Summary: Jack huddles into his coat, the collar flipped up, the cuffs practically folded over his hand, perched on his staff, book in hand, reading while the Winds (all four of them) are rushing around.
Sandy would find it adorable, if it were any other time.
Sandy peered over his cloud edge to stare at where he had tracked Jack to; a peak on a mountain, specifically, sitting in the snow, his staff perched up next to him, reading.
Sandy was a little worried where he got the book from, but decided that, so long as it wasn't destroyed and it was returned, he was not going to worry too much on it. However, he would work on getting Jack a book for his birthday next year.
He watched the young spirit for a while, noticing that all the Winds were there, though it took Sandy a while to figure out which one was where.
North was content to curl around Jack, while East was spinning wildly through the air, obviously bored. South was curling around Jack's feet, if the way Jack kept twitching his feet and burying them into the slushy snow was any indication while West was trying to get East to settle down.
Sandy let out an unheard sigh and sent a golden stream out.
Jack looked up and smiled. "Hey Sandman! What's wrong?" he asked.
Sandy immediately began to make shapes and Jack became wary. "Mother Nature? What does she want?" he questioned, voice neutral...except that slight tremble of fear.
Again, Sandy was amazed he didn't physically flinch.
And, again, Sandy reined his temper in.
It would be so very bad if he got angry right now.
More images flickered and Jack pulled back almost. "To talk?" he asked, voice disbelieving.
Sandy could see where this was going, but nodded anyway. Jack glanced at the book and carefully closed it (and it was then that Sandy saw how damaged it was and wondered if Jack had seen it, abandoned in the woods, or on the side of the road and collected it up because he had to, not because he wanted to read it or own it, but because it was abandoned and forgotten).
He stood up, pocketing the book in one of the many pockets that Sandy had made sure were deep and secure. "What if I don't want to talk to her?" Jack asked.
Sandy made a begging motion.
Jack stared at him and, without warning took off, the Four Winds quickly following.
Sandy stared after him and huffed soundlessly, blowing his hair out of his face.
Well, so much for the direct plan.
Sandy found Jack a few days later, perched on his staff, reading the same book, while the Four Winds played.
It would be adorable if it was any other situation.
He wondered why they were so close to North's workshop and he floated around, only to immediately rush forward, grabbing Jack's chin, turning Jack's left cheek toward the sun, ignoring Jack's exclamations of being okay, eyes wide at seeing the deep, black, bruise with cuts that littered said bruise marring Jack's face.
Sandy was sure Jack couldn't understand the sand images he was making, but all that was going through his head was that somehow, someway, in the few days that Sandy hadn't seen him, Jack had gotten injured.
Someone had hurt Jack.
"Sandman! I'm okay! I just…I smacked into a rock, okay?" Jack exclaimed, still perched impossibly on his staff, even as Sandy floated back slightly.
He glared a bit and Jack closed the book carefully before he pocketed it. "It's fine," Jack stated and hopped off his staff before collecting it.
"And, no, I won't go see Mother Nature," Jack answered and was gone.
Sandy let his golden dream sand fluff out like steam from his ears in irritation and ran a hand down his face, waving at the West wind as it passed.
The West Wind paused to curl around him briefly before following the rest, racing to catch up.
It seemed everyone in Jack's life was worried about him.
Sandy just wished he was seeing so much of the boy because of other reasons.
He let out a soundless sigh and followed after Jack Frost.
Mother Nature would owe both him and Jack dearly when this all was over.
Jack was perched on his staff once more, half his face dark and scratched, the other paler then the snow.
Sandy floated over to him, sitting next to him on a golden cloud. "Shouldn't you be creating dreams?" Jack asked, even as he skipped a flat piece of ice over the frozen pool.
Sandy pointed and Jack's eyes rose till they saw the golden streams, swirling through the air. Jack stared, eyes following and he stared at Sandy before he created another flat piece of ice to skip over the frozen pool. "I'm not talking to her," Jack stated.
Sandy reached out and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and the boy looked at him. A question mark floated over Sandy's head and Jack sighed. "If I talk to her, I'll forgive her. And I…I want to stay mad at her and I know I won't if I meet with her, talk with her," he explained and Sandy reached up, gently ruffling Jack's hair.
Sandy then twitched his head to the side and Jack sighed, the Four Winds curling around them. "Fine," he muttered and reached down, holding his staff before he 'fell'. The North Wind immediately carted him up and Sandy followed after them, the Four Winds racing around.
Not for the first time, Sandy wished he could understand them.
He was sure he could learn who hurt Jack then.
He let out a sigh.
One problem at a time.
Jack was perched on his staff once more, the collar flipped up and the cuffs practically covering his hands, pretending to read the book he had found abandoned, and the Four Winds rushing around him.
They had tried to get Jack to play, but he wasn't up for it.
He wasn't sure why he let Sandman talk him into this.
Ironic, really, the one guy who couldn't talk was the one to actually do that. He hunched over more into his jacket, trying to hide from the world, even as he felt Sandman's hand begin to run soothingly through his hair.
Without meaning to, Jack's eyes closed and he titled his head into the comfort, letting the book close, carefully, in his hand. He was perched on his staff and it was much more comfortable now that he had learned how to do it better and he actually enjoyed perching on his staff. "Jack?" a voice called and his eyes snapped open in surprise.
