My dear readers,
It has come to my attention that every time I receive a review, I make an involuntary noise of pure happiness. Also sometimes I jump around a bit in excitement. I'm starting to get weird looks in public. That being said, I would request something of you.
BRING ON THE EMBARRASSMENT! Also, to those it may concern, I had a lovely birthday and I totally was not sick and I got a ton of William Joyce books and it was amazing. The bad news: I totally AM sick now, but not sick enough to give me an excuse to stay at home and write.
On another note, I think I've decided that yetis are really bad liars. Thought you should know.
Anyway, update! *gestures spastically in direction of chapter* I hope you guys like it! you're amazing, I love you all!
Chapter 7
Secrets? Part 2
"Jamie, come inside! Lunch is ready!" The nine-year-old lowered the snowball he was about to throw and glanced at his house. His mother pulled her head back inside to the warmth of the kitchen. "It's getting cold!"
Jamie's wide brown eyes drifted hesitantly to his playmate, wanting to stay out but unable to ignore his growling stomach. Jack Frost smiled and nodded in the direction of the house. "Go on. I'll still be here when you get back."
"I'll eat fast!" Jamie promised, bounding through the still-open door of his house. Jack smiled as he imagined Mrs. Bennett gently scolding her son for tracking snow in. He was about to turn away from the house and start strolling around the yard when a head poked out the back door again.
"You too. Come on," said Mrs. Bennett.
"...What?" It took a minute for Jack to process what she had said.
"Come inside. You must be hungry. You boys have been running around all morning."
Jack smiled and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm fine, really. I'll just wait 'till Jamie's done."
"Jackson Frost, get in here and eat your lunch."
The use of his full name was enough to get Jack to deflate and shuffle inside. How she even learned that Jack was a nickname in the first place was beyond him. He supposed mothers just had a sense for that sort of thing.
Jamie was already sitting at the kitchen counter with a grilled cheese sandwich, carrots and a glass of milk. Abby, the family greyhound, settled at his feet, attentive of dropped crumbs. A second plate was set out and Jack took a seat on the chair in front of it after leaning his staff against the counter.
Jack had had few grilled cheese sandwiches in his lifetime, and never one that was actually made fresh for him. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a full meal that hadn't been scavenged from several different places and gone cold long since. Not that he minded cold things. But still, this was pretty great. He finished all of it off within a couple of minutes and left the plate completely clean.
Mrs. Bennett smiled at him as she leaned against the counter and wiped her hands off on a towel. She glanced at her watch. "I've got to go to work. Bye Jamie." She walked around the counter, kissed her son's head, and then gave Jack a look that was equal parts knowing and affectionate. "Keep out of trouble, you two. I'll be back in a few hours." She left the room. Seconds later, the muffled sound of a car leaving the driveway found its way to the two.
Jack stood, grabbed his staff and wandered around the kitchen while Jamie finished eating. The teen settled against the counter and rested his chin on his palm, tousled snowy bangs resting just over his eyebrows.
"Would you tell your mom that she doesn't have to keep feeding me all the time? I feel bad eating all your food."
"She wouldn't listen." Jamie glanced at him and smirked. "She says you're too skinny."
Jack huffed. "What is with adults and thinking I'm too skinny? I'm a three hundred year old spirit; I'm not going to starve to death!"
Jamie rolled his eyes. "There are worse things than being doted on by a mom."
"Like what?"
"Being chewed out by one."
Having recently remembered what that was like, Jack had to agree. "So we probably shouldn't get into major trouble today, huh?"
"If we want to escape the mothering with our lives? Yeah, probably."
There was a long silence.
Jack fidgeted. "But you know, if it's just a little trouble…."
A tiny smile crept onto Jamie's face. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind that much."
"Gotta keep parents on their toes, right?" Jack proposed.
"It's for their own good, really..." Jamie said. They grinned at each other.
Within a few minutes, they were laying in the downy layer of snow on the roof of the Bennett house, enjoying the view of the white-coated forest while they dropped snowballs on the lawn from above.
Jamie tossed a snowball that arced across the yard to burst with a thunk at the bottom of a bucket. "I made it!" he cried.
"You did learn from the best," Jack winked. They sat in companionable silence for a moment until Jamie's thoughts took a contemplative turn.
"Hey Jack?"
His friend looked up. "Yeah?"
"How do you get on the naughty list?"
