A/N: Wow, so it's been a really long time...again...Sorry about that everyone. But at least these are all one shots, right? Like, I didn't leave you on a cliff hanger, right?...unlike my Percy Jackson fic...Which should be updated about the same time this chapter goes up, so hey! Anyways, hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Rise of the Guardians, thanks!

So, this request is for LBIGreyhound13, who wanted a little North and Jack father/son bonding. Hope this works!

This is rated K+ and is probably considered family and hurt/comfort.

Characters: Jack, North, Wind, Phil

~RiseoftheGuardians~

It had seemed like such a wonderfully fantastic idea at the time, something too tantalizing to simply be told he wasn't allowed to do. In all actuality, it was the fact he had been told not to do it that made him go for it.

In hindsight, he really should have listened to North.

"I really hope Wind gets back soon," Jack mumbled, resting his back against the cool rock behind him and attempting to relax. "If she can find her way back," Jack finished derisively. She had already been gone for several hours and Jack wasn't sure how much longer it would take her to bring help. He hoped not too much longer, because he would really like to be rescued right about now, but where he was was…complicated.

"Please, Wind," Jack whispered, leaning his head back against a wave of dizziness and closing his eyes. "Hurry."

North was finally taking a break from overseeing his workshop. Things were running smoothly and for once Jack Frost wasn't up to his usual shenanigans. There were no problems manufacturing the toys, the elves were actually behaving, Bunny was keeping to his warren, and he hadn't had a complaint from the other spirits about their youngest guardian in three weeks. Things were truly perfect right now and North was going to enjoy every last minute of -

SLAM!

North jolted from his seat, turning to stare at whomever has so rudely opened his sitting room door only to see Phil there.

"That's never a good sign," North muttered, raising a questioning brow at his head yeti.

"Slargus blaro!" Phil said urgently, waving his arms around.

"Wind is…" North trailed off as his eyes picked out the other intruder who was so abruptly interrupting his relaxation. The figure was a woman made of swirling white snow with bits of grass, leaves, and dirt mixed in. This was only the second time he had seen the main wind spirit – Wind – use this form. Normally she preferred to swirl around, invisible.

She was also easier to miss in her true form, with only Jack being able to speak with, hear, and interact with her constantly that way. Else wise it was a toss up when North or the other guardians could hear and speak with Wind. The fact that she was now appearing in her corporeal form, well, as corporeal as Wind could be, was a sign that something was seriously wrong.

"What is it?" North asked his newest guest. He didn't care if he sounded rude. If Wind was here and Jack was not that could only mean one thing.

"Jack's in trouble," Wind said, confirming North's fears. Despite being mostly swirling snow, North got the distinct impression of worried eyes.

"Where is he?" North asked, hurrying over to his collection of snow globes and grabbing one.

"Lehman Caves," Wind replied.

North groaned. "I thought I told him not to go."

"He didn't listen," Wind snapped. She was running short on patience. It had taken her much too long to navigate back out of those caves and get to the North Pole for help and she didn't like the fact that they still had to find their way back to Jack. Those caves were like a giant maze.

"Alright, alright," North said, shaking his snow globe, whispering "Lehman Caves," and throwing it. Wind hurried after the bringer of Christmas as he stepped through the portal, releasing her corporeal form now that North knew she was around.

North pulled up short at the trail leading to the entrance of the caves and glanced around.

"Which way?" he asked, unsure how to proceed from there.

"This way," Wind said, tugging at North and propelling him forwards, into the cave. North gave a sigh, withdrawing a flashlight and heading into the dark depths.

Wind led North deeper into the caves before finally pulling up short. "Jack!" she called, straining to hear his answering call, which never came.

"Where is he?" North asked.

"He fell somewhere further in," Wind explained. "But this is as far as I can go."

North nodded, feeling his stomach twist with worry. Truth be told he was grateful and surprised that Wind had been able to accompany him this deep into the caves, what with no breezes being truly present within the confines of the rock.

"I will find him," North said, venturing in further until he came upon the chasm that Jack had no doubt fallen down.

North sighed and began to climb down carefully, finding for once he was glad of his ruffian days, as he wasn't sure he could've climbed the rocks otherwise.

"Still, we should've brought Bunny," North muttered to himself as he climbed down further.

"Didn't want Bunny." A voice answered weakly from below him and North startled, falling the four feet down he had left and landing on his rump.

"Ooof," North grunted, before his eyes widened in realization. "Jack!"

"Hi, North," Jack replied, blinking bleary eyes as he tried to bring the Cossack into focus. "Thanks for, for coming."

North blinked a couple of times, allowing his eyes to readjust in the dim light of the flashlight so he could pick out the figure in front of him.

Jack was leaned up against the rock face, dried blood covered half his face and matted part of his snowy white hair, and he was clutching at his staff tightly, as though afraid of being attacked down here.

