Hello there! I'm sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I stayed up late updating the last chapter and so I fell asleep on the couch last night -.- As far as the rest of the story goes, I daresay I am reaching the end! I can see two more chapters. Maaaaaaybe an epilogue? I haven't thought that far into the future yet.

But, THANK YOU iMusicMonstrosity, That Girl in the TARDIS, Lady Minuialwen, & Anon-e-mouse for letting me know you wanted more! Gives me that extra bit of strength to sit at the computer and focus :)

ALSO that was the worst of it! I can't promise, but I don't have anything evil like that planned in the future as far as I'm concerned XD

Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights

Chapter Ten: Fallout

Claire Breeze…

"Mmm…what?" Claire stirred on the pavement, opening her eyes to see a light snowfall falling from the clouds. She shifted, trying to right herself into a sitting position. Having successfully sat up, she took inventory of her wounds. She noticed that her right leg was still a solid block of ice below the knee. However, none of her other injuries seemed to hurt anymore. Her thoughts about standing were interrupted by a voice piercing the night.

"NO!" She heard as if from a dream…a nightmare. She shook her head, trying to regain her senses while searching for the voice.

Pitch continued to wail in anguish as he saw Jack unconscious by the streetlight. He parried an attack from North before sending a barrage of black sandy spikes in every direction. North blocked his swords in front of him for protection, and when he could see again, Pitch was already far away, near a street gutter.

"You'll pay for this!" he spat, still backing away. "I'm not done yet; you'll never finish me!"

With a puff of smoke, he disappeared into the dark gutter.

Claire felt a small amount of relief at his disappearance. Her eyes then fell to Jack, and her heartache and fears returned tenfold. Ignoring her frozen leg, she struggled to her feet. Once she righted herself, she noticed that her leg didn't hurt either, despite being frozen solid. She hobbled quickly over to Jack's side, bringing his head into her lap.

She shook him gently. "Jack," she called gently, "Jack! Please don't be dead," she said, running her fingers through his hair, trying to wake him.

He didn't move.

Claire redoubled her efforts, shaking him again as Bunny and North approached.

"Claire…" Bunny said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. Claire shook him off.

"He's still alive!" Claire protested, tears stinging her cheeks. As if to emphasize her point, she leaned down, kissing him harshly. North and Bunny saw a blue light briefly before Claire pulled back, tears running down her cheeks.

"He's not…" she started, trailing off despondently.

At that moment, Jack stirred slightly in Claire's embrace. Claire let out a sob of relief, reaching for one of his hands to grip it tightly.

Blearily, his eyes opened slightly. They were once again ice blue. "Claire…" he whispered before he passed out.

Claire looked to Bunny and North for help. "He needs help," Claire said, struggling to right him.

North reached down and hefted Jack over his shoulders before reaching into his pocket for a snow globe. "We'll take him to the Pole," he said, throwing the ball to open a gaping portal.

Claire tried to stand but was once again reminded of her frozen leg. Bunny took a boomerang and stabbed it into the ice, causing it to crack and shatter, freeing her leg. She smiled in thanks.

"Let's go," he said, helping her stand.

-((The North Pole))-

Claire sat in a chair next to the bed where Jack lay above the covers. A window was open in the small bedroom, bringing in a gentle winter breeze. Claire held his hand, willing him to wake up again. When North had carried him into the room, he tried to convince Claire to get some rest, but she would not be budged. He and Bunny were in the control area, discussing Pitch's possible next move as well as if and when he would strike.

Claire reluctantly let go of Jack's hand, standing to stretch in the room. As she stood, she caught her reflection in a mirror across the room. She turned, slowly approaching the mirror, transfixed at what she saw.

Her once shoulder length brown hair now had several broad streaks of white streaking through it. She looked at herself closer in the mirror; her complexion had gotten lighter, and if she looked very closely, she could clearly see large flecks of blue in her once solidly green eyes.

Strange, she thought, turning her hair with her hands to examine its new color. Those streaks are white to the root…

"Your hair…" Claire heard a voice croak from behind her. She spun around and saw that Jack's eyes were open. He smiled weakly. She was by his side in an instant.

"Are you alright?" she asked, taking his hand in both of her own.

Jack smiled softly. "I'll be fine. What happened?"

Claire frowned. "You don't remember?"

Jack's eyebrows came together in thought. "I remember following your voice to Pitch's hideout…he had us both in a tight spot…and then…oh Claire—" he said cutting himself off as the memories returned to him in a rush. He reached his other hand to Claire's cheek and met her eyes, his own swelling with emotion. "Claire, I—"

"Don't even try to apologize," she said, cutting him off. "You were in no control."

Jack shook his head slightly. "But I—"

"Shush," Claire said stubbornly. He took his hand from her cheek, and intertwined both of her hands with his. "You did nothing wrong," she reiterated. "I'm fine, see?" She smiled. "I'm just glad we saved you before the Man in the Moon took away your powers…" she trailed off.

"For all we know, he might have," Jack said darkly, looking away. "I don't feel…quite right…" he trailed off.

"Well you did hit that streetlight pretty hard," Claire said with a slight laugh. She stood, "I'll tell North you're awake. We'll get you something to eat, and you'll feel better real soon!" She turned to leave.

"Claire?" Claire heard him call out, and she turned to his voice. She inhaled sharply, seeing the unspoken emotion of caring and tenderness glittering in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant for more than just going to get him food.

"I…you're welcome," she said, blushing slightly as she left the room.

