Disclaimer: ROTG and HTTYD belongs to Dreamworks; Tangled and Brave belongs to Disney/Pixar


Please Smile

Jackson, now ten years old, looked up at his father with those wide brown eyes, slightly fearful as his father looked down on him. His eyes were narrowed and angry, as was every night he came back from whatever he did before passing by the young boy, muttering, "Useless boy," under his breath.

And as usual, Jackson only hung his head down, feeling scared while his father called for his mother, yelling for another bottle of ale or beer or whatever it was the adults called it. Then the boy shyly looked up as he followed after him meekly, worried.

Walking past the door frames, he stopped to see his little sister, only four years old, running past their father, slight fear in her eyes before running up to Jackson, hugging onto his larger frame in a tight hold. She gave a small whimper but said no more before Jackson stepped back and away from their father, leading his little sister Emma along with him. By the time they were out of earshot, he knelt down besides the girl, hugging her tightly before whispering, "What's wrong?"

"D-Daddy…h-he…he looks…scary…" The girl whispered back, her eyes wide as her arms were pressed against her body.

Both were so afraid of their father. He was never nice to them. When they were younger, perhaps; Jackson could remember the kind smiles his father used to give him, the happy laugh and the kisses and affection he would shower onto his two precious children. Both he and Emma missed that man, that side that disappeared two years ago for reasons only their mother knew. Just one day…he stopped caring. Something snapped inside of him and the next thing they knew, he began to abuse their mother, coming home angry and hurting her before the next morning, he would be in tears, apologizing and crying his heart out while their mother would hug him tight and whisper it was alright.

And their two children would witness this every single night that it started to condition them to stay quiet, to be afraid and stay away from the man who used to love them so much.

Jackson sighed and drew away from his memories, instead choosing to kiss the younger girl's forehead, giving her affection that their father no longer could give.

He always heard the whispers, the strayed looks and pitied glances. He never cared much about them. While they peeved him, instead, he choose to try and ignore them all. He would instead focus on his mother and sister, showering them with as much love his small body could give. Every night after her beating, he would quietly approach his mother and give her kisses on each visible bruise. He would clean her skin and bandage each wound before giving her a soft hug. And with each hug, she would tell him that his father was just stressed, scared, worried. Jackson wanted to believe her.

But everybody was steadily getting worried. They would stop and ask their mother what was going on. They would question her while she would only smile and say that it was nothing. She even went as far as to tell her children not to speak a word.

Jackson didn't understand. But he listened.

"Don't worry, Emma. Mum said he'll get better." He whispered small promises that he wasn't sure would ever come true. But his sister turned those hopeful big brown eyes at him and he felt his heart break.

He stood up, and held onto her hand, leading her away from this room and to their shared room. When they got there, there was a sudden crash. Jackson winced but immediately rushed his little sister inside before closing the door. He picked her up with the small strength he had and together, they huddled in his bed. He held onto her tight while the girl whimpered softly.

Then she whispered, "I hope daddy gets better."

Jackson felt tears prickling at his eyes and he closed them, whispering, "I hope so too."

Three hours passed.

By that time, Emma had fallen asleep. Jackson slowly got out of bed and tiptoed out of their room, looking right as left as he approached their living room. He took a single step inside when a voice stopped him and he paused, looking up. "Jack?" The boy hurried over to find his mother straddling his father's head, the man unconscious. "Oh, Jack." The woman's hands left her husband and went up, halting her son from coming any closer.

"Mum…?" Jackson whispers, his eyes wide as he stared at his father. "…Dad…what…happened?"

He mother only smiled sadly. "He said sorry."

Jackson gave a small scowl. "But he hurt you."

"He didn't mean it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He still loves us."

Jackson paused before muttering, "I don't know." He looked at his mother's sad brown eyes, so much like his and Emma's. He straightened up and looked to the kitchen. "Just a mo'," He said before rushing into the kitchen, finding a pot. Immediately, he went to set the fire and filled the pot with water, setting it over the fire. He turned and ran to the table, grabbing the clean set of rags left there from when his mother brought in their laundry earlier that day. He set it over his shoulders and began his search for bandages. By the time he found some, the water was already boiling. Grabbing the pot, he scurried back to the living room to find his mother humming a small song to his father.

"Mum, I'm going to bandage you now." The woman looked up at him as he set the pot down on the ground, dipping the clean rags into the now clean hot water.

