IT'S SNOWING! Sorry I just was really convinced that spring had set in here and then today it started snowing and I was just thrilled! I even hit my brother and his friends with some snowballs. I was crafty about it and his one friend was super confused it was funny... Anyway! Thank you all so much for the reviews! I am expecting a virtual cookie from the last person who reviewed! I'm just gonna jump into it! I apologize if this is shorter then the other chapters.
I don't own Rise of the Guardians.
Pitch sat in Jamie's room flipping through a comic book. Today was the boy's first day back to school. Jamie had asked Pitch to not follow him there. So Pitch ran some errands which killed about an hour of the day. Then he checked up on Jack, who is still locked in the cage. He was even nice enough to give the boy a book. He didn't know if he could read but it's the thought that counts. Jamie was going to be home any minute now. Pitch sighed looking at the illustrations in front of him.
"Are you reading Batman?" Jamie asked confused.
"The concept is intriguing," Pitch said throwing the comic down on the desk.
"Be careful with that! It's a first edition!" Jamie exclaimed rushing forward to check on the comic. "How was your day?" The boy asked once he was sure his comic was alright. He put it back in the plastic sleeve and on his shelve.
"I was reading a comic. How do you think my day was?" Pitch asked raising an eyebrow.
"You could be out doing stuff. You don't have to stay here." Jamie said throwing his book bag on his bed.
"You want me to leave?"
"I didn't say that!" Jamie said sighing not looking at the man. This had become a constant battle between the two. Jamie felt bad that Pitch was spending all of his time here. Surely there had to be more pressing matters for the Nightmare King to attend to then babysitting him.
"I have already taken care of all of my errands for the day." Pitch explained.
"Oh."
"How was school?"
"They made me talk to the councilor." Jamie said pulling a pamphlet out of his book bag. "She gave me that to help the healing process."
Pitch looked at the paper in his hands. There was a cartoon picture of a gravestone and two people crying by it. It was titled "Dealing with death." It included the stages of grieving and a definition of what death was. Pitch looked at Jamie who was laying on his bed with headphones in listening to music while reading a book for school. Why did they think this would help the boy. He need emotional support right now. He needed his friends and family around him.
"Jamie." Pitch said touching the boy's shoulder. He was careful not to anger the boy who had an extremely short temper lately.
"What?" Jamie asked taking the headphones off.
"Did anything else happen today?"
"Hmmmm," Jamie thought for a moment. "No, it was really boring today."
"What book are you reading for school?" Pitch asked looking at the cover.
"Romeo and Juliet." Jamie groaned. "I hate this play. It's sappy and stupid."
"It's a classic!"
"Just because it's a classic doesn't mean it's good!" Jamie said rolling his eyes. "My science teacher told me Top Gun was a classic, but that movie was dumb."
"I don't know what that is."
"Trust me it's stupid." Jamie said looking at his friend. "Did you look for Jack today?"
"A bit."
"And...?"
"Still nothing," Pitch lied smoothly. He was frightened at what the boy would do with Jack if he got him.
"Damn..." Jamie sighed looking back at his book.
"Language!" Pitch and Jamie's mom said as she came in to check on him.
"Sorry mom this play is really confusing!" Jamie lied sighing.
"Romeo and Juliet? That's one of my favorites!" She said sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked at her confused.
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to see how you are doing today."
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Jamie snapped.
"Jamie!" Pitch said sharply. The boy looked down at his hands.
"I'm sorry I'm just tired of everyone asking me how I'm doing." Jamie said quietly. "I miss her and will always miss her."
"I know baby." His mother said stroking his face. She stood up and sighed. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"
"Tacos?" He watched his mother walk out of his room to make the tacos. He looked at Pitch and raised an eyebrow. The man stared right on back.
"What?"
"You seriously yelled at me."
"You should not snap at your mother."
"You should have found that stupid winter spirit by now!"
"Don't start with me boy!" Pitch said loudly.
"How hard can he be to find?" Jamie asked standing up squaring off with the man.
"I'm going to leave before I accidentally hurt you because you make me angry." Pitch said shrinking into the shadows.
"Fine!"
Jamie went and ate with his mother in silence. Then Pippa came over and the two were sitting upstairs in his room. She was looking around confused and he was still trying to finish his reading assignment.
"What are you looking for?" He asked sharply making her jump.