Jack paused and looked over at the boy next to him. "You want to be on the naughty list?" he said incredulously.
Jamie back-pedaled. "No! No, I mean, Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I wanna be very extra sure that I'm nice. You know, just in case."
Jack thought for a moment. "Well, I do know a lot about being on the naughty list; I hold the all-time record. But how to not be naughty..."
"Like, I get that I should eat my vegetables and clean my room and not get mad at Sophie-" Jack's eyebrows rose at the mention of a clean bedroom- "but what if I mess up and do something stupid? And what if-"
"Hey, hey, slow down there," Jack said, catching the boy's eye and giving a little grin. "What I've figured out in my many years is that you're only as naughty as you try to be."
Jamie's brow furrowed as he processed what Jack had said, but his shoulders relaxed a little. "But... you were naughty and you're not bad."
Jack sat up and fixed his first believer with a clear blue gaze. "Just because someone acts naughty doesn't mean that they're bad. When I was naughty, it was because I was frustrated, and bored, and even though people couldn't see me, they could still see stuff I did. So I sort of got in to some mischief. I didn't hurt anyone, but not everybody likes stuff like that and slipping on ice is a good way to make a bad day worse."
"So you don't prank people anymore?" Jamie said incredulously, pulling himself up to sit across from Jack on the roof.
"Ah," Jack said, wagging a finger, "I never said that."
"But, if pranking is bad-"
"Pranking strangers is bad. People who don't want to play along. But a little tease for somebody you know for a good laugh is fine. You should see some of the tricks Sandy has pulled..."
Jamie laughed. "So I'm really okay? If I mess up I won't get a bunch of coal?"
"As long as you try your best to be good, you'll be fine. And if I know a good kid, it's you. Plus, having helped save the world with the big man himself definitely doesn't hurt things." Jack elbowed the boy's shoulder playfully.
Jamie smiled. "Thanks, Jack."
"That's what I'm here for. Well, that and this," Jack said, dumping a chunk of powdery snow on his friend.
It was dark by the time they got back. Of course, when the sun sets at 5 PM that's not really saying much. Jamie was quiet in the tired satisfaction of having worn himself out having fun all day long. In fact, he seemed to be practically asleep as Jack carried him on his back. Jack turned his head to look at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "Hey kiddo, you good back there?"
Jamie grunted slightly in response. Jack chuckled fondly and called the wind to sweep him up to the windowsill of the boy's room. As he stepped in, he remembered putting Sophie to bed after she got into the Warren, and he decided not to drop the kid on the floor this time.
Jack gently untangled the boy's arms from around his neck and set him on the bed, feeling a small rush of victory as Jamie didn't roll off. Jack tugged off the boy's winter coat, deposited it on the floor, and laid the covers over his first believer.
"Good night, kiddo."
Jamie stirred and pulled his eyes half-open. "Jack?"
"Yeah, bud?"
"You're a really good big brother..." the boy slurred.
Jack crouched by the bed and smiled, gently ruffling the boy's hair. "I've had a lot of practice." He stood and stepped to the window, pale hair and skin glowing in the moonlight. He could've gone downstairs and through the front door now, but... old habits.
"Come back soon, okay?" Jamie yawned. He turned over and fell asleep with a small sigh.
Tranquil silence immersed the room like warm water. In the darkness, the winter spirit stepped soundlessly onto the windowsill. "Always, Jamie," he whispered. With a faint breath of wind and a flurry of snowflakes, he was gone.
Every year, the Guardians met at the Pole on Christmas Day to meet North as he returned from another successful year of wonder distribution. Bunny complained every year ("Ya don't see me throwin' a party after ev'ry Easter!") but every year all of them came nonetheless. Before the battle with Pitch, the Christmas party had often been one of the only times during the year that the Guardians were all together. This year they had a new Guardian, and being the festive over-achiever he was, North wanted Jack's first Christmas with them to be something special.
The sky was dark when the four gathered at the Pole to await North's arrival, giving it the appearance of being late at night. (Technically, it was always dark at the North Pole during the winter, but the yetis generally kept things very well-lit inside.) The Tooth Fairy zipped in through an open window, sighing at the wave of heat that greeted her. She brushed bits of snow from her iridescent feathers, which fluffed up as she shivered. "The wind out there is freezing," she muttered, rubbing her arms to warm feeling back into them. A cup of hot chocolate appeared in front of her and she gratefully accepted it, noticing a bit late the person was handing it to her.
"Jack! You're here early!"
The winter spirit smiled at her greeting and gestured to the mug held in Tooth's petite hands. "Sorry if it's a little cold," he said sheepishly. "I should've had Bunny take it instead..."
Tooth shook her head. "It's perfect. Now I won't burn myself." She smiled at the relief on Jack's face. "Now, is everybody here?"
"Sandy got here a few minutes ago and Bunny's been here about as long as I have. They're over here," he said, leading her to the area of the globe room that was occupied by a roaring fireplace and cozy armchairs. Sandy waved to them as they came over, and Bunny looked up from his place near the fire.
"Just in time," he said. "North's due back any minute."
A radio sitting on one of the side tables played quiet Christmas carols as Jack curled up on one of the couches. An elf that knew better than to offer Tooth sugar tottered past with a platter of cookies. Jack accepted a chocolate chip and bit into it eagerly, not noticing the tooth fairy flinch as gooey fudge coated his once-sparkling incisors.
Tooth bit her lip, fingers twitching with the need to pry open Jack's mouth and assess the damage.
"Jack, do you know how much sugar is in those? You're going to make yourself sick! And don't even get me started on cavities-"
"Ah, it's Christmas, Tooth! Let the kid have 'is cookie," Bunny said.
Tooth sighed. "Honestly, the day you invented chocolate..." A tiny streak of jewel-like green feathers zipped up to the fairy and hovered in the air near her head, sending out a string of rapid nonsensical chirps. It seemed to make sense to Tooth, though, because she clapped her hands and rose a good six inches higher in the air.
"He's coming!"
Despite the enormous amount of work it took to oversee the delivery of toys to millions of children worldwide over the course of a single night, North always felt good on Christmas. Maybe it had something to do with the payoff of a year's work bringing joy to children, or the enormous rush of wonder and belief. Or maybe it was the anticipation of the upcoming celebration. In any case, North's spirits were soaring higher than the sleigh he was steering in for a landing. The hooves of two, four, six reindeer connected with the ground, followed closely by the enormous skis of the magical sleigh, which was now much lighter as it returned to the Pole than it had been leaving.
The big Russian swung down from the seat before the vehicle had come to a stop and was greeted by three very familiar figures standing in the doorway, just as they had every year. And there, on the end, stood their slightly awkward newest Guardian. North grinned broadly and strode forward, spreading his arms in a grand gesture.
"My friends! It is the end of another successful year!" Behind him, the yetis that were busily unhitching the tired reindeer from the sleigh paused in their work to high-five each other, enormously relieved at the promise of relaxing for a few weeks before starting over once more.
"Now, let us celebrate!" North boomed, clapping Bunny and Jack on the shoulder and steering the group down the hallway. After all, the best gift of the night had yet to be given. North motioned for some yetis to follow them and began directed the group into the central room that ran vertically through the Pole. It was only vaguely familiar to Jack, but before he could get a clear view, he was swept down another hallway.
"And then in Italy," North was saying, "the navigation system was two cities off course! Luckily we were able to go back…."
"Yeah..." Jack mumbled, watching as a yeti they passed elbowed another and nodded toward him. He narrowed his eyes at them but the Guardians rounded a corner up ahead and Jack had to jog to catch up. North was still talking-actually all the Guardians seemed to be excited about something-but Jack couldn't focus on what they were saying. The number of yetis accompanying them had increased threefold in the past few minutes, and each time he looked back there seemed to be one or two more of them, trying to look inconspicuous but failing miserably.
A dull thunk caught Jack's attention and he looked back to see one of them scrambling to pick up a silver plate that was rolling noisily on the floor. The yeti froze when he saw Jack looking at him and the plate tipped over and clattered on the ground. The yeti straightened quickly and kicked the offending object under a nearby table, eyes flicking nervously from Jack to a very interesting spot on the wall. The other yetis drew back slightly, averting their eyes as if to say 'nothing to see here, nope, nope.'
"Jack!" Whoops, falling behind again. Couldn't he focus for once instead of getting distracted?
He turned to face forward again, but the hall was empty. Jack paused and looked back at the yetis, who had stopped in a dense clump several yards away and were staring at him intently.
"Guys?" Jack called, inching forward. A single door stood to Jack's left in the otherwise empty hallway.