She looked sad as he began cleaning her up, ridding the old bandages and dried blood. "I'm so sorry, my dear." He looked up at her questionably. Then woman gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry I have taken away your innocence like this…"

"What do you mean?"

The woman sighed and leaned forward, kissing the boy's forehead. "You have grown up far too fast." Jackson looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise.

"I have not."

"You have."

Jackson shook his head. "No. The butcher today shouted at me for playing with the chickens. And the old madams near the church always laugh and call me out for being such a child. They don't mean to be mean though, mum. They're always smiling and they offer me sweets for both myself and Emma."

His mother laughs, her laughter sounding like bells and chimes to the boy. "Now see, that is one of the reasons you have grown so quickly. You are so quick to take care of your sister, no matter what. But I would say that is a good thing. You're such a wonderful older brother to your sister."

With those words, Jackson looks down, just finishing bandaging her forearms while his cheeks flushed. "I-I suppose." Then he looked down to his sleeping father, feeling his heart harden before weakening again when he saw the dry tear tracks on the man's cheeks. "He was crying; what for?"

His mother smiled sadly. "As I have said, your father is very stressed and worried. Now go along now. Clean up and go to bed. I'll take your father to his room."

Jackson gave his mother a worried look before he gave a hesitant nod. And with that, he stood and cleaned up the dirty rags and bandages, dropping them off in the kitchen before leaving for his room where he curled up next to Emma and went into a restless sleep.

The next morning came and the same routine happened. His father cried and apologized to their mother while he and Emma watched, one with happiness and the other, wary. But to their surprise, the man turned to Jackson and held him in a tight hug, crying his heart out, thus leaving the boy to awkwardly pat the man's shoulders in what could be a comforting gesture.

And when the man left, Jackson hoped with all his heart that the man truly had changed.

And so went about their day. Jackson took his little sister out on a stroll through the town while their mother stayed home. They would visit the bakery, saying hello to the baker and his wife while purchasing bread for their family. And as they walked through the town, Emma would giggle and kick the snow that fell overnight. And Jackson would laugh alongside her before they thought up of a game to play. After taking the bread home, Emma immediately latched herself to Jackson, begging him to take her out to play some more.

Their mother would only laugh and urge the boy to take his sister out.

And so they did, leaving the village and into the forest where they would play hide and seek, hop scotch and other silly little games that would involve the snow and trees.

Until a soft laughter made them pause and they both turned, their eyes widening at the sight of a rather beautiful blonde woman looking their way. She gasped when they looked at her and turned left and right, her face now full of surprise and panic before she looked back at them, smiling bashfully. Jackson and Emma could only stare.

The woman was very beautiful indeed. But her hair was so strange. From the roots, her hair was brown, a shade much similar to theirs. But past her neck, the hair turned blonde, golden in the sunlight and seemed to sparkle with light, as if magic. Her hair was so long, reaching just to her ankles. She wore no footwear and her dress seemed rather light for this season, even if it were spring. "Hello." She called out.

Her voice was sweet and Jackson felt drawn towards her. But Emma was the first to react. She threw her arm up and waved happily, calling out, "Hello!" And then she bounded towards the woman. Jackson, the ever worrywart, ran after her clutching her hand after catching up and then the two walked up to the woman. Emma gave a sweet smile and asked, "Hello, miss! What's your name?"

The woman gave a smile, her eyes sparkling but there was something else there…something Jackson wasn't all too sure about but it was familiar. "Now, isn't it more polite to introduce yourself?" Emma flushed while Jackson rolled his eyes. The boy yelped when the woman flicked his nose. He stared up at her while the woman giggled. "Now, that was rude as well. Well, in any case, my name is Rapunzel. Won't you two give me the pleasure of knowing your names?"

"I'm Jackson Overland. And this is my little sister, Emma." Emma hid behind her brother, her cheeks flushed as if only now becoming embarrassed. But this drew a bigger smile on the woman before them. "Are you new around here, miss?"

The woman hummed a bit and nodded. "I suppose so."

"Then would you like to come to our town? I'm sure people would be more than willing to help out someone like you."

"My, aren't you such a sweet boy." Jackson flushed while Emma started to giggle. The woman, Rapunzel, giggled herself before straightening up. "In any case, I should get going. Don't stay out too long Even in spring, this place is quite cold." She gave a small smile and suddenly, Jackson knew why there was something in that smile felt so strange and familiar.