The woman was beautiful, in Jack's opinion. Hair was as black as a moonless night, wearing a dress that seemed to be trapped between two seasons, the third and fourth creeping up the edges, for the bodice was like spring, her shoulders the creeping of summer, while the skirt was the twirling of autumn leaves with the creeping of winter at the bottom, the dress a perfect complement to skin like nutmeg.
However, what made Jack want to curl up farther into his coat was her eyes.
Eyes that were a warm golden brown, like honey, that were just so sad.
No, sad was too simple a word.
Heart broken, was better.
This woman, who Jack was sure was Mother Nature, was burdened by a great grief that clung to her every movement, her every breath.
He was sure she did not even escape her grief when she was asleep, even if Sandman gave her the most golden and bright dreams he could manage, and Jack was sure Sandman did.
"Yeah?" he answered softly, carefully pocketing the book away into his coat pocket.
It had not taken much to convince his powers not to ice it, or damage it, so long as they could freeze everything else, chill it and cover it in frost.
Peeking through windows was, as such, now next to impossible.
"Hello. I'm Mother Nature," she introduced.
He nodded a bit and she smiled weakly at him. "Jack…I am so sorry that I had you do that. If I could have found another way, I would have, but it was the only way I could think up in such a short time. If I had had more time, I would have found a way not to ask such a thing from you. And I am sorry," she explained softly and he stared at her.
"It's okay," he began, but she cut him off when she was suddenly just…there.
"No, it is not. I should not have done that for you. You are…You are my Seasonal Spirit, never mind that the Man in the Moon created you, you are my Seasonal Spirit, first and foremost, and I have failed you in more ways than just this. I have not insured you were safe, or had a place to stay. I have not insured that you were free of loneliness and I have caused you harm. I once swore to help protect the children of this world, and even if you weren't immortally a child, you are one of my children, and I have failed. There is no way I can fix it. But I can do better, or try at least," she stated, soft and insistent and Jack stared at her, unsure of how to handle this.
She immediately backed off, giving him space and she smoothed her skirt down slightly. "Sorry. But what I have done, it is not right," she explained and sighed softly.
She then glanced at Jack. "Besides Sandman, who do you have contact with?" she asked.
"Just…just him mainly. And North's yetis," Jack answered.
She frowned. "No penguins or wolves?" she asked and Jack hunched farther into his coat.
"They walk straight through me," he explained and for a moment, he was terrified of her.
Mother Nature seemed to almost explode and Sandman immediately began to run a comforting hand through Jack's hair. "How…what…MANNY!" she screeched out and rushed outside.
The booms of thunder that followed and the shouting that came from outside had Jack huddling more on his perch, the Four Winds curling around him protectively, Sandman never stopping in his gentle motions. When Mother Nature returned, she was calm again.
"We'll fix that right now," she stated and, Jack stared at her in confusion.
"What?" he asked.
"We're fixing that. Right now," she explained as she began to walk forward.
"How?" Jack asked, resisting the urge to lean away from her.
She made him far too nervous, even if he forgave her for what she had put him through.
"I'm going to correct it. How did you get so injured?" she responded and this time, Jack did lean away from her, forgetting he was on his staff.
He let out a yelp as he began to fall back, but he fell onto a golden cloud, even as his staff clattered to the ground. Mother Nature paused and then picked it up, causing Jack to still, feeling as if someone was holding his beating heart in their hands. He stared at her hands, at his staff in them, and tensed as she walked closer, before she held it out to him.
Jack immediately snatched the staff from her hands and clung to it. "I hit a rock," he answered.
Sandman stared at him and began to have the images flash over his head. "What? No, no one shoved me. I just…the snow wasn't thick in that area and I hit my face, that's all!" Jack exclaimed and Sandman floated forward, making demands in that way of his and Jack gave him a pleading look, eyes flickering to Mother Nature quickly before settling back on Sandman.
Sandman gave one of those quiet huffs, but backed off. Mother Nature looked between them with a smile. "Jack, I am just going to do what I do with all my Seasonal Spirits. I am going to make it possible for you to be seen by animals and have them not balk at your presence, as much a part of their world as every other spirit," she explained and he eyed her, still on Sandman's cloud, before he nodded.
She smiled and stepped forward, gently reaching up. Jack couldn't stop from flinching when her hand touched the bruise, and cuts, but she was gentle. And then it felt as if he was standing in a quiet snowfall. As if something that had been missing had been put into place and he blinked a bit, noticing that snowflakes were floating through the air.
Mother Nature smiled and withdrew.
Jack gave a nod and then floated up. He moved to head out when he paused and turned to look at her. "I am sorry for your loss," he stated and he felt the room still suddenly.
Mother Nature turned to stare at him, blank and Sandman was watching him curiously, while Jack floated on the wind. He clutched his staff tighter and continued, "No one told me, but it is in your eyes. I'm sorry, for whoever you lost. I'm sorry you lost them. And I want you to know….I forgive you for asking me. But…you can't keep grieving like this. If you do, you'll lose sight of yourself," Jack stated and moved to race off again before he stopped.
Before he could stop himself, he floated over to her and blew some snow in her face, which sparkled and shone before settling. "You need to have some fun Mother Nature," he stated and quickly zipped off before Sandman could corner him or Mother Nature could ask.
But, even as he and the Winds raced away, he heard her laughter.
Jack thought it was more beautiful then she was.
A/N: If it wouldn't have been a major spoiler, I would have called this part; 'In Which We See How Jack is Way Too Forgiving'.
Also, sorry I didn't get this up yesterday and that it is so late. I was just too tired and it was nowhere near finished.