"In here!" came Tooth's muffled voice. The yetis leaned forward, wide eyes peeking out expectantly from their long fur. The hall was bathed in a watchful silence, as if Jack was about to do something interesting and important. He glanced back at the door, a tingle of irrational nervousness pricking the back of his neck.
The door was made of glossy, deep brown wood. A carving of the elaborate Guardians' G dominated the center. Jack pressed his palm against it, the smooth surface cold beneath his hand, and cautiously pushed.
"Finally-"
"Bunny, shhh!"
The thick door swung open and Jack stepped into the room. Bunny, North, Tooth and Sandy stood together just inside the doorway. Jack had never seen this room before- actually he had never seen this area of the Pole before- and it seemed to him a little remote for a place to hold a celebration. Of course, he couldn't see much with the Guardians in the way…. Jack studied each of the faces in front of him, completely lost.
"Jack," Tooth bit her lip in excitement and glanced at the Guardians beside her, "welcome to your room." Almost in unison, the four moved back to allow Jack to see.
It was… incredible. The room was spacious and rectangular, with a domed ceiling ending a good fifty feet above them. The middle half of the wall straight ahead was bent outward in a shallow semicircle taken up by a set of four enormous windows, the sill of which was a continuous arc of cushioned benches complete with matching pillows. The two middle windows opened outward to overlook the striking white of the walls of ice that surrounded the Pole. Against the left wall was a bed with sheets in ice blue and white and a dresser and nightstand made of dark brown wood. On the right, an undecorated Christmas tree and a couple of armchairs stood beside the roaring fireplace. A row of short bookcases lined the wall next to the door.
Jack stepped forward and glanced down in surprise as his foot sank into a soft white rug spread out in the center of the room. Tiny snowflake patterns were carved into the furniture and a painting of Burgess-by Bunny, no doubt-hung on the wall. The fireplace gave the room a comfortable brightness, but didn't actually give off any heat, so as to keep the winter spirit as comfortable as possible. He took in the full view in awe before his gaze settled on the Guardians, who were staring at him like a proud parent on Christmas morning.
Jack was dumbstruck. "You guys made all of this… for me?"
"'Course we did, ya gumby," Bunny said. "Yer one of us now."
Jack tentatively ran a hand along the bedpost, as if unsure if it was actually real.
"Do you like it?" Tooth asked.
Jack laughed. "Like it? It's…" he gazed around the room as if lost for words. "It's perfect." The group of yetis clustered just outside the doorway exchanged quiet fist-bumps.
"This is your personal guest room to use whenever you like," North said. "It belongs to you, so you are welcome to stay here whenever there's Guardian business to take care of. Just don't let your house collect dust while you're away!" North winked.
Jack shifted his gaze, blushing slightly pink. "That won't be a problem."
There was a silence in which the winter spirit deeply regretted saying anything.
"Jack… what do you mean?" Tooth asked.
"Ya do have a house, don't ya?" Bunny said, concern showing through his usual gruffness.
Jack fidgeted. "You mean like an actual building, or…" He of course knew what they meant, but he couldn't bring himself to answer the question. He glanced up at the mixture of shocked and guilty expressions in front of him. "But-but it's not a big deal, I mean it's pretty common for seasonal spirits to… I mean I have to move around a lot and Burgess gets too hot in the summer, so…." He cleared his throat. "It's fine. Really."
Jack's words seemed to reach the Guardians through a haze. In a way, he was right. It was common for elemental spirits to wander wherever the season took them, but it hadn't occurred to them that Jack, their Jack, didn't have a place that was truly his. Each of them had noticed that the frost spirit seemed somewhat guarded around them, which was understandable, considering the fact that he was new to their group. Jack would open up once he got used to things. But it seemed… deeper than that. The boy visited each of them often and seemed to love their company, but he never stayed for very long and rarely accepted things he was offered, as if he were afraid of overstaying his welcome (a feat that was virtually impossible in North's book at least). He would sometimes stand slightly away from them, as if wanting to approach but afraid to. North had hoped that the new room would help to loosen the boy up around them, and he did his best to make the room somewhere Jack would feel at home.
He hadn't realized that it would be the boy's only home.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tooth whispered.
"I don't know-you guys are busy enough without having to worry about me all the time." Jack's body turned slightly away from the four and he looked at them out of the corner of his eye. "I'm fine, I can take care of myself."