-((::fast forward::))-

There wasn't much time to discuss her new appearance with Jack because when she returned to his room with a sandwich he was already fast asleep. When he awoke she barely had enough time to help him eat before he fell back asleep again. Soon after, Claire's own eyelids were drooping, and despite North's efforts to get her to her own bedroom, she fell asleep in the chair.

The next morning, Claire awoke to a familiar pair of lips pressed to hers. She responded automatically before gasping and pulling away.

"Jack!" she protested, seeing the mischievous guardian sitting up in bed, leaning over to her chair.

"Good morning," he said with a smirk. "I feel a lot better!" He tried to stand but failed to hide a wince. Claire smirked, ignoring her own creaking joints as she stood to lean over his bed, kissing him again.

"Not that much better I see," she said with a grin, as she pulled away. She stopped halfway however, brows furrowed. "Wait a minute…" she said before bringing her lips to his again. Jack didn't mind, and soon brought his arms up around her waist, trying to pull her into bed with him. She pulled back before he could succeed. He frowned when he saw her concerned expression.

"Your lips…"she started, staring at the pale mouth in question.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Too chapped?"

Claire gave him a 'be-serious' look. "They're not cold to me," she replied, feeling his cheek and face. "How did I not notice before?" she murmured, kissing him again briefly to check.

"Maybe you weren't kissing me long enough?" Jack said hopefully, always open to more kisses. Claire rolled her eyes before once again covering his mouth with hers. She groaned as Jack took control, reaching a hand to entwine in her newly-altered hair as he ran his tongue across her lips.

A throat cleared, and the two sprang apart, blushing. Claire stood next to the bed as she saw North at the door, eyebrow raised.

"You must be feeling better, Jack," North said with a grin.

"It's not what you think!" Claire protested. North stared at her, and she blushed more. "Well…it is what you think, but it was out of concern! He doesn't feel cold to me anymore, so I needed…to…check…" she trailed off, embarrassed.

North let out a boom of laughter before crossing the floor to the bed in three great strides. He felt Jack's arm and face before smiling widely. "Don't worry girl, he's fine! He feels very cold to me," he said, meeting her confused gaze.

"What's going on?" Bunny asked, popping his head around the door frame. "Is he alright or not? I've got to get back to the Warren already-what happened to you?" Bunny said, eyes resting upon Claire's new features that he didn't see clearly in the storm and the chaos of getting Jack to the North Pole.

"Has she not always looked like this?" North said, confused. He was fighting Pitch most of the time, and never got a clear look at Claire during the blizzard.

"Definitely not," Bunny said, approaching her. "She's paler, has white in her hair, and…blue in her eyes?" Bunny reached out to feel her cheek. "Kinda cold, too…"

"Hey!" Jack protested from the bed, "get your hands off my—" he cut himself off, suddenly embarrassed.

"Oh shut up Jack, I'm not going to try and steal your girlfriend," Bunny said, rolling his eyes. "Although it is suspicious and very coincidental…first Jack's powers start to fail, and bursts of wind come from your hands…" he trailed off. "Do you have Jack's powers?" he asked.

Claire's expression turned to one of confusion. "I don't think so," she said, turning to Jack. "You can still summon snow and ice and everything right?"

Jack opened his palm, and a small snowflake appeared there easily. Claire held out her hand, and tried to do the same thing. Nothing happened.

"See?" Claire said as if that settled the matter. "That's not what happened. I don't have Jack's powers," she said as if the idea was absurd.

"You're right mate," Bunny agreed. "That's not what happened. You used the wind. Can you summon a breeze Jack?"

Jack looked to the open window and gestured at the already present gentle breeze, beckoning it to strengthen. The breeze grew slightly stronger, but only by a small margin. Jack frowned. "That's not what I told it to do…" he said, confused.

"Claire?" Bunny asked, turning in her direction.

Claire sputtered, uncomfortable. "I don't know how to summon the wind!" she protested.

"You've done it before," Bunny pointed out. Claire sighed before holding her hands out toward the window, thinking in her mind that the breeze should strengthen. All at once, a strong gust of wind burst through the window, ruffling the contents of the room. Claire, startled, put down her hands, and the wind returned to its normal breeze.

She stared down at her hands as if they betrayed her. "But that can't be right, to become a…a…"

"The way I see it, you seem to be half of a guardian," Bunny hypothesized.

"Sure, to become that," Claire continued, "I would have to…" she trailed off, looking at Jack in shock.

"I would have to have died…" she continued in a whisper. Jack's eyes widened in shock as he was overpowered by a wave of remorse.

"Claire, I—"

"I died?" Claire said in disbelief, cutting him off.

"It would seem that way," North agreed. "When Jack is better, the two of you will have to figure out exactly what happened. Did you hear the Man in the Moon?" he asked.

"What? Noo," Claire emphasized as she remembered, "When I woke up, everything was fuzzy, and—" she gasped as she paused in thought.

"Claire Breeze," she whispered. The men in the room looked at her, confused. "I heard a voice say that in my head, as if it was my—"

"Your name," Jack finished, still overcome by what he had unknowingly done.

"But that can't be," she said in disbelief, "I'm not….I'm almost done with college…Hunter's going to help me find a job—" she gasped again, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. Not finding her cell phone there, she moved to the chair where she had hung her coat. Finding her cell phone, she realized that she had put it on silent for school the day before.

"Hunter…" she said forlornly, seeing that she had 25 missed calls from said brother.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Okay maybe two chapters and an epilogue, I have no idea. Things are stretching and contracting in ways I can't predict in this story!

Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou