I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of their Characters, Calavera however is mine, so don't steal her! Please enjoy and review.
Recap: Pitch chuckled, "Didn't they tell you, Jack, Calavera? It's great being a Guardian – but there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect - wonder, hopes and dreams - it all goes away. And little by little, so do they. No Christmas, or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing. But fear, darkness," He glanced meaningfully at me and smiled, "Death, and me! It's your turn not to be believed in!"
Dad threw his boomerangs at Pitch, who quickly ducked out of the way as they fly around the chamber columns. Pitch then jumps onto the back of his Nightmare down into the depths of the Palace. The Guardians dive after him, and after shaking off our stunned feeling Jack and I follow.
I saw dad grab a set of egg bombs and launch them at Pitch, who somehow manages to dodge each and the last one exploding seconds before Pitch hits the ground. We land on the ground weapons drawn glancing around.
A minute passes, than another, finally North lowers his swords, "His gone."
"For how long?" Dad asks wrapping an arm around my shoulders, Onyx and Scarlet Go back into scarf form and rub comfortingly at my cheeks I run my hands along them in thanks. But dad was right Pitch would be back, and what was I going to do, Pitch clearly thought he was going to get me to join him, I was helping him, not intentionally to be sure, but he's right what is more feared than death….
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Tooth, deflated, sat on the ground with an empty tooth box in her hands. Baby Tooth, who was resting on a nearby broken tooth box, looks to Tooth with concern. Jack and I walked up and crouched down alongside Tooth.
We could hear dad talking to North a short ways behind us, "Okay, alright I admit it, you were right about Pitch."
North sighed, "This is one time I wish I was wrong. But he will pay."
Jack whispered to Tooth, "I'm sorry, about the fairies."
Tooth looked to Baby Tooth and smiled sadly, "You should've seen them. They put up such a fight."
"Why would Pitch take the teeth?" I ask curiously.
Tooth shook her head, "It's not the teeth he wanted. It's the memories inside them."
I raised an eyebrow, "I don't follow."
She looked up and met my eyes than Jack's, who was giving her an equally confused look.
"That's why we collect the teeth, you guys. They hold the most important memories of childhood." Tooth directs us to a mural on a nearby wall, which illustrates what she's telling us. "My fairies and I watch over them and when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them."
I gazed at the wall in wonder as she flew between Jack and me and put a hand on each of our shoulders, "We had everyone's here. Yours too."
My head whipped around to look at her, "WHAT?!"
And the same time Jack asked, "My memories?"
Tooth raised an eyebrow at us, "From when you were young. Before you became Jack Frost and Calavera Catrina."
I shook my head, "I wasn't anyone before I was Calavera" Jack nodded his agreement.
Tooth smiled, still slightly confused, "Of course you were. We were all someone before we were chosen."
"What…." Jack trailed off as this mind tried to comprehend this new info.
"You should've seen Bunny" North chortled
And dad angrily points at north and hisses in a whisper, "Hey, I told you never to mention that!"
Jack was look down muttering to himself, "That night at the pond...I just, why I assumed...Are you saying, are you saying I had a life before that? With a home? And a family?"
I looked at her beseechingly, "I wasn't always death? I was a normal girl? With friends, with…people who loved me?"
Tooth looked worriedly between us, "You really don't remember?"
Jack began jumping around excitedly, "All these years, and the answers were right here. If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here. You have to show me."
I looked down at my hands, did I want to know what I did in a past life to become death? Had…had I really done something that awful?
Tooth looked despaired, "I...I can't, Jack. Pitch has them."
"Then we have to get them back!"
Tooth looks like she wants to say something but suddenly, a patch of Tooth's feathers fall out, and disappears. The Guardians eyes fill with worry. "Oh no!" Tooth whispers, "We're too late!"
North growled angrily, "No! No! No such thing as too late!" he begins to pace frantically and as he gets and idea he points his swords at all of us nearly taking dad's noes off. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Idea! HAHH! We will collect the teeth!"
"What?!" Tooth squawks.
"We get teeth! Children keep believing in you!"
"We're talking seven continents! Millions of kids!"
"Give me break! You know how many toys I deliver in one night?"
Dad hopped up next to us proudly, "And eggs I hide in one day?"
Tooth smiles happily, and North turns to Jack and I, "And Jack, Calavera, if you help us, we will get you your memories."
Jack whooped and I just nodded still uncertain if I wanted my memories back.
"Let's do this!" Jack hollered.
"Alright lets gear up and get going." North called out. We went about gather some sacks for the teeth. And I took a deep breath trying to calm myself.
"Hey? You ok?" I looked up to see Jack hovering worriedly behind me.
I gave him a sad smile, "Pitch just kinda freaked me out is all."