Bunny shook his head, long gray ears swaying. "Ya don't get it, Frostbite. It's our job ta worry about ya. I know yer not used to it, but you don't have to do everythin' alone all the time!"
Jack stepped back. "I know! It's just… I can take care of myself. I always have, and you guys don't need to be bothered by my problems all the time. I'm fine." His hands itched and he fought the urge to pull up his hood. When he became a Guardian, he had promised himself. He wouldn't mess things up this time. He would be a good Guardian and he would take care of his own problems. He wouldn't be a burden. He wouldn't ruin everything when the possibilities of all he had ever wanted were right here. Couldn't they just see that?
Sandy, recognizing the downward turn the conversation was taking, nudged North, miming for him to relieve the tension before the flighty winter teen made use of the new windows.
North caught his meaning. "Jack," he said quietly. He waited for the boy to meet his eyes before continuing. "We're sorry. You do not need to tell us anything you do not wish to.
"But," he added, "you do not have to worry about inconveniencing us. We are a team, and we work with each other and for each other. Anything you need we will happily do."
Jack shook his head. "I know that, but I can carry my own weight."
North thought for a moment. "When all of the tooth fairies were taken, Tooth needed our help. We helped her collect the teeth so that children would keep believing, yes?"
"I remember…." Jack muttered.
"Because Tooth needed our help, did that make her a burden?" North asked.
"No," Jack looked up at him, hesitant understanding dawning on his face, "it turned out to be fun. We liked helping her… because she's important."
"Exactly." North smiled. "You don't have to come to us for everything, but you should never be afraid to ask for our help."
"An' if you get into trouble, you better believe we'll come running, whetha' ya want us to or not," Bunny pitched in.
"You mess with one of us, you mess with us all," Tooth said. One of Sandy's small fists connected with his palm for emphasis.
Jack's studied each of their faces, astonished for the second time that day. "...Really?"
Tooth flitted forward and set a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Of course, Sweet Tooth."
"So, ah, since we're done with that…" Bunny cleared his throat. "We gonna decorate this tree or what?" He gestured to the boxes of ornaments that had been deposited at the foot of the nine-foot pine.
When said tree had been draped in lights and ornaments and covered in a dusting of ice until it glittered, the five of them sat in front of the cold fireplace, enjoying the treats that had been brought to them (which also took a while because the elves kept getting lost on the way to the new room).
Eventually, duty called, and one by one, Sandy, Tooth and Bunny left to resume their respective posts bringing joy to children until North and Jack sat together watching the crackling of the dying fire.
The big man broke the silence. "You know, Jack, the other Guardians have rooms here as well, but if you wanted to make your stay permanent... Well, we would be more than happy to have you."
Jack looked over at him. "You want me to live here?"
"Only if you want to."
Jack smiled in the dim light of the fire. "I'd like that."
North grinned and clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Good! Ah, I almost forgot-" He rummaged in his thick coat for a moment before producing something and handing it to Jack. "From the yetis. They thought you might like it."
It was a light blue stuffed whale that was as round as it was soft. A little smile was sewn onto its face, and it seemed to be homemade.
Jack chuckled. "A whale?"
"Don't ask me, it was Phil's idea."
"It is pretty adorable," Jack admitted. He grinned. "I shall call him Wallace."
North stood and stretched. Then, after a moment's hesitation, turned and lightly ruffled Jack's snowy hair. "It has been a busy night; both of us should get some rest. I am glad you decided to stay."
They said their good nights and the big man made his way to the door and opened it quietly. Jack stood, looking across the room to the broad silhouette in the doorway.
"North?"
The man paused. "Yes?"
Gentle silence briefly filled the room. "Thank you."
North smiled gently. "Always, Jack."
Look at me on the bandwagon! With The. Longest. Chapter. Yet. Woo hoo! But seriously, this chapter was like two chapters, and it was surprisingly difficult to write, considering its been stewing in my brain for a couple months. My concept sketches of Jack's room (including, yes, a picture of Wallace) can be found on my brand spanking new deviantart page: boxofeccentricities,deviantart,com.
oh and p.s. PLEASE REVIEW! IT'S WORTH THE WEIRD LOOKS! Requests and prompts are welcome! What do you guys like? What do you want to see more of? Do you want angst? H/C? More fluff? Or, dare I say, something more? Because I have some half baked ideas for a PLOT ARC. With VILLAINS and SINISTER DEEDS. Let me know what you would like. ;)