There was sadness and pain. It was almost like staring into the eyes of his mother but unlike his mother who still had hope in them, Rapunzel's eyes were nearly void of hope. But still, just like his mother, she was smiling. She was hiding away the pain. She didn't want anybody to see it and perhaps she was better at hiding than even his mother.

It didn't sit well with Jackson. So he reached up and latched onto her wrist. The woman gave a bit of a start, surprised as she looked down at Jackson. Her mouth was open, as if to ask what was wrong but she paused. She looked at the worried eyes of the boy and Jackson watched as her body tensed. Then she looked away, as if ashamed. This didn't sit well with him either. So instead, he smiled and said, "Will you play with us?"

Rapunzel turned back, surprised.

As for Emma, she only squealed and began to pull at Rapunzel's dress. "Oh, please play! Please play with us!"

"…Ah…I…" Rapunzel looked at a loss for words and she looked down, unsure. But then Jackson squeezed her hand and she looked at the boy, surprised. He only smiled and then started to walk off, pulling Rapunzel along while Emma started to laugh and giggle, telling Rapunzel little things about them and what she liked and such.

Soon, Rapunzel was laughing along with Emma as they continued their trek through the forest.

And when they arrived at a lake, not too large and with clear waters, the two children giggled. Rapunzel watched as the two started for the flowers growing around the shore of the lake. Then two looked over at Rapunzel and she blinked. Then the two grinned and waved her over.

Rapunzel stood where she was for a second before walking up to them and knelt down beside them. She watched curiously as Jackson took a handful of the flowers he picked and started to weave them together. Jackson only grinned as he continued his work, finally finishing and then presented a flower crown and reach over to place it on his sister's head. His sister only giggled before finishing hers, while not as well made, was still pretty. Then she turned to Rapunzel and held it up to her.

A soft laugh left Rapunzel's lips and she lowered her head, smiling gently as Emma placed the crown on her head. "Thank you." She said. She reached up, and there was a small frown on her lips for a split second before it returned to a smile and she took her hand away.

Jackson and Emma watched in slight awe as the flowers seem to glow with life. The two grinned up at her before Emma asked, "What did you do?"

Rapunzel blinked and looked at the young girl. "What do you mean?"

"You made the flower brighter! The colors are brighter!"

Jackson nodded eagerly. "How did you do that?" The young boy asks, his eyes wide with curiosity. He watched as the woman look at them uneasily before she sighed and brought a finger to her lips.

"Sorry. It's a secret." She winked, making Emma giggle as Jackson pouted, disappointed. Rapunzel only laughed before reaching over, a flower in her hand. She brushed aside Jackson's hair and he blinked, surprised as he felt her hand brush over his ear. When she pulled away, the flower was gone from her hands.

Emma started giggling and said, "Jack looks pretty now."

Jackson stared at his little sister, confused before his eyes widened and a deep flush came to his cheeks. He reached up and felt the flower just above his ear and he gave a childish glare to the woman who only laughed alongside Emma. "Oh, she's right. You are very adorable right now, Jackson." She commented through giggles, making Jackson's face warmer and he pouted childishly. But then he brightened a bit when Rapunzel did the same to Emma. "Aw, you two look so much alike. So adorable," she cooed in what could be adoration.

The two siblings flushed just a bit before giving the woman a toothy grin.

Time passed as the three talked, giggling as they shared stories or picked flowers for Rapunzel, the woman only smiling brightly at the children when the beautiful floral was presented to her. And each time, she would wave her hand over them, presenting a sight to the two that both amazed and awed them.

They only had one word for this amazement: magic.

But the two didn't care. Oh, Jackson knew how people were afraid of magic. Emma only heard stories of evil witches and warlocks who would come in the night and take innocent children like herself away to fatten them up and then eat them. But after meeting this beautiful and sorrowful woman, Rapunzel, they both threw away that image. Instead, all they could see is this woman whenever they thought of magic.

And they adored it. They adored her.

Just as they could see her eyes holding adoration for them.

But what pleased the older brother the most was that the sadness was gone from the woman's eyes. Even if it was only for that moment, he was happy. He hated seeing sadness. His mother and sister always wore that emotion and he hated it…so seeing happiness truly made him happy as well.

