A/N: I know, I know... It's called SUMMER of Frost, but it doesn't actually STAY summer XD

Anyway, enjoy the chapter! ^^

Summer of Frost

Chapter 7: Dawn of Autumn

July turned into August, and August turned into September, and Jack was still working with Tooth. They hadn't gone out alone since that disastrous day, but that never stopped Jack from thinking about what he'd learned. Not that he could stop thinking about Tooth anyway, but that was besides the point.

As the weather continued to cool, Tooth could only watch as the boys enthusiasm went from almost nonexistent, to constant. Jack no longer wanted to work. He was restless, and he seemed to freeze everything he came into contact with. Tooth could tell he was getting ready to bring winter that year. Seeing him so happy made her smile, but as September crept to its final days, Tooth knew Jack wouldn't be hanging around much longer, and then he'd be gone until summer came again.

The fairies were being constantly distracted by his antics. Not only was he not getting any work done, he was preventing the fairies from doing so as well. For a few days, Tooth put up with this, as she'd been looking after the fairies now that her wings had healed. But the day Jack accidently froze a small cloud of them while goofing off, Tooth lost it.

"JACK FROST!" She cried.

Jack flinched, realizing he'd upset Tooth. She hovered in front of him, her lilac eyes sharp and condescending.

"You cannot, will not, freeze my fairies!" She scolded.

"S-Sorry Tooth...I didn't mean to..." Jack bowed his head sadly. The gesture almost made Tooth take pity on the boy. But she knew that he'd do it again. His powers were growing stronger with the changing of the seasons. He couldn't help himself.

"I'm sure you didn't." Tooth said. "But I can't lose anymore."

Jack winced. That's what Bunny had said before he kicked him out.

"Go back to North, that way you can prepare for winter."

Jack didn't speak. He turned and with his head still bowed, he walked to the doors and pushed them open. Tooth saw him fly into the air just before the doors closed again.

"I'm sorry, Jack..." Tooth whispered.

...

Jack didn't go to North's.

He went south, back to Antarctica. He felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't do anything right. Jack was, simply put it, a harbinger of disaster. First his toys were too dangerous for children. Next, he froze Bunnymund's flowers. It was only a matter of time before he did something to Tooth as well. And not only did he freeze several of her fairies the day he finally brought disaster, he'd fallen deeply in love with her. That was a mistake he couldn't take back, because she had already wedged herself so deeply into his heart that if he pulled her out of it, he was sure there'd be nothing left.

Yet, the feeling of having her there was more painful than anything else, because he knew, deep down, that she couldn't possibly love him back. He was disaster. He was cold. He was...everything she wasn't. Immature, uncaring, and had a disregard for rules. Tooth was mature, she cared about every little thing, she followed rules, met deadlines, worked hard, smiled, laughed and protected children's teeth.

Sitting atop a cliff, Jack looked up at the sky, seeing the Man in the Moon staring down at him. He sighed and gazed steadily at the bright, silver celestial body that had given him his powers all those years ago. When he'd fallen through ice. When he'd drowned. When he'd saved his sister through a game.

Tooth flew through his thoughts, stopping him from thinking about the guilt that always came after thinking about that day. She was always there, hovering just at the back of his thoughts, ready to fly into his conscious and take his thoughts away from everything around him.

"Why?" Jack whispered to nobody, but still staring up at the moon. "Why did I fall in love with the Tooth Fairy?"

He didn't expect an answer. He didn't get one either.

...

The Tooth Palace was quiet without Jack. Tooth was almost tempted to call him back so she could fill the void that was missing in her day. But she knew she couldn't. Jack had work to do himself. Winter was coming. She couldn't have him around all year, even though she wanted to. Besides, he had been getting really restless. He had to go. He had to.

But that didn't stop Tooth from feeling like she was going to throw up every time she so much as thought about the white haired hellion. His laugh was like an uplift in her day. His smile, something to feel good about. And the way his eyes twinkled when he got an idea made her heart melt.

Tooth had fallen in love with Jack. She couldn't deny that no matter how hard she tried. And she was happy with it. She liked having someone to think about, even if she thought Jack would never, ever love her in return. It was just...nice to finally be able to love someone. She didn't know whether she'd ever tell him how she felt, but until then, she figured she'd enjoy the giddy feeling she got whenever she pictured his smile, or remembered his laugh.

Regardless, she had to work. There were many teeth to collect, and that was her job. She had to collect and protect the children's teeth. Thinking about Jack wouldn't bring the teeth here. Hard work on the other hand, would.

...

The wind whipped through Jack's hair and tore at his clothes. He'd decided that sulking in Antarctica wasn't going to solve anything. He had to go back to the North Pole where he could slowly trek south, brining ice and snow with him as he walked.

He flew above the airplanes, high above the clouds in the cold air of the upper atmosphere. The air was thin and crisp here. Jack liked it. It's where he flew to stay away from the heat down below. Sometimes, he flew so high, he could see the void of space so close, yet so far. He could never go there though. That much he knew. He'd always get shot back down by the wind when he flew too high.

