Jack took a step towards the child, beaten and bruised, who sat curled up in between the cracks of the walls. A group a adults rounded the corner.
"Vin..." The group called tauntingly, "Why don't you come out and play?"
Jack could tell the child was trying to withhold a whimper and his resolve steeled once more as a wave of protectiveness washed over him, "Stay back."
Of course they didn't hear him, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop them. Well, technically he wasn't allowed to - it went against elemental law - but that's never stopped him before. Besides, it's a kid. Of course he's gong to help.
Icing the ground, Jack flew behind the group and asked the wind to shove them forwards in time with them getting hit in the head with Yeti-sized snowballs. Needless to say, they slipped and fell.
Jack pranced up, icing their feet to the ground and, once making sure they weren't getting out anytime soon, he drew arrows of ice on the sides of the buildings to let people find them. Still, he wasn't about to leave the girl by herself, so he stood, crouched on top of his staff waiting for her to muster the courage to leave her hiding spot.
In the meantime, he entertained himself by drawing frost patterns over the surrounding walls and ground, re-icing the now unconscious - still breathing, Jack avoid killing the best a spirit of winter could - predators. By that point it had started snowing faintly.
"Snow? Frost?"
"Yes," Jack spoke absentmindedly as he watched the forms on the ground
He heard a gasp and spun around to find the girl staring directly at him. He looked around trying to find what she was staring at. Seeing nothing, he dumbly pointed at himself and squeaked out a baffled, "Me?"
The girl nodded, mouth agape.
"You can see me, how?"
The girl, who had nodded yes at the first chunk of the sentence, furrowed her brows and tilted her head in thought, "It was kind of obvious. I mean, frost, snow, ice, all of which magically appears when I, a child, was in trouble. Haven't you read Katherine's stories?"
"Who's what now?" Jack asked, becoming more confused by the minute.
The girl shook her head, "Legends, mythology, folklore. I like it."
"You're surprisingly calm for someone who was almost..." Jack shuddered.
The girl simply shrugged, "You stopped them," then she winced, "Besides, it's not the first time it's happened. Doesn't mean I'm used to it anymore. I just... I mean, I... You saved me. Guess I'm running on adrenaline or something?"
Jack smirked, "Well whatever it is, I think it's great. And I'm glad you'r-"
Jack fell off his staff, holding his head in his hands. He winced, attempting to gain his bearings as the girl raced forward.
"Jack! Are you okay?"
Jack nodded slowly, "I need to get back to the pole. Do you have someone who can get you?"
The girl shook her head no.
"Do you have a place to go?"
A hesitant no.
"A name?"
The girl scoffed, "Of course I have a name! It's Vinnie."
"Well Vinnie, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jack Frost, would you care to accompany me to the North Pole?" Jack threw as much false charisma into the sentence as he could, purposefully making a fool out of himself and getting Vinnie to give a small smile.
After a moments contemplation, Vinnie asked, "Where in the North Pole?"
"North's place," Jack answered simply.
"North? Whose North?" Jack was confusing her more by the minute.
"Oh, he's Santa."
One snow-globe portal later - no way Jack was leaving without one in the near future - and the duo were in Santa's Workshop.
"Welcome," Jack introduced with a sense of grander, "To Santa's Workshop!"
He then leaned down and whispered, "I've been trying to get in here for years."
"What?" Vinnie squawked, "You're not supposed to be in here?"
Before Jack could answer her, North barged into the room, "Ah Jack! Vas vondering where you got to."
"Santa's Russian?"
"Oh great, you can see them too?" Nakia asked, walking into the room with the other Guardians behind her.
"Of course I can see them," Vinnie defended, "I mean, they're a big different than I expected, but I still believe in them. So I can see them."
"It's official, this is all a dream. A crazy dream or hallucinations or mental breakdown causing me to see a bunch of creatures-"
"-They are not creatures-" Vinnie interjected.
"-that aren't real." Nakia finished.
Vinnie rolled her eyes, forcing herself not to have an anxiety attack, she stepped forward. At the ready to defend Jack and the people who seemed to be Jack's friends. Who, regardless, we're people.
"They're the good guys." A glance at Tooth, "And girls. Besides, Jack helped me and these people, emphasis on people, are with Jack. And Jack stopped the bad people so they must be the good people."
Nakia was silent for a moment, "They kidnapped us."
"Hey, we were trying to save you from a nightmare-sand-induced bullet!" Jack defended while everything disintegrated into madness.
"The bullet had nightmare sand in it?" Tooth asked.
"And paramedics couldn't do that?" Nakia argued.
"Hey, I dont know about you, but I came willingly. I want to help!" Vinnie supplied.
"Where did you find nightmare sand, Frostbite?" Bunny asked.
Sandy tried getting everyone's attention directed to the moon.
"Is that a giant rabbit?" Vinnie asked, noticing Bunny for the first time.
"Actually he's a Kangaroo." Jack smirked.
Sandy facepalmed.
"I am not a kangaroo, mate." Bunny stated.
"Bunny," North interjected, and for a moment Sandy had some home, "Does not matter if Bunny or Kangaroo, all that matters is that Christmas is better than Easter."
"Are they always like this?"
"How should I know?"
Tooth deadpanned as she answered the girls, "Yes, yes they are."
Sandy was frantically trying to get their attention, conjuring a sand drum and symbol with a music note above his head.
Bunny began inching close to Jack, Jack doing the same to Bunny until they were nose to nose. They were in a full blown argument at that point.
Sandy was scanning for an elf.
"North, I swear this better be good," Bunny shouted when North tapped his shoulder. North pointed at his tail, which was now dyed bright pink, "Frost!"
"It wasn't me!"
A loud squeaking noise drew everyone's attention to Sandy, who was standing there with a rubber chicken in his left hand with his right pointing at the moon.
"Man in moon," North began, turning to Sandy, "Sandy, vhy didn't y-"
Sandy cut him off with a squeak.
In the remnants of Pitch's lair, a woman strode into the shadows, "Father."
She grew a flower in the circle of sunlight shining through the gape she had made, its roots trailing up and wrapping around Pitch's body.
"I will free you. And we will have your revenge."
Ah yes, a very serious story about the Guardians and Co... Who am I kidding? Live life and love PINEAPPLES!