And when the time came for the two Overland siblings to return home, they turned to Rapunzel who only smiled at them. She bent down and kissed both children on top their head and whispered, "Thank you. I had fun. The most fun I have ever had in so long."

The two gave her another grin and Emma went forward, wrapping her thing arms around the woman and said, "Thank you for playing with us, Punzie." Jackson saw the woman's eyes widen before she closed them and knelt down, pulling the girl into a tighter hug. A small tear left her eyes and she whispered something to Emma's ear, something Jackson couldn't hear.

And then when they pulled away, Jackson saw a shimmering light around Emma before it disappeared. Before he could ask what it was, Rapunzel pulled the boy into a tight and gently hug and whispered, "Always be cheerful, Jack. Never lose hope. Don't fall into sadness like I have. Thank you so much for bringing a bit of joy back into my life." And then she pulled away, a small smile on her lips before she stood and turned away, leaving.

Jackson and Emma stared at her in slight wonder, watching as flowers seem to stand taller, blooming as she pasted by and even try to reach out to the woman before she disappeared from their sights.

For a few minutes, they just stood there, silent. Then Jackson felt a tug on his shirt and he looked down to see his four year old sister grinning up at him. Then she breathed a single word with awe, "Magic."

At that, Jackson burst out laughing and nodded, crying out, "Magic! We saw magic, Emma!"

Emma started giggling and all the way as the two ran back to their small town, they continued laughing while whispering that single word underneath their breath, chanting it the entire way, "Magic! Magic!"

Unfortunately, that happiness was short-lived.

Jackson wasn't sure of what to expect when he and Emma returned from their wonderful afternoon with the beautiful woman, Rapunzel. But he certainly never expected this…and his heart broke and he felt rather empty inside. Despite feeling as so, he did not shed tears like Emma was currently doing when they first laid their eyes on their sobbing mother.

His father was dead.

And accident, they said. Some animal killed him in the forest.

Which brought up the question: what was his father doing there instead of working with the others?

Mad, they called him; crazed, horrible, and mad… It bothered Jackson, despite agreeing with them. And when he realized his own feelings, he felt self-hatred. And he shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts.

They never truly faded.

Over time, he came to become the man of the house. He took care of his mother and sister. When his mother couldn't, he would make their food. He stopped schooling at the church in order to take care of his family and provide the food and home for them, though he would still go to church on Sunday morning.

As she grew, his little sister soon became happier. She was still so young, her memories of her father was rather weak at best. His mother on the other hand, was depressed in the beginning. She stopped eating for a while until Jackson practically told her off (and then apologized afterwards). But she never failed to give the neighbors and her children smiles. Jackson always hated those smiles.

It was a forced smile.

So he tried his best to have her genuinely smile. It rarely happened. So during the years, he treasured the smiles he did get.

Jackson, now sixteen years old, put on his cape as Emma tugged on his shirt happily, pointing outside. "Jack, look; it snowed! Oh, shall we go and play?" She asked with her eyes wide and hopefully and Jackson chuckled, glad that his sister was still so young and innocent like this. It was absolutely adorable.

"Of course," He said and reached down, kissing her forehead. He paused for a second before nipping her nose playfully, making the girl squeal. "Now go put on your hat and grab your skates and we'll go outside to buy bread first before going to play." He says and his sister nodded, giggling as she stood on her toes, reaching up to kiss his cheeks.

"Alright, Jack," She skipped to their shared room to search for her hat.

Jackson smiled and grabbed his shoes, putting them on.

"Be careful," He looked up and smiled gently at his mother. The woman was smiling softly but it was forced, much like usual and it make the teen's smile drop.

But then again, she was getting better…during her depression, she rarely ate, choosing instead to space out or break out into tears. Now, she would eat with her children, smiling as Emma told her about their days. It wasn't as bright as before but it was still a smile. She had passed her depression but he would still see a sad look in her eyes from time to time.

A small sigh came to Jackson's lips before he smiled again. "Do not worry, mother. We'll be fine," He promised. "We'll just play in the snow for a bit after buying bread."

"I know; and you will be skating together as well, correct?" The woman's smile widened, looking much more genuine than just moments earlier. "Do have fun, won't you?"

The teen grinned. "Of course," Then he paused before going up to her and hugging her. The woman tensed slightly before easing into the hold, a soft chuckle leaving her lips before hugging back just as tightly.

