... Or In Which Jack Shows That Just Because Someone Has Major Issues And Is Manic Depressive Doesn't Mean That Said Person Can't Also Be BA.
Jack stares longingly at the pie on the windowsill before him. Normally, he wouldn't let something like that get to him, but it is a blueberry pie, and Jack so loves blueberries. And people rarely cook homemade pies these days. And it is simply perfection. And how long has it been since Jack has eaten? Five decades? Ten? Surely they wouldn't mind if he had a little taste...
"Mel, Dinner's ready, and if you eat all your veggies, I have a surprise for desert," cries a motherly voice from within that Jack's whole everything recoils from. The wind obeys his silent plea to take him elsewhere, anywhere but the delicious blueberry pie that isn't his. It is for a child who could love and be loved and share. It is for people who need food to survive. Not Jack who wants it simply because it tastes good. It is for Mel and her mother and her dog. The pie is not his.
And Jack mustn't be selfish.
Jack lands atop one of the many storm-clouds overhead, his new home. (except don't homes need families?) Jack had never realized how much he wanted until he tried to stop wanting it. It is almost frightening, the sheer magnitude of his previous selfishness. He wanted new clothes. But why? These ones are perfectly fine (even if they remind him daily of heat and pain and...and...). He wanted to eat. But why? He doesn't need it, and he hardly thinks food'll taste good when he eats it by himself (even if he can almost remember how wonderful dinner tastes after a hard-day's work), and there's no point in wasting good food on him. He wants to sleep, but sleep is a luxury meant for those who are tucked in at night and kissed on the forehead and told fantastical tales of princesses and knights in shining armor, and Jack has nothing to do with fairytales (no one came. No one). No wonder Jack was always disappointed about something, and, though he is still working on perfecting the art of wanting-naught, his life is already so much better. He wants so many fewer things, and is thus considerably less disappointed when he doesn't get them (he tells himself - over and over).
The wind calls him out of his reverie. It wants to play, and Jack agrees because it would be selfish to reject the wind's request just because he feels a little down about not getting the blueberry-pie (which he doesn't want. Doesn't want. Doesn't want). So the wind wants to play, and Jack lets it carries him where it will.
Jack finds himself in Burgess, the only town whose name he ever bothers to remember anymore because it is where he woke up all those years ago (and was first ignored, rejected). He brings snow, soft and gentle (mustn't bring a storm, mustn't seek attention, mustn't be selfish) and the resulting snow day brings others happiness, which, he thinks, is probably a good thing.
But the wind is quickly getting bored again; it's tired of holding snowflakes. It wants to toss something heavier, so Jack obliges, casting a child onto his sled, and together Jack and the wind direct the screaming (and Jack cringes at every sound) child though busy walkways and intersections and finally, when the boy builds enough speed, Jack builds a ramp to toss him though the air.
For a few precious seconds, the child is weightless - the wind alone holding him up - before he crashes into a snow-bank. Jack steps delicately onto the statue nearby, and watches as the kids stare in amazement, and the kid laughs in earnest, and starts to feel inkling of... joy? The nearly forgotten emotion bubbles in his chest and brings a small (foreign) smile to his face.
Then a couch slams into the child.
Jack flinches and flies away (that was fun! the wind howls around him) as the onlookers shout in worry. Jack spends the rest of the day avoiding everyone, keeping high in the air away from dangerous desires and emotions. He doesn't come back down until well into nightfall, when he is sure that everyone is asleep (tucked-in, loved) and there is no one to hurt by having fun. The Sandman's golden streams illuminate the night, so Jack lands in an alleyway because he is tempted to run a hand through them (and he mustn't be selfish).
But Jack will allow himself to stare. Yes, surely it won't hurt anything to watch the numerous golden rivers overhead as they bring sweet dreams, right?
" 'Ello mate, been a long time. Blizzard of '68, I believe. Easter Sunday wasn't it?" Jack flinches and whips around, his staff aimed at the shadow talking to him. That is, until the shadow steps into the light and reveals himself to be the rabbit-man from so long ago.
Jack isn't sure what to think about this, didn't he say he would hurt Jack next time they saw each other? Is looking at the golden streams wrong after all? Jack pulls the staff in front of him defensively and cocks his head because it seems almost as if the rabbit-man is awaiting a response.