"Just wondering where Pitch is."
"He left."
"Why?"
"I yelled at him and he said he didn't want to hurt me."
"I know you're hurting, but you should watch your temper." She said quietly. He looked up at her annoyed. "He is just trying to watch out for you!"
"You're going to start with me today now too?" Jamie snapped.
"Don't you do that!" She yelled.
"Do what?"
"Act like everyone is trying to hurt you!"
"If you don't like how I'm acting you can leave!" Jamie said pointing to the door.
"You are not pushing me away Jamie Bennett!" Pippa yelled pointing a finger at him. "I have been there for you through everything! You are not pushing me away now!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I was the one you called when your parents started fighting badly! I was the one you called when your dad left!" She said loudly. "I was the one you called when you found out that he died in a car accident a month later! I was there for you and I will always be there for you!"
The two stood there Pippa breathing heavily still angry at the boy in front of her. Jamie looked ashamed. He looked up at her his big brown eyes didn't have the same spark they used to. Sighing Pippa hugged Jamie and he hugged her back.
"I'm sorry." He muttered.
"I know." She said shaking her head. The broke apart and she sighed looking at the clock. "I have to go home I was only allowed over for thirty minutes. Mom wants me to study more."
"Okay." Jamie walked her to the door. On his way back to his room he saw Sophie's door slightly ajar. "Mom?" There was no reply. He pushed the door open and inside there was a man. "Who are you?"
"Wha-?" The man spun around. He was tall, thin with black hair and gray eyes. He was wearing dark blues jeans, a sweater vest with a white short sleeved button up shirt under it, and he had an armful of watches on his left arm and tattoos of Roman Numerals on his right. The watches were all shapes and sizes and went from his wrist to his elbow. The man rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand the tattoos glimmered slightly in the light."You can see me?"
"Who are you?" Jamie asked not answer the dumb question the man had just asked.
"Tempus?" A voice asked from behind Jamie. The two looked towards the door and saw Pitch standing there confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Pitch!" The man said brightly. "How are you man?"
"Just answer my question."
"I'm doing my job!" The man said shrugging looking around the room. "I had to check the time line here. Somethings been off for a couple weeks and I can't figure out why."
"You need to leave." Pitch said stepping between Jamie and the man.
"Hey man I'm just here to do what I was made to do!" He said raising his hands up. "I'm not trying to cause any trouble!"
"Then go!" Pitch yelled.
"Alright! Geez touchy touchy." The man said touching the first watch on his arm. He disappeared from the room.
"Let's go back to your room." Pitch said walking out of the room. Jamie followed confused.
"Who was that?"
"That was Tempus."
"I gathered that was his name, but who is he?"
"Father time."
"He looked way to young to be a Father of anything."
"Jack Frost isn't the only one you humans have wrongly made into old men." Was all Pitch said.
With the Guardians...
Tempus appeared at the North Pole in front of the four. Bunny jumped and grabbed for his weapon. Before the giant rabbit did anything the man felt himself being lifted up by furry arms.
"Phil!" Tempus yelled panicked. "It's Tempus!"
"Let him go!" North yelled walking up to the skinny man giving him a bear hug. "How have you been my boy?"
"Pretty awesome until I ran into Pitch." The man said when North released him.
"Where at?"
"Man, I was checking the mess in the time line at the Bennett's house and the kid came into the dead girls-"
"Her name is Sophie!" Bunny snapped.
"Right Sophie's room and he could see me!" Tempus said pointing at Bunny. "Then Pitch came in and told me to get out!"
"Did you figure out the mess?" The Russian asked.
"No!" Tempus said throwing his arms up and starting to pace. "None of this is supposed to be happening! Jack Frost isn't suppose to disappear! Sophie wasn't suppose to fall through that ice!"
"Do you know where Jack is?" Tooth asked.
"I do." He said rubbing his tattooed arm nervously.
"Well?" Bunny asked impatiently.
"Come on! You guys know I'm not allowed to take sides!" He said getting angrily. "I just supposed to keep the time line on the right track."
"Why are you here then?" Bunny asked angrily.
"Pitch is your enemy!" Tempus shrugged. "Can't you guys, you know, beat him up?"
"He's causing you a problem at the moment not me." Bunny said shrugging.
"It will affect you too!" Tempus yelled at the Australian. "If I can't fix the time line it's not just me in mega trouble here! You guys will be in big time trouble too!"