"What happened, Jack?" North demanded.

"The rock I was climbing, uh, collapsed," Jack said. "I think I fell."

"You did," North said.

"Wind?" Jack asked.

"She's the one that fetched me."

Jack nodded, eyes sliding shut.

"Whoa, Jack, no sleeping," North demanded, crouching near the winter spirit and placing a large hand on his shoulder.

"Go 'way," Jack muttered, batting at North's hand. "I'm tired."

"Jack," North said sternly, shaking the boy slightly.

"North?" Jack opened his eyes once more.

"I'm here, Jack," North said, gentling his tone when he noticed the tears in the boy's eyes. "Let's get you out of here, hmm?"

"Hurts," Jack mumbled, reaching out and weakly grasping at North's sleeve.

"What hurts, Jack?" North asked.

"Head," Jack mumbled. "Leg."

North knew about the head wound, how could he not with all the blood coating the teen's face, but now he turned, placing gentle hands on Jack's legs to see why one hurt. As far as he could tell, neither was broken, but his left ankle was extremely swollen.

"We'll get you out of here, okay?" North said, going to pick up the teen before hesitating. "Can you wiggle your toes for me, Jack?"

Jack giggled slightly, which was even more off putting for North than the tears had been, but he complied, wiggling all of his toes.

"Your neck and back feel okay, right?" North asked.

"Like a cat," Jack answered, a strange smile now plastered on his face.

North blinked at him, confusion and worry warring within him. Jack's head wound must be worse than he originally thought if Jack's thinking was this skewed, his emotions and reactions bouncing around this much.

"Always land on my feet," Jack continued, as though it were obvious.

"Right," North said, recalling countless times Jack had not landed on his feet when he fell from a great height. Of course, those other times Wind had been there to cushion Jack's fall, so maybe he hadn't felt the need to land on his feet? "But your back and neck don't hurt, right?" North pressed. He wanted to make sure before he tried to move Jack.

Jack shook his head back and forth, that strange smile still there. "Nope, nope, nope," Jack said. "Just a swirly world. He face turned concerned as he now squinted at North. "A swirly, spinning world." And he leaned over and vomited.

"Whoa," North said, catching Jack before he could face plant in his mess. "Easy there."

"I don't feel so good," Jack said.

"Alright," North said. "It's going to be okay." He wasn't sure if he was reassuring Jack or himself as he lifted the boy up, cradling him in his arms. Probably a bit of both.

"Glad you came," Jack muttered, pressing his face into the cloth of North's shirt. "Knew you would," he continued. "Can always…count on…you…"

Jack's voice trailed off and North stood there clutching the boy for several moments, stunned at what the winter spirit had just said. It was the first time Jack had ever admitted out loud he trusted one of them, and North was oddly thrilled that trust had been directed towards him.

"Come on," North said, withdrawing a snow globe and shaking it. He certainly didn't want to try and climb out of here while carrying the boy. "Let's get you home."

"Mm kay," Jack mumbled.

"Wind!" North called up, hoping the spirit could hear him. "I'm taking him back to Santoff Claussen via snow globe!"

"Not so loud," Jack moaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Sorry, my boy," North said, throwing the snow globe and hoping Wind had heard him. The portal opened and North stepped through to where Phil was waiting for him.

"Blargar slugis rul?" Phil asked.

Jack shook his head. "Don't want the others," he muttered, clutching at North as the large Cossack carried him up the stairs to his room.

Phil grunted, nodding, and turned to collect the medical supplies while North puzzled over when Jack learned how to speak Yeti. And why Jack didn't want Phil to contact Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy just yet.

North entered the room and suppressed a shiver at the chill that was now ever present there. The windows were, of course, wide open, and he wondered how long it would take Wind to return. He felt slightly bad for leaving her, but he couldn't carry Jack up to her and she had been unable to get down to them, so North really had had no choice.

North placed Jack on his bed and turned to go help Phil with the supplies but the winter spirit refused to let go of North's shirt.

"Jack, I need to go grab supplies," North said.

"Don't leave me," Jack whispered, staring up at North with eyes that were slightly unfocused.

"I will be right back, promise," North said.

Jack nodded, slowly letting go, but the look in his eyes made North kneel next to the bed, forgoing the supplies to brush the dirty, matted hair from Jack's forehead with a worried frown.

Jack's eyes fluttered closed as North continued to gently run his fingers through Jack's hair. North stayed beside Jack, watching the boy's face as his features slowly smoothed out and his breathing became more even, indicating he had fallen asleep.

Jack Frost never acted like this. He was a fiercely private and independent boy, for all the world he seemed like he had nothing to hide. He hated showing that he was hurt and he was never clingy. Never. The fact that he was no longer putting on a show, instead basically begging North to stay with him, had the Christmas spirit both worried and flattered. Worried, because it meant Jack really didn't feel well, and flattered, because it meant Jack really trusted him.

