet look at the huge block of ice.
"It is awesome" one said.
"Yeah... I guess..."
"I think... it's scary, why is it so black? Ice shouldn't be that colour... and I heard there appearing everywhere around the world! What do you think they are?"
"Not sure" Jamie whispered "maybe... I don't know."
"Giving up so easily? Come on give it a guess?" Jack said happily and he began to make it snow, hoping it would give someone an idea.
"It's snowing..."
"Maybe... mother nature isn't happy and this is a sign of her anger?"
"Good theory kiddo but not quite" Jack laughed.
"Perhaps it's... just some stupid natural disaster" Jamie said making Jack stop laughing and look at the child, he seemed so empty of wonder and hope like he had been so full of before. It was a heart breaking sight for Jack and made him feel slightly guilty.
"Warmer..."
Jack sat underneath the giant ice, for some reason he preferred it to the lair. It was late at night he gazed up at the moon and the stars.
"I don't know what you where thinking... I will never be a guardian, you must have known that, you see me every night..." he whispered, he put his hands in his pocket and felt the teeth, he pulled it out and looked at it.
Baby Tooth squeaked jumping onto it. Jack looked at it for a second and was about to take a look when he heard voices and footsteps. He put it back in his pocket and grabbed his staff hiding in a tree when the guardians appeared.
"So this is what everyone is going on about..." Tooth mumbled.
"Stupid kid, betray us like that" Bunny mumbled looking up at the ice.
"His pretty strong do, you got to admit" North whispered.
"Only makes it worse do" Bunny said.
"But he was right, we got him involved then didn't let him be a part of our team... we shouldn't have seen it coming" Tooth whispered looking at her feet, they where cold on the snow.
"It's snowing" North said looking around "think the boys nearby?"
"Doubt it, it's probably snowing everywhere, I bet that's what this blasted ice blocks do, spread nightmares and make it snow."
"Spread nightmares?" Jack whispered under his breath, looking confused.
"The poor children... I wonder if they will ever be able to have a peaceful nights sleep again..." Tooth whispered "I wish Sandy where here... I wish I hadn't lost all my Baby Tooth... I wish we hadn't lost Jack either..."
Jack looked at Baby Tooth, and then wondered where the others where, he was sure the nightmares would have delivered them by now, perhaps they had taken them to the Tooth Palace. Jack stood carefully ready to leave with the wind silently, when Baby Tooth suddenly called out for her mother. Jack's eyes widened and he grabbed Baby Tooth out of his pocket.
She was grinning up at him, and Jack glared at her "should have know you'd cause me trouble" he whispered not loud enough for the other now staring guardians to hear, and he couldn't help but grin.