Jack began losing altitude as he began flying through northern latitudes. He flew over the States. He flew over Canada. Finally, he arrived in the ice covered domain of the North Pole. He tried to smile as he landed in the snow, but a sigh quickly passed through him. Now he had nothing to think about. He'd arrived at his destination. Now his mind was drifting back to Tooth.

Jack swatted at the snow with his staff as he walked towards North's cottage. The wind blew the powder in every direction, ice crystals whipping Jack in the face and catching on his clothes. And slowly, Jack began to smile.

The wind whipped around him, sending a blast of snow into his face. And Jack forgot everything as he remembered winter was coming. He flew into the air, laughing as he flew over North's cottage and into the upper areas of Russia. He froze lakes, and trailed his staff across the ground, handing cold air and frost to all of the people there. A small part of Canada got ice and frost as well. Bringing cold and snow...he lived for that. He didn't live for Tooth, he didn't live for anyone or anything except for the snow, ice and wind.

And Jack landed on the front porch of North's house, a grin plastered across his face. He pushed inside, the snow in his hair still remaining regardless of the warmth inside. He walked through the halls, several yetis nodding their welcome, elves jingling merrily as the house prepared for the coming Christmas.

Jack pushed into the workshop, smiling at the sight of North working hard.

"...red hair! It's not brown, it's red!"

The yeti that was getting an earful from North sulked slightly, a doll with brown hair in his hands. Jack could tell he'd worked really hard on it. It made him feel bad.

"I think it looks great." Jack said, propping his staff up on his shoulder. "The little girl who gets it should be quite happy."

The yeti's eyes sparkled with gratitude as North whipped toward Jack.

"Jack! Welcome back! Tooth is doing well?" He said cheerily.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, she can fly again." He examined the unfinished doll in the yeti's hands, nodding at the attention to detail. It really did look nice, even if it wasn't wearing clothes just yet.

North turned back to the yeti, his disapproving expression continuing to irritate Jack.

"North, come on, give him a break. He's doing his best." Jack stated.

North sighed in irritation. "Christmas is-"

"Not about gifts, North." Jack stated. "It's about seeing the smiles on children's faces when they come downstairs on Christmas morning, still holding onto the mystery as to how the gifts got under the tree."

North took a deep breath and sighed, his irritation calming. "I don't expect you to understand, Jack." He stated.

"Okay." Jack said. "Work your yetis to the bone. You're right. Christmas is your holiday. Sorry for getting in the way. I'll be sure to help Bunny make eggs next Easter."

North's brow twitched and he opened his mouth to say something in his defence, but Jack was already examining the other toys the yetis were making, smiling as he tested some of them out. The yetis loved watching the toys they made work. They never usually got to try them out themselves, so they were sure some of them must've been faulty. But seeing Jack play with the toys gave them a sense of security, that their toys were in fact, working.

Jack watched North slowly go around, watching the toys being made. North was so uptight today! He needed to have fun. Jack smiled and held up his hand, a snowflake twirling between his fingers. He blew on it, and it turned blue and flew towards North. The red-clad Russian turned just as the snowflake reached him. It hit him squarely on the nose and a moment later, blue sparkles glittered in front of his eyes.

North's face split into a grin, and he instantly began showing much more approval for the toys his yetis were making. Jack laughed, standing on the curved part of his staff, watching the scene from a high angle. He laughed, watching as North tried out some of the toys to make sure they worked and even started offering suggestions as to how to make it better. Jack was almost certain he'd get an earful from North when the spell wore off, but right now, he didn't worry about that. Because to Jack, toys didn't matter. He just cared about the children having fun.

...

It had been about a week since Jack had left the Tooth Palace. Tooth was starting to forget the sound of his voice and the way his teeth sparkled when he grinned. She sighed heavily, realizing just how much she missed Jack Frost.

Tooth continued to work, recording teeth that were brought back. Several mini fairies sensed her sadness and flew over, hovering in front of her, tilting their heads to the side in curiosity.

"Should I go to see him?" Tooth asked them.

The mini fairies nodded vigorously, several of them latching onto her clipboard and ripping it from her hands.

Tooth laughed. "All right. I'm off then."

The fairies squeaked their goodbyes as Tooth flew out the window, heading north. She hummed to herself, thinking about what she would say when she saw Jack up at the pole. Would she just give him a simple hello? Or would she hug him and tell him how much she missed him? No, she couldn't do that... She'd figure it out once she got there.

Tooth's wings had gotten stronger since the lightning strike. Now, she was able to fly with the wind or even against the wind if need be. The joint still ached sometimes, but in the end, she could fly. She delighted in the feeling of the cool wind on her face and the feeling of complete freedom that came from flight. She loved it. She'd never take it for granted again.

