A Case of Frost
Chapter 8: The Pieces Come Together
"So what else do we know about this thing?" asked Dean the next day.
On returning to their room earlier that morning, they had found the very angry motel manager standing next to a couple of traumatised housekeepers. Like Jack had promised them the night before, the wall of ice had started melting, and the room was flooded. Sam and Dean had just enough time to collect their belongings before being promptly kicked out with a large bill for damages.
"Whoops," said Jack, but he was trying to hold in his laughter. Luckily for the brothers, the news hadn't spread far and they were welcomed into a cheap hotel on the other side of town.
Dean was currently pacing up and down their new room while Sam sat at the table with his laptop. Jack Frost crouched on one of the bedposts, turning his head back and forth to follow Dean's movements.
"It targets adults," said Sam, "Not just parents."
"It's strong," added Jack, "It can withstand my ice. And it's getting stronger." He didn't tell them how much that unsettled him. But when the thing had attacked Sarah's mother, one blast of ice had been enough to make it flee. Whatever the thing was, it was growing powerful.
Sam reached down, seemingly subconsciously, to rub his ankle. Jack's keen eyes could see dark purple bruises poking out from under his jeans. It had to hurt.
"Here," he said, forming a block of ice in his palm. He passed it over to Sam, who stared down at it in confusion. "For your feet."
"Oh. Thanks." Sam wrapped the ice in a thin cloth and pressed it to the bruising. A quiet sigh escaped his lungs at the soothing contact. Then he turned back to his brother. "It probably lives under beds," he said, "Drags people under and then eats their feet."
"Awesome," said Dean flatly, "So what, we've got the Bogeyman after our asses?"
Jack shook his head at that. "Not his style." The brothers looked at him. Jack frowned. "What?"
"Oh, come on!" said Dean, "The Bogeyman's real, too?"
"What do you mean, it's not his style?" asked Sam. He also looked disbelieving, but not as much as his brother.
"Pitch Black deals more in nightmares and fear," Jack explained, "And he wouldn't hide away under beds. Especially when I'm involved. He'd want to gloat. Anyway, I don't think he'd be strong enough to do all this. Last I heard, he was still underground. This is something else."
"What, then?" asked Dean, "Did you notice anything else last night? Maybe before it attacked?"
Jack thought hard. He rested his chin on top of his staff and tapped the wood. He hadn't been in the room when the thing had arrived. He wished now that he had - maybe he would've seen something. As it was, he hadn't even noticed it's presence until the Man had warned him. So he had to think about what had happened during the attack. It was difficult - he'd been too panicked and concerned with fighting back to really pay attention to the details. But there was one thing that came to mind.
"It said something," he told the brothers, "Right before it attacked Sam."
"What did it say?" asked Sam.
Jack tried to remember exactly. "Something like, 'You told children I'm not real so I'll change your mind.' Does that mean anything to you?"
Sam started shaking his head, but then his eyes filled with recognition. "Wait, it does! Yesterday, when we were talking to Sarah Birch. Remember, Dean?"
"She said her mom had told her that the monster wasn't real, didn't she?"
"Yeah, and then I told her that her mom was right. I was just trying to reassure her."
"Telling her that made the monster angry," said Jack, "Understandably. I'd be, at the very least, upset if grown-ups started trying to convince the kids that I wasn't real." He knew perfectly well that not being believed in was the worst feeling in the world. He bit back a shudder at the thought of going back to that. "Wait, that's it!"
Sam and Dean seemed rather taken aback by his sudden exclamation.
"That's what?" asked Sam.
"It's another Legend doing this!" said Jack, "A malevolent one."
The brothers looked at each other in confusion.
"Yeah, you've lost me," said Dean.
"Not the Bogeyman, but something like him. Like me," he told them, "It all makes sense! This Legend, whoever it is, wants belief! But the kids are being told that it's not real, so it's killing the adults in vengeance. And what better way to make kids believe in a monster than to kill their parents, right?"
During his explanation, he had straightened up on top of the bedpost, and started gesturing wildly. It was a habit of his that often flared up when he got enthusiastic or excited about something. He just couldn't make himself sit still. Bunny was always quick to tell him how annoying it was.
"Watch it!" said Dean, ducking out of the way when Jack accidentally swung his staff towards his head. "Why don't you put the stick down before you take my eye out?"
"Sorry," said Jack. He held onto it, though, instead opting to rest it across his shoulders and hang his arms comfortably over it. "But you get what this means, right?"