It was a ritual they seemed to be doing lately. He would hug her. Emma would hug her. And she never failed to her them back. Jackson noticed how it made her day much lighter. It made her smiles less forced. And he always wanted her to smile. "Have a good day, mother," He says softly.

"And you as well, Jack," She pulls away and kisses his forehead.

That was the last he spoke to his mother.

~.~.~

Jack looked up at the moon, pondering over what had happened.

After the battle with Pitch and the restoration of children's belief, as well as his acceptance into the Guardians, he had went up to Tooth and returned his box of teeth. The Tooth Fairy was surprised by this, asking why he did not want to keep it but the other only shook his head, grinning. He had seen enough. He had seen his sister, his mother, remembered what he had done, how he had saved Emma. And really, for now, that was all that mattered. "I'll look again some other time. But for now…I'm happy." He had whispered and Tooth only stared at him, bewildered before nodding and smiling back.

"I'll be waiting. Come whenever you want to retrieve all your memories, Jack." She had said and then she and Baby Tooth left, saying how they had to go and return to the Tooth Palace and make sure all the other Tooth Fairies were well.

And then after, Bunny left as well, saying that he had to go check on some things, as well as start cleaning his tunnels. All the poor destroyed Easter egg shells were still in the tunnels and he didn't want to be reminded of that terrible day.

But before the two Guardians left, North told them to return later that week. He turned to Jack, grinning and said, "We must have party!"

Jack was embarrassed, trying to say that it was not needed but the rest of the Guardians agreed, all of them giving the winter spirit a large grin before they left. Sandy stayed a while longer, approaching Jack with a small smile. And Jack smiled back, a bit guilty but happy as well. And when Sandy gave him a pat on the back and then ruffled his hair, Jack could only laugh in response and then watch in awe as Sandy left, his beautiful golden dream sand lingering for a while before disappearing.

And now, here was Jack; sitting in a room that North gave him. "We'll decorate later." North commented, looking at the guest room with a raised brow while Jack only nodded numbly, embarrassed. He never thought that he'd be allowed to stay at the North Pole. But now that he was here, he couldn't be happier.

His home was Burgess, there was no denying that.

But to be accepted here…and to be allowed to call another place his home…was wonderful. It made his heart soar.

Jack looked up at the moon again, a small smile on his lips. He had asked the moon what would happen now. What does he have to do? What are his duties as a Guardian? But the moon didn't answer. Just as usual, the moon stayed silent, Manny still said nothing…but there was a strange sense of happiness…of encouragement and pride that surrounded him and he wondered if perhaps this is how Manny talked with him. Not with words…but with a sense of feeling.

Jack closed his eyes, smiling.

Instantly, his thoughts went to his smiling sister. He frowned at the memory of his death, remembering the look of dismay his sister held and instead went for the happier memories where his mother and sister laughed with him, all three together. He couldn't remember his father but he figured he would get those memories when he went back to Tooth for the rest.

"Always be cheerful, Jack. Never lose hope. Don't fall into sadness like I have. Thank you so much for bring a bit of joy back into my life."

He leaned against the cool window and his smile turned soft. He didn't know where those words came from. And that voice was not his mother's or sister's…but it made his heart happy in a sense. There was awe and delight when he remembered that particular phrase and he wondered who said it to him.

He may have not been able to follow those words. He had fallen to sadness, something those words did not want him too…but at least now, joy was back in his life. He had friends now, he had believers and the Guardians who he knew would become his family. He had the children, including Jamie and Sophie, both who were his favorite among them all (he ignored North's warning on favorite). He was happy. He was content.

He finally had a place to belong.

And he wouldn't want it any other way.


Kura: And we see a bit of Jack's past! And yeah…I have no idea about his dad…

Berry: …

Kura: …In any case, thank you to the guest reviewer Idon'tliketoast! Your review made me so happy that I wanted to update as soon as I could (but damn school)! In any case, I hope that you find this story again…as you are a guest reviewer so I don't know if you'll ever be reading this again…T-T

Berry: Please do review everybody. We would really like to know how you all think of this.

Kura: Please! It's my food! It fills me up with energy! Like seriously! Although…I really shouldn't say this cause sometimes I don't leave a review…ugh…

Berry: …

Kura: In any case, until the next update!