Phil arrived with the medical supplies within minutes and assisted North as he cleaned and bandaged the head wound – which was just as nasty a wound as North had started to suspect – and wrapped his ankle – which was luckily only sprained, not broken. The fact that Jack hadn't sustained worse injuries was a blessing. Then again, Jack rarely was injured in the first place – he was much too agile and Wind was good at keeping him safe.

Once Jack's injuries had been treated, Phil brought North a large mug of hot cocoa before disappearing, leaving North to look after the sleeping Jack.

The head wound worried North, but he knew there was not a whole lot he could do about it. It did ease his mind that Jack's breathing and heartbeat remained steady, and he had not felt any give when assessing Jack's skull, so North was relatively sure Jack would be okay after some rest, but only time could truly tell.

"How is he?"

North nearly fell out of his chair at the soft voice beside him. He glanced around but didn't see Wind anywhere, meaning she hadn't taken on her corporeal form, but by the fluttering of Jack's hair, North figured she was hanging near.

"He should be okay with rest," North said, settling back in his chair in a subtle gesture to allow Wind more access to her boy.

"I am glad," Wind said. "Thank you for helping him."

"Of course," North said. "He is like son to me." North snapped his mouth shut at that, not having meant to admit that fact out loud.

Wind gave a soft chuckle, swirling briefly around North. "I am glad to hear you say that."

North relaxed again at that, glancing back at the boy.

"He trusts you," Wind said simply.

North remained silent, unsure what to say to that, not feeling he needed to say anything, truthfully.

"And," Wind continued softly, brushing at her boy's white hair. "I think he sees you as a father. Or wants to."

North's heart stuttered in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. Now he really didn't know what to say. Sure, he did think of Jack as his son, more and more lately with growing concern for Jack's wellbeing, but to actually hear that Jack – sweet, aloof, independent Jack – was actually beginning to see North as a father figure…well, it was flattering really. And North was grateful for that trust as well.

"Well," Wind said, breaking the stretching silence. "I've some duties I need to attend to. Do you mind watching over him while I am gone?"

It was the first time Wind had ever asked anyone to watch Jack, the first time North could recall Wind leaving Jack voluntarily.

"Of course," North nearly spluttered, trying to squash down his shock. "Of course I will."

"Thank you." And with a flurry of snow through the windows, Wind was gone.

North heaved a sigh and tugged his chair closer to Jack before decided to check his injuries. Everything seemed to be healing fine, so North settled back down. He knew he needed to call the others at some point. No doubt they would be furious when they found out North hadn't called them at the first sign of trouble, but for now, North didn't want them around. He was content to spend time with Jack on his own.

"North?"

The sleepy voice pulled North from his dozing and he sat up, blinking his eyes and attempting to focus on the figure in front of him.

"Jack! You are awake!"

Jack winced as North's exclamation caused pain to lance through his already throbbing head.

"Sorry," North said, realizing he shouldn't have been so loud. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Jack said. "And my head hurts. What happened?"

"You fell," North said.

"I fell?" Jack asked. "Where? How?"

"At Lehman Caves," North explained, a stern edge to his voice now, although he still spoke quietly. "There is reason I told you not to go spelunking on your own. And with no rope."

Jack blinked at him, mind processing what North was saying.

"Are you lecturing me?"

"Someone has to," North growled. "You put yourself in danger and if Wind hadn't come to get me, who knows what would have happened."

Jack blinked again, unsure how to react in this situation. Sure he'd received lectures from other spirits before – heck, even the other Guardians had scolded him a time or two – but it had never been like this, edged with worry and fear, as though North really did care for him and wanted him to understand something.

Now that he thought about it, though, he could vaguely recall North finding him in the dark, his voice soft and gentle and worried as his worked out what was wrong with Jack. And the memories he now had of his family, the family he had had before he died and became Jack Frost, made him realize. North did care for him.

It was a shocking realization to say the least and Jack wasn't sure what to do with it.

"Um, thanks," Jack said. "For rescuing me and all that."

"Of course, Jack," North said, recognizing the fact that Jack wasn't quite sure how to act in situations that involved family after being alone for three hundred years. "I'm just glad you are alright."

Jack smiled and snuggled into his bed a bit more, feeling the last of his energy begin to drain away.

"Get some sleep," North said, pushing himself to his feet. "I will let others know what happened and that you are okay."

Jack nodded as North headed for the door, but called out, stopping the man. "North."

"Yes, Jack?"

"Thanks," Jack said once more. North smiled at the boy, understanding all the unspoken words behind that one simple one.

"Always," North replied as Jack drifted back to sleep.