North stretched his cramped muscles after the sleigh landed back at the Pole.

"Another Christmas. But..." It just wasn't the same. The children would wake up to find everything they asked him. The cookies gone, an empty glass of milk. The joy, though, would not be there. The sheer happiness on their faces when they look outside to see the White Christmas everyone dreams of will never be this year. All last night, North never saw a snow flurry nor a laugh carried in the wind. Now that Christmas was a year away, it was time to get serious.

It was time to find Jack.

The exhausted Guardian of Wonder did not stop by the kitchen to grab a freshly bakes cookie. He went straight to the glove room and summoned the others.

"Morning Sandy!" Toothiana waved to her friend, whom she often ran into, beings they weren't given the luxury of working one night a year.

Sandy nodded with a genuine smile, then resumed his thinking position.

"Any sign of him? It didn't even snow! Just this awful rain! Jack hardly ever allows it to rain in the winter, especially around Christmas!"

Sandy gave a sigh of understanding, then perked up and pointed to the Northern Lights. Tooth looked and didn't even look back at Sandy. She shot like bullet towards the North Pole, hoping North had found Jack.

Hope. He refused to let go of it. It never failed him in the past. That's what makes him so stubborn. He never gives up.

"C'mon Frost, where are ye?" He was deep in a jungle he thinks somewhere in China. After failing to find Jack anywhere cold, might as well check the other climates.

Thankfully, the rain had stopped, but the jungle's heavy humidity did not bring much relief. The sun was at high noon, and the wildlife was taking refuge in the shade. Sweat poured down Bunny's body. It itched and made him twitch, thinking a bug was crawling on him. His fur was not made for a place like this.

Suddenly, a ray of hope. Literally, like a rainbow shooting across the sky followed closely by gold strands. Bunny looked into the direction they were headed, and mentally facepalmed. How could he have been so oblivious? Who knows how long the signal had been glowing. Tapping the squishy surface, he fell gracefully down his tunnel, headed towards the Pole, hope building on any news on finding Jack.

"Must...find...Doc..."

The pain never subsided. It was still as gruesome as ever, except the rain had stopped. Christmas was over, so winter was on its way to ending. Jack looked around, trying to remember where he was. He had laid here all winter, but it felt much longer than that. It felt oddly familiar. Was this the crevice Pitch threw him into after breaking his staff all those years ago?

Wait a minute...

His staff! If he could just reach it, maybe he could use it to hoist himself up. It was a few inches away. Grunting in pain, he continued the never-ending crawl. Fingertips touched wood, and he mentally felt a little better. But only a little. The blisters on his palms again the rough wood only made it worse.

"Jack, get a hold of yourself! You are stronger than this. You are a Guardian!"

"Hasn't that already been established?"

Jack closed his eyes dreadfully. Not again. "Pitch! I don't want to play games! Leave me alone!"

"But what if I am here for something else? Something I really want?"

Jack gave a quick glance at his staff, and despite the pain, pulled it closer to him instinctively.

Pitch laughed. "No, not that old thing! I don't want to kill you, and I can see you are suffering enough, much more than any of my Nightmares can do to you."

Jack was taken aback. "R-really? Then why are you here?"

Pitch had to lean close to try to hear then comprehend what the hoarse voice had said. "The rain has to stop!" Pitch was angry, but not directly at Jack, and he couldn't figure out why. "I am sick and tired of being miserable! This ends now!"

Jack was shocked. Pitch wants to help him? Is this some kind of twisted nightmare? His answer came when black sand consumed both of them. They appeared at the North Pole, meeting the surprised faxes of the rest of the Guardians.

Nope, it's not a nightmare.

Sorry for the short chapter! Just trying to bring everyone together! So Pitch is not the bad guy. And this doctor they need to find should be able to help Jack. See what's about to happen. Yeah stay posted and wait for more!