"Uhh." Dean didn't.
"We can find the Legend that's doing this! We can figure out how to stop it!"
"How can we do that?" asked Sam.
"The kids," Jack replied, "They have to know what's going on."
"Last time we tried, they didn't really feel like talking," said Dean.
Jack grinned. "But you didn't have me with you last time. Come on!"
He was already opening the window and silently calling on the wind to carry him. Before he could jump, though, something tugged him back by the fabric of his hood. He almost dropped his staff in surprise.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, looking up to find Sam holding him up. His feet were dangling in the air, and he struggled against Sam's hold, trying to push his hands away. Between this and North's yetis, he was starting to rethink the hoodie. "What are you - Put me down!"
"Don't go running off on us again," said Sam, "Last time you did that it took us ages to track you down."
"Then what would you suggest?"
Sam released him, thankfully, and he dropped about a foot to the ground. "You're coming with us."
Jack looked between the brothers in distaste. He wasn't a fan of cars. He hated them almost as much as shoes, in fact. Almost. Like shoes, they were too confining. Too small and closed in.
"Sure, your car's nice and all," he said, "but is that really necessary?"
"Yes," said Dean without missing a beat. Judging by his expression, he was enjoying Jack's discomfort. Maybe this was payback for all the pranks he'd pulled the previous day. "Suck it up, Snow White."
Jack smirked. "You know, if you weren't so annoying, I think I might actually like you." Before Dean could on decide whether or not that was a compliment, Jack was already halfway to the door. "Let's go, then."
They didn't let him call shotgun, either. He was stuck riding in the backseat, hand on the doorhandle and ready to fly out as soon as they stopped.
The kids were at the park again. Jack's snow day had worked, effectively closing the school and giving the children freedom for another day. It was nearly lunchtime, though, and many of the kids were starting to head home for a break. Jack scanned the crowd for Jamie. He caught sight of him walking towards his house, dragging his sister along on his sled behind him.
"Over there," Jack told his companions, starting forward. "Hey, kiddo!"
Jamie looked up at his voice, and his face lit up. "Jack! Thanks for the snow day! I hadn't done my homework, so you kind of saved my life."
Jack grinned. "No problem. Hey there, Soph," he added, "You been into the craft scissors again?"
Sophie giggled and beamed up at him from under her choppy, DIY haircut. She was never going to stop being adorable; it was something all the Guardians agreed on.
Sam and Dean caught up with them then, and Jamie looked instantly on guard. "What do you guys want now?"
"It's okay," said Jack quickly, although he couldn't help but feel proud of the distrustful glare Jamie was levelling the brothers with, "They're with me."
"But…" Jamie looked between the three, confused. Then, when he realised that Sam and Dean could see Jack, he looked even more confused. "I thought you said that grown-ups don't believe in anything."
"These guys are different," Jack told him, "And they're going to help me stop the bad guy."
"They are?" Jamie looked at them doubtfully. "But what about the other Guardians? North, and Bunny?"
"Bunny!" repeated Sophie, her face brightening. Annoyance flared up within Jack. Sophie was adorable, but she was also a constant source of rivalry between himself and Bunny - which Guardian did she like more?
"No need to bother them. The three of us is more than enough," Jack told Jamie. "Sam and Dean are much more capable than they look."
He shot the brothers the cheekiest look he could manage at their protests. But his words had reassured Jamie, who looked much happier.
"I told you Jack didn't do anything wrong," he said, grinning.
"We never doubted it," Sam lied quickly. Jack gave him a pointed look which he ignored. "Jamie, we just have to ask you a few more questions."
"You aren't real FBI agents, are you?" It wasn't really a question. Jamie was very smart for his age. Jack could see that he knew perfectly well that the brothers had been lying about their identities. It didn't seem to bother him, though. "What do you need? Sophie," he added to his sister, "go on home without me. Tell Mom I won't be long."
"Okay, Jamie," said Sophie brightly, clambering off the sled, "Bye-bye, Jack!"
"We need your help," said Jack after she was gone, putting a hand on Jamie's shoulder and crouching down to his level, "Do you want to be a hero?"
Jamie looked excited at the thought. "Can I help you fight the monsters again?"
Jack chuckled. "Not this time, kiddo. But your help will be just as important. You see, Sam and Dean here are helping me track down the monster, but we don't know what we're looking for. Jamie, I think you can help us out."
"Me? But I don't know what the monster is."
"Are you sure? Your friends have been talking, right?" Jack grinned at him. "What do they say? It's very important, Jamie. You can be like - like a spy!"
"Well," said Jamie, brightening visibly at the comparison, "Sarah told me the other day that there was a monster hiding in her room that hurt Mark's dad. I tried to tell her that it wasn't real, but then it hurt her mom and now everyone's talking about it."
"Did she say what kind of monster it was?" asked Sam.
Jamie looked up at him. "She said the monster under her bed. She said that it snatches you by the ankles if you're not careful and pulls you under, and that you're never seen again."
A monster under the bed, thought Jack. No, that wasn't quite right. Not a monster…
"The Monster Under the Bed?" asked Dean. He looked at Jack in question. "I thought that was the Bogeyman."
"It's not," said Jack, "It has to be something different. But the Monster Under the Bed… I've never heard of it before." He looked back at Jamie, who was listening, wide-eyed, to their exchange. "Jamie, why didn't you mention this before?"
"I'm sorry, Jack," he replied, "I just thought… If it was something like you, then if no-one believed in it, it wouldn't be able to hurt us."
Jack squeezed the boy's shoulder fondly. "Smart thinking," he said, "But you don't need to be worried about that. Didn't I tell you that I wouldn't let anything hurt you?"
"I know," said Jamie, looking down at his feet in embarrassment, "Jack, you're going to stop this thing, aren't you? Like you stopped the Bogeyman?"
"Of course we are." Jack grinned at him reassuringly. "You just have to believe in me."
Jamie laughed. They both knew that if anyone would continue to believe in Jack, it would be him. Jamie gave Sam and Dean a very serious look then. "You two need to make sure he doesn't do anything really stupid."
"Hey!" said Jack. He waved his staff mock-threateningly. "Watch it, kid, or I'll freeze your tongue to your teeth." He wouldn't, of course. He would never willingly incur Tooth's wrath like that.
"We'll keep an eye on him," Sam promised anyway, "He'll be okay with us."
"Hey!" Jack frowned at the nodding brothers. He knew how to take care of himself. He'd done so for three centuries. "Jamie, you should get going before your mom comes looking for you." Also, he didn't want Jamie to see him hit the brothers with his staff. He didn't condone violence around kids. But he didn't mention this part.
"Okay." Jamie waved his gloved fingers at Sam and Dean, and then started crossing the road towards his house. "Bye, Jack!"
"Take care, kiddo."
As soon as Jamie was out of sight, Jack swung his staff lightly at the brothers' heads, hitting them both in one swift movement.
"Ow!"
"Hey!"
Jack smirked and leaned casually against the staff, shoving his spare hand into his hoodie pocket. "That's what happens when you treat me like a kid."
"Don't we have more important things to focus on?" asked Sam, rubbing the back of his head. Flakes of ice fell from his hair at the movement.
"Yeah, like the fact that we need to figure out how to kill the Bogeyman?" asked Dean.
"I told you," said Jack, frustrated, "It's not the Bogeyman. It's the Monster Under the Bed. Two different… Wait, I've got it!" He jumped and floated several feet in the air in his sudden excitement. Dean's words had given him an idea. "Pitch! He might know more about this thing! He could tell us how to stop it!"
"Pitch…the Bogeyman, right?" said Sam, "The real one?"
Jack nodded eagerly. "Sure, he's not exactly my biggest fan. But, between the three of us, we could make him talk."
"So let me get this straight," said Dean, "You want us to just go and talk to the Bogeyman. To find out how to kill the Monster Under the Bed. The real deal Bogeyman. Who apparently has a grudge against you. Are you out of your mind?"
"Can you think of any better ideas?" Jack challenged. When the brothers came up with nothing, he continued. "We'll be fine. Pitch is still too weak to do anything."
"You're sure about that?" asked Dean, "I've never met the guy, and even I don't think this is a good idea."
"Is this what Jamie meant, about you doing something really stupid?" asked Sam. Jack scowled. "Okay, fine. If you're sure about this, then I'm in."
They looked at Dean, who quickly realised he was outnumbered. "Let me get the shotgun first."
A/N: Soooo, yeah. How am I going? Everyone still enjoying it?
Thank you for all the reviews and feedback so far! Please keep the awesomeness up!
On another note, I think there's only a few chapters to go! Which means you only have to put up with me for a few more weeks. Which also means that there should (hopefully) be plenty of action from here on.
Thanks for reading! I hope everyone's still liking it!