When snow and cold wind pelted her in the face, Tooth knew she was getting close to the North Pole. Unlike the cold that came from hugging Jack, this cold wasn't a good cold. It was the cold that didn't stay on the surface. It raced into her blood and froze her bones and chilled her from the inside out. She shuddered, but kept flying. She'd get warm as soon as she got to North's house. He'd probably make her a cup of hot chocolate, and then Jack would be there, smiling and happy about seeing her again...

Tooth lingered on that hopeful fantasy until she was on North's doorstep. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, shaking her body and fluffing her feathers to rid herself of the snow before it melted. She buzzed through North's house until she arrived at the toy shop. She pushed her way inside, smiling at the yetis working like busy little fairies.

"Tooth Fairy! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Tooth grinned, turning towards North who was welcoming her with open arms. He had the slightly wild expression of a person who was under Jack's fun spell, but Tooth didn't see anything wrong with that. Other than the fact that maybe Jack had bewitched North, but nonetheless it was nice to see the Russian smiling around this time of year instead of being stressed out.

"I just came by to say hello." Tooth said with a smile. "Where's Jack run off to?"

"Oh I expect he's spreading the winter delights to northern latitudes as he usually does this time of year." North said in his cheery accent. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate would be nice." Tooth said, cheering on the inside. At the very least that part of her fantasy had come true.

North laughed. "Coming right up!" He headed over to the refreshment table to pour Tooth a cup of hot chocolate. Tooth meanwhile fluttered around the room, examining every little toy that was being made. The sights and sounds made her heart beat in excitement. Maybe Jack had bewitched the air, and that's why things felt so cheery in here.

"Tooth! Come down here!" North shouted, breaking Tooth's train of thought. She buzzed down happily and took the small cup in her hands and took a sip, smiling as the warmth spread through her on the inside. She loved it.

"When will Jack be back?" Tooth asked.

North chuckled. "You know how he is. Here one moment, gone the next."

Tooth grinned.

"That boy is the master of being here when he's not needed, but disappearing when he is."

Tooth laughed. "That's true."

"So feel free to make yourself comfortable." North said, turning back to his toy factory. Tooth smiled and buzzed around the shop, finishing her hot chocolate. She set the empty cup on the refreshments table and took one final look around the shop before flying back out into the hallways. At the very least, maybe she'd be able to take a look around the place while she waited for Jack to return.

Tooth opened every door and peeked inside, sometimes finding an empty room, sometimes finding one filled with things that weren't used anymore. She even found a room filled with what looked like reject toys. Some of them looked to be the work of Jack Frost himself by how fun, yet how dangerous they looked.

Tooth giggled and shut the door, heading for the next one. As soon as she put her hand on the doorknob, she froze, immediately getting the feeling that this room was special. She hadn't felt such a cold doorknob before...

She turned the handle and pushed into the room, hearing the soft crunch of ice as the hinges moved.

Tooth breathed in softly. This was Jack's room. Tooth knew it from the moment she saw it. Everything was ice. Even the bed, which was a pile of fluffy snow. Tooth knew that this was the room Jack stayed in during the winter months before he headed south. He probably thought of it as his second home.

The air was chilly and crisp. It smelled just like Jack himself. Tooth closed the door and flew into the room, examining every little crystallized shape in the room.

Several glittering figurines caught her eye. They rested on top of an empty dresser that was made of ice. They were small figurines of people. Tooth picked a small, fat one up and turned it over in her hands, feeling how nice and cool it was. They weren't melting much to her joy. Jack had probably put some sort of spell on them so they wouldn't.

"Oh Jack!" Tooth gasped, the second she recognized the figure. It was Sandy. And if Tooth was correct, Jack had carved every single one of the Guardians out of his glittering ice and set them on his dresser. They were beautiful. She found a figurine of herself, smiling at the attention to detail. He'd even included paper thin wings on her back. Each individual feather had been carved with such intricacy that it took her breath away. She hovered over the figures, taking in each and every angle she could.

Then she saw the icy sparkle behind the dresser.

Tooth pushed the piece of furniture out slightly so she could reach down and grab it. She smiled slightly, only this time she felt sort of confused.

It was another figurine, this one of a little girl with long, straight hair. She had big, bright eyes and a smile on her face. Tooth didn't know who this was, but judging by the care and time Jack had put into it, it was someone important to him.

"Tooth? When did..."

Tooth turned around, seeing Jack standing in the doorway. She hadn't heard him come in. She smiled, opening her mouth to say something when she noticed the dark expression on his face. The room suddenly grew very, very cold.

Jack stormed over and snatched the figure out of her hands so violently, she nearly fell out of the air.

"Get out, Tooth." He growled, his eyes filled with anger.

Tooth flinched and held up her hands. "Jack, I-"

"GET OUT!"

Tooth turned and flew from the room, faintly hearing the sound of the door slamming shut as she whipped around the corner and away from Jack and his terrifying anger.