After an awkward moment of silence the other speaks up, "Well, this is about somethin' else. Fellas, nab 'im,"
Before Jack can react, a pair of strong hands grab him from behind (hands rake down his back and pain flares everywhere they touch; new wounds are inflicted) and Jack thrashes but he can't get away. He's stuffed into a sack (Jack can't see. It's hot and dark and he's lost) and is thrown (tossed into a heap of snow, naked, defiled, like trash) landing on hard ground, still thrashing.
Finally, finally he manages to escape his new prison, only to find he is now inside a building (a first for him. He's not supposed to be in homes); a giant in red, a lady of feathers, the man of sand, and the rabbit-man are all staring at him (why? why him?)
He stumbles out of the bag quickly, if clumsily, and is immensely relieved to find his staff nearby (not above a flaming pit). The relief is short-lived, however, as dread settles in his stomach. Jack finally realizes where he is. This is Santa's workshop, the place he attempted to break into on a near-weekly basis back before...
But why is he here now? Have they found out? Is he in trouble? Certainly he is; he was doing something wrong. He shouldn't have wanted to touch Sandman's dreamsand. He shouldn't have wanted that pie; he shouldn't have tried to break in. Jack is on the Naughty list; he is sure because never once has he gotten a present for Christmas (not that he wants one. He doesn't, really). Something tickles Jack's memory. Something about coal. Are they going to stick him in embers? No, Jack doesn't want that, not at all. Still, a yeti is blocking the door and the others are between him and the windows, and everywhere noisy, little elves squirm about trying to see the newcomer, so Jack, despite not being tied up - not yet - is trapped. All he can do is stare at the big man's - who he now realizes is the Big Man himself - feet (Jack refuses to look into eyes, refuses to be trapped by twin sunsets).
"This is Jack Frost?" St. Nick exclaims questioningly, loudly, with a strong accent. Jack cringes away from the sound.
"Yah, 'M sure. This 's the bugger. Even wearin' the same clothes," comes the rabbit-man's scathing reply.
"Is nothing like how I imagined. From how you described him, Bunny, I expected cheeky little blue-skinned imp vith evil smile. Not - this," The way his feet shift indicate that he gestured toward Jack, but Jack still isn't willing to look up.
"Well, think what ya will. This is 'im, an' I still don' think 'es Guardian material," They're talking about him; Jack isn't sure what they're referring to, but they're involving him, and he wishes they would stop - or explain, but mostly he just wants them to let him go.
"Vell, is no matter. Hello Jack, I am Nicholas St. North. You know Bunny, obviously," Jack's eyes dart toward a pair of rabbit feet before coming back to their default position, "This is Tooth," Jack's vision is suddenly filled with a face covered with brilliant, beautiful plumage, but that's not what he notices.
"Hello Jack, I've heard a lot about you, especially your -" He notices eyes, eyes that are lit up in genuine pleasure to see him, and the fear that summons in him causes him to leap backwards nearly across the entire room without any aid from the wind. Where is the wind?
In front of him, three individuals stare, first at where he was, then at where he is, and back. Sandman, who was drinking a cup of eggnog, simply stares at Jack questioningly.
"Jack?" Tooth calls out uncertainly, worry evident in her tone, and for once (once again, and always) Jack wishes he could summon his voice. He doesn't like the hurt look in her eyes, and he wishes he could explain that it's not her he jumped away from; he simply doesn't like being seen, being touched. It hurts.
So he does the next best thing he can think of, he - slowly because he really doesn't want to - sidles back to his previous position and raises his eyes to actually look at her. Not her feet or that beautiful spot of wall behind her, but at her lavender eyes. It's not much, he thinks, but he hopes it's enough to let her know it's not her fault, and he's sorry for hurting her, even if he's not sure how. She stares back as if searching for something and Jack doesn't like that feeling of intrusiveness either, but he thinks he mustn't be selfish and look away, especially not now.
The unnatural silence lasts a few seconds longer before St. North loudly clears his throat, "Vell, I bet you are wondering vhy you are here, yes?" Jack gratefully reverts his eyes to the spot of floor between St. North's boots, "Well, I will tell you why you are here," he continues with more confidence, "Man in Moon said," Jack's head shoots up unintentionally at this. The Moon talks? To them? Then why has it never answered his pleas? "that you are Guardian, so Guardian you will be! Music!"
Cacophonous noise explodes throughout the room as little elves blow on obnoxious trumpets and yetis reluctantly grumble a little ditty, raising torches throughout the room. Jack panics.