I expected him to make some joke, try and lighten the mood, but he flew over and wrapped me in a hug. I was struck dumb, I didn't move, a strange feeling spread in my stomach and I could feel my face turning bright red.
"I'm sorry," Jack whispered in my ear, "He moved so face and I was so shock by the things he was saying I didn't act, I didn't come to help you when you needed me. I could have done something and I just stood there like an idiot." I blinked a few times opened my mouth hoping something would come out. But I just stood there, mouth flailing like an idiot. Thankful I was saved by another voice.
"You're not the only one who should apologize frostbite." I turned to see dad had come up behind us. His eyes were filled with regret. Jack released me and backed up a few steps.
"Dad?" I asked confused.
He looked down, "You had four guardians there, and frostbite, and none of us thought Pitch would focus on you. I'm sorry Cala girl. I should have moved the minute Pitch was by you, I was just worried he'd use you against us. But that's no excuse I promise you I will not let him near you again." Determination lite up his eyes and a lump formed in my throat. I swallowed and leapt into his arms.
He enveloped me in a warm hug and kissed the top of my head. "Thanks dad" I said as I pulled back. And then I turned to Jack and smirked, "and you guys got nothing to apologies for, lets e honest none of us moved when Pitch focused on Frosty the snowman over here either."
Jack glowered playfully and gently shoved my shoulder. "Whatever you say skeleton princess." I stuck my tongue out at him, glade we'd lightened the mood. I grinned wickedly as an idea popped into my head. "Hey Jacky boy, I bet my dad and I can gather more teeth than you can tonight!"
Jack's eyes flashed brightly at the challenge. "Your on Cala!"
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We were Dashing along the rooftops, Sandy and Tooth, and Jack flying, North was jumping through chimneys, dad was putting his rabbit legs to good use and Onyx and Scarlet where helping me scale the buildings.
"Quickly! Quickly!" North shouted excitedly. I laughed, this was the kind of fun I'd gotten used to hanging out with jack the last few decades.
"Hop to it rabbit, I'm five teeth ahead!" I glanced over to see Jack making fun of my dad again. Who glowered up at him.
"Yeah right, look, I'd tell you to stay outta my way, but really what's the point - because you won't be able to keep up anyway."
I swung up beside them and kept pace, which was harder to do thank you might think.
"Is that a challenge, cottontail?" Jack asked cockily
Dad grinned at him and looked at me expectantly as I answered for him in my best Australian accent, "Oh, you don't wanna race a rabbit, mate" Dad and I took off, tag teaming agaist the rest of them.
North over hears us, "A race? Is it a race? This is going to be... EPIC!"
I glance over the rooftops to see Tooth going ballistic and I veer off, telling dad I'll catch up and swing up to a billboard with Jack too see what Tooth's on about.
"Four bicuspids over there! An incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar? They're EVERYWHERE!" unfortunately she wasn't paying attention and flew right into the toothpaste billboard we were on. I winced in sympathy.
"You alright Tooth?" Jack and I called down.
She's holding her nose and shakes her head to clear it before flying up to us still looking excited, "Fine...sorry, it's been a really long time since I've been out in the field."
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Ah, four hundred forty years...give or take." Suddenly she jerks to attention and points past us before flying off excitedly.
I elbow Jack in the ribs, "She's old enough to be your ma and she's looking at you with goo, goo eyes."
Hehe sticks his tongue out at me before shooting a questioning look at Baby Tooth, who shrugged sheepishly.
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Dad and I had just hopped out of one of his rabbit holes and grabbed a tooth. Dad holds it up tauntingly and I turn to see Jack glowing in the window. I snickered, and he shot us with frost. Oh it was so on! As we got ourselves deiced, dad was about to hop out when I cleared my throat and gestured to the kid in the bed.
"What?" he asked confused and I face palmed.
With a sigh I took a quarter out of my pocket and stuck it under his pillow. Dad had the decency to blush and I shook my head, really who could forget that part of the job.
Soon I swung in and out of the houses leaving gifts and taking teeth. It was a fun event, I even hear North found a house with twins, and dad got a hockey player who lost lots of teeth. Finalley I met up with dad and added my collection to his. We hi-fived and Onyx and Scarlet flew around us happily. We all met up with Tooth later and held out the bags of teeth.
She fluttered around excitedly, "Wow! You guys collect teeth and leave gifts as fast as my fairies."
The other guardians looked sheepishly, and she turned serious, "You guys have been leaving gifts right?"
I sighed, "Really? Even dad forgot until I reminded him. You're all hopeless." We all set out to leave gifts at the places the others forgot. We all stood in line in a laundromat, waiting their turn to put dollar bills into a coin dispenser. What can I say? I ran out of coins. For the love of the Moon it was going to be a long night.
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That's chapter 9 ladies and gents, please leave a review and I'll get to working on chapter 10.