"I keep forgetting why I don't like you then you talk and I remember I can't stand your voice." Bunny said angrily.
"Awe come on Bunny!" Tempus frowned. "I never did anything to you!"
"What did you mean we will all be in trouble?" Tooth asked ignoring the spat between the two.
"If the time line has been changed from it's original path then something bad could happen to you all," Tempus told her still pouting at Bunny. "You may start to loose believers or get seriously injured. I try to never let the time line get messed up so I'm not sure what will happen. It's never good though."
"How do you know if you never let it get messed up?" North asked taking a cookie from an elf.
"It's constantly getting messed up!" Tempus said laughing. "You all just don't know because I fix it right away. Sandy helps a lot too!" The other three guardians looked at Sandy. Who nodded and shrugged. "If you ever get Deja vu that's the fix in the time line. I only patch them up really." He rubbed his scruffy chin "This time is going to take a full over hall I'm afraid though." He looked at Sandy. "When I do get a chance to fix this I may be out for a while regaining my power." Sandy nodded and formed a picture of a bed. "Thanks little man!"
"How do we help you fix the time line?" Bunny asked annoyed.
"Well I need you guys to actually begin looking for Jack!" Tempus said frowning. "Why haven't you even looked for him?"
"We have!" Bunny yelled angrily.
"You have been moping around in your Warren." Tempus said pointing at him. He then turned to Tooth and Sandy. "You two claim to be too busy with your nightly work." He then pointed and frowned at North. "And you! You claim to be Jack's father figure and you have just trapped yourself in your private office!"
"I lost one of my closest believers!" Bunny yelled grabbing the man by the sweater vest.
"Careful with the fabric! It's still soft!" He said raising his hands up pointing at the rabbit. "I understand you have been mourning!"
"Why are you such an ass?" Bunny yelled.
"Bunny he is right!" North said putting a hand on the rabbits arms. "Let him go."
"He insulted us!"
"No! No he didn't!" North said as Bunny let go to face him. "He told us the truth!" Sandy nodded in agreement.
"The truth is sometimes hard to hear." North shot Tempus a 'shut up' look. "Well it is." He muttered as he walked over to where Tooth was still seated staring at his hands. An elf ran up and offered him a cookie. Which he gladly took as well as some eggnog.
"You really can't help us find Jack?" She asked softly.
"I'm sorry but you know I can't."
"Is he alright?" He nodded.
With Jack
What was he going to do? He had to get out of here and get to Jamie! Before getting to Jamie he had to find his staff. He had no idea where to even begin to look for that. He glanced at the book Pitch gave him. It had a picture of a short man in old style clothing with big hairy feet and he was holding a ring in his hand.
"Wish I knew how to read." Jack muttered throwing the book aside. "At least that would give me something to do."
Jack started drawing frost doodles on the cage around him and then made them 3D like he had to get Jamie to keep his belief all those years ago. Jack stopped and looked at the bars of the cage. There was no way he could just freeze them and break the ice that would be too easy. He decided to give it a shot and stood up. As he began to freeze them he was surprised by a huge shadow horses the ran into his cage knocking him on his butt.
"Knew that wouldn't work." Jack said frowning pulling his knees into his chest thinking again.
Pitch and Jamie
"May I ask why you want Jack so bad?" Pitch asked the boy. The two were sitting on the roof Jamie was watching the dream sand flow above them. Pitch was looking at the moon sadly.
"He needs to feel my pain." Jamie said never looking away from the sand. Pitch looked at him quickly.
"Jami-"
"This is all his fault!" Jamie said standing up. "If it weren't for his carelessness Sophie would be here with me right now!"
"That's no-"
"Why are you trying to defend him?"
"He was your best friend wasn't he?" Pitch asked the boy. "He was your guardian?"
"I have you now," Jamie shrugged. "You are sure better then the others anyway."
"I'm not a guardian." Pitch said glaring up at the moon.
"You are to me."
"Thank you child." Pitch smiled at the boy.
"You should go look for Frost." Jamie said carefully climbing down into his room. "I'm going to sleep."
Sure the boy was hellbent on hurting Jack Frost, but maybe Pitch could change that. Maybe he could help him be that happy hopeful boy that helped defeat him that Easter night.
I'm gonna end it there. I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!