Or rather, Jack has a full-blown panic attack as the sound pounds at his head and does the only thing he can think of: slam the butt-end of his staff to the floor, causing a wave of hoarfrost to radiate out from him, and as everyone stares at the display - ah, there's the wind, outside beating at the windows demanding to be let in - Jack takes the chance to run as if his life depends on it, out the door and into the maze of Santa's Workshop.
As he sprints around randomly, avoiding the desperate grabs of some of the working yetis and ignoring the calls from behind, Jack can still hear the wind's furious howls (how dare they steal it's frost child! How dare they!). Jack lunges over a large pile of freshly-painted red robots, causing several to break and issuing an anguished cry from a yeti, but he doesn't really notice any of that.
Jack glances behind him to see St. North and Tooth pursuing, he brings his vision back around, and halts in his tracks, breathing hard as he stares at Bunny in shock.
"Ya don' wanna race a rabbit mate," he explains before slowly coming closer. Jack turns around but St. North and Tooth are closing in quickly. Jack glances around, looking for some other route, but to his left is a wall and to his right is a drop that even Jack worries about falling down.
"Forget it, mate, ain't nowhere to run. Why are ya runnin'?" Bunny asks. Jack only glances at him before making up his mind. He takes a deep breath and jumps onto the bars, launching himself off them just as Bunny makes a grab at him.
Jack grabs a passing flying-turtle-toy, and for a terrifying second it dips under his weight, before picking itself back up and leading Jack away from the pursuers. As Jack pulls himself onto its back, he glances back to see Bunny gripping the rail, staring at him in shock. Then he catches a glimpse of emerald blue in the corner of his vision and hops off the turtle, latching onto a glowing ring spinning by. Tooth darts right through the spot he had been not a moment earlier. Wasting no time, Jack flings himself to the next ring and then onto an airplane shooting by.
The fairy turns around, relocating Jack and heading for him. He manages to dodge her next grab by gripping the plane's wing and flipping it - along with him - up-side-down. Unfortunately as it re-rights itself, Jack loses his grip and for a few terrifying moments Jack is free-falling until he gathers his wits and creates a block of ice under him, immediately kicking off it and creating another one to launch off of. Soon enough, for every stepping stone he creates, he hears one shatter far below him, but he doesn't stop to see any damage he might be causing because he still hears the flutter of wings behind him and she is steadily getting closer.
One last desperate lunge later and Jack is on solid ground, running yet again. Deciding it's too exposed here, Jack turns and slams open a door into an adjacent hallway. It's lined with doors, some open, most not, but he doesn't bother to go through them because Tooth is closing in.
"Jack please, calm down. We're not going to hurt you," She calls out, and Jack doesn't trust her, not one bit, but he is startled by just how close her voice is. The hallway is coming to an end and to Jack's horror, it is a dead end. Nowhere to turn except the way he came.
Resolutely narrowing his eyes, Jack puts in one last burst of speed, "Jack? Jack, what are you doing? You'll hurt yourself!" is exclaimed but he ignores the warning as the wall gets closer at daunting speeds.
He can hear the hurried buzzing of Tooth's wings and knows she'll never be able to stop in time. When he reaches the wall, he runs three steps up it and launches himself into a backflip over his flying pursuer. For a breathless second he is frozen in time - in air - and as he lands, Jack catches a glimpse of her face, slack in shock. Tooth's momentum pushes her forward until she slams into the wall.
Then he is running again, back the way he came, the sound of fluttering wings distinctly absent behind him. But the chase isn't over yet, as Bunny has caught up and yet again blocks Jack's path, feet apart and arms up in preparation to catch him.
No, Jack won't get caught now. Sending a small bolt of ice at the rabbit, Jack uses the momentary distraction to slide in between his legs. He is back up and sprinting before Bunny even realizes what just happened.
Now North is blocking his path, with two yetis behind him, so Jack detours to the left and shoves a door open. On the other side stretches another door-lined hallway, and Jack thinks it's no wonder he's never been able to get into the workshop before. This place is a maze!
Still, Jack isn't trying to break in this time; he's trying to break out, and the window at the end of the hall looks very promising. Jack is almost there, almost to freedom, when a small golden object steps out from behind a nearby desk, hovering just in front of the window and waving at Jack. Skidding to a stop, Jack stares at the Sandman, or more specifically, the weapon in his hand.
Never in his life would Jack have thought a snowball made of sand would look so absolutely terrifying.