A/N: Thanks for the positive responses! I've written down many of your ideas and will try to incorporate them best I can. Again, thank you.
End of chapter 8:
North pointed one large finger at the name Jack Froston the nice list. It was between Old, Janeand Padalecki, Jared. The Easter Bunny stared at it curiously. What was going on? He voiced his concerns.
"Has only 'appened vunce before, Bunny." He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but the other Guardian's face. It not only upset him to admit it, but the reason Jack Frost had caught their attention was just cruel. North took a deep breath and said, "The boy is a ghost."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Bunnymund's mouth popped open at this information. "A ghost? Like- a dead...?"
North nodded gravely.
Bunnymund was stunned to silence. This must have explained why Jack had been surprised that he could be seen- not only surprised, but disbelieving. He ran his tongue over his teeth and stared down at his paws. Sure, kids died every day; hundred of them, thousands, and the Guardians had little to no control over their mortality rate. But the only other ghost they knew of was a tormented soul, one that had been rejected by Death himself and thrown back onto Earth to suffer in silence. He was not allowed to be seen or heard, could not influence anything or anyone. The only ones who could see him were Bunnymund, North, the Sandman and Toothina. It hadn't been a child, though. And Jack Frost could control the ice and snow. And Jack Frost's name had been different before he died, as the nice list suggested.
"He's not like Fredrick," Bunnymund said slowly, quietly. "He's got power, North, he can control the temperature and water in the same way that I can sprout flowers from the ground, or like you can enchant objects."
North hummed lowly and thoughtfully. He looked at the list again and again. It was the nice list; this child was nice. Good. Fair. North could not remember all the names of kids who had died in the past week, let alone month or maybe even year. Where was this kid from? When had he died? North twisted his lips quizzically and then turned toward Bunnymund.
"Did boy say anything about 'is death?" he asked.
"No. Nuthin'. Didn't know anything, the clod. Couldn't tell the difference between Easter and Christmas if you showed him a painted egg and hangin' mistletoe. Fresh like a baby."
"'Owever," North stressed, "His name vas changed as can see by list."
The Lists of Christmas could not be called perfect. The Guardians remembered very clearly the day that North called them in to help determine the problem with one of them- a very old naughty list, one from 1445, and a man who had by then grown up and was around thirty-five years old. His name was not in its right place either; in fact, it wasn't there at all. Fredrick's was a sad story, one about death and despair, something they didn't like to dwell on but found necessary to discuss at times. Death, literally Death, did not allow his soul to die but rather tossed it back onto Earth. Perhaps it was an experiment, or punishment, or something entirely different. But Fredrick was cursed for fifty years before he was given back to the Moon, finally accepted by Death. For fifty long years he lived without being seen or heard. The toll was too much. He went insane and Death realized that he needed to stop the madness before it was too late, before he gained raging powers or worse.
"Do you think he's an angry ghost?" North continued.
"No." Bunnymund was sure of it. "He said that he was thirty-two days old. I don't think he was lying- kid seemed genuinely confused when I told 'im that wasn't right. Can't be thirty-two days."
"Vhy not?" North inquired.
Bunnymund chuckled. "Well, it's not scientifically possible, for a teenager to appear from nothing."
"Friend, you are giant talking rabbit vith pastels."
Bunnymund opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. He sighed, and then said, "Well, we know he can't be that young. He's on the list after all."
North nodded, but was still smiling. He took the list in his large hands and rolled it up again, handing it to a Yeti. "'Sank you, Yuki," he said. "Please tell Phil I need to see him. Bunnymund," North continued. "If you could do favor and tell other Guardians search is over. I must attend to Christmas."
The rabbit frowned, but agreed nonetheless. He wanted to keep talking about it, but, it was Christmastime and this was Santa Claus. Bunnymund tapped his foot on the floor twice and down sprang a hole. He hopped into it and went off to find Toothina.