Disclaimer: 'Frozen in Time' is a non-profited, fan-based fiction. 'Rise of the Guardians' is owned and produced by Dream Works Entertainment. 'Frozen' is owned and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. I am only credited for the plot and the original character 'Father Time'. Please support the official releases.

❄Chapter 4❄

Glimpse

Darkness.

Jack blinked and shook his head, yet the darkness didn't dissipate and he looked down at his hands which he could see as clearly now as though he stood in the sunlight. He racked his brain for how he ended up here.

The last thing he remembered was the old geezer saying something about 'glimpsing' then he dangled something in front of him and then Jack was here. And while wherever here was still remained unknown, it was certainly cold.

Looking around at the void of darkness, Jack took a cautious step forward, almost slipping on what appeared to be ice beneath his feet, causing him to exhale a breath he didn't know he was holding. Staring in a sort of shock as the moist air from his lips froze instantly into a white mist that traveled far above his head and into oblivion.

A whimper pulled the boy's mind from the darkness and when he looked out across the ice, he saw something or rather…

"Jack,"

Someone.

"I'm scared!" A little girl whimpered just out of his reach.

"It's okay, don't look down just look at me." The gentle words all but tumbled out his mouth, like a reflex. He knew this scene, how could he forget?

The girl kept trembling, but not from the chill and yipped as the thin ice beneath her slippers gave a low groan from the strain.

Something was… off, Jack knew that at heart yet the wrongness of it all only increased his urgency as he reached out to her. "You're going to be fine, just take my hand."

The ice was bowing, cracks appearing in its surface just as he remembered and the child looked ever more petrified. But then she threw her head around, eyes searching the void wildly and cried, "Where are you, Jack?"

Then it all clicked. The quivering blonde before him was obviously not his sweet sister Emily, but what twisted in his gut was that she... "She can't see me."

A thunderous crack and terrified scream echoed through the space and on instinct Jack dove for the pale outstretched hand, grabbing it before she could be swallowed up by the hungry water below.

Jack grunted and huffed as he struggled to pull her out of the hole, briefly wondering why he was suddenly so weak. Amidst his effort, he looked down into the hole and felt his stomach churn. Two ink colored hands were visible above the water's surface and held fast to the girl's ankles, pulling with as much determination as he was.

The child choked out a sob, drawing the man's attention back to her. Although she looked at him directly, Jack only had time to process blue before her hand suddenly slipped from his grip. "No!"

"Jack!"

Her hand sunk below the black.

"Wake up ya bloody troublemaker!"

Jack shot up, sweat pouring down his face and heart beating frantically. He clutched at it his hammering chest while it heaved. He blinked and then looked up, "Bunny?" his throat felt raw as though he'd been screaming. "W-what-?" A smack to his head made him bite his tongue.

"You pull a stunt like this and then pretend to be sleeping? Damn it, Jack, I've had enough of your games!"

The spirit nursed his head, his breathing beginning to calm and heart returning to its normal pace. "Geez, man, take a deep breath." He tried to sound aggravated, but with his voice cracking and wheezing, he just sounded tired. "What are you talking about?" The Easter Bunny's nostrils flared, "Don't play dumb, you damn well know! You go wandering off in the middle of an investigation and then I find you pretending to be asleep!"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the hare, they had already been on less than pleasant terms because of the weather, the last thing he needed was another issue to send himself back to square one. "Look, I don't know what innocent life brought yours such misery, but I'm not…" He ceased speaking when he noticed an alien weight in his fist. Jack unfurled his fingers and stared at a tiny hourglass filled with indigo colored sand.

"It's what was stolen."

Both guardians looked up at Father Time who was standing several feet above them on the tower's steps, their eyes wide in unmistakable surprise. However the old man looked unperturbed by their gaze, just continued to look at the tapestry Jack was admiring earlier with a contemplative frown. After a few minutes he hummed and waddled down the stairs. "There was only one taken and it was the only thing disturbed throughout my home." The elder explained.

"So why did you raise such a fuss?" Bunny asked with crossed arms. Father Time chuckled, "T'was not me, my furry friend. It was Sand Man who was worried."

"Sandy?" Jack frowned and looking at the tiny hourglass. "Why would he raise a panic over a trinket?"

The ancient raised his fluffy brows. "Because that little trinket in your hand, carries the sands of time." He explained, plucking the device out of the boy's hands. "He who holds this can manipulate time with only a thought." The old man looked back at the guardians who were visibly concerned now. "Can you think of anyone who would want such power at their command?"

Both Jack and Bunny knew the answer to that without hesitation or even much thought.

"Pitch Black."

While the answer seemed obvious, cliché even, it only brought another blaring question to the surface: What does the spirit of fear need with a time turner?

A/N: Look at that, another quick update and edit! Huzzah!

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-Dolly