Jack had been living in the Pole with the rest of the Guardians for two years now. The wind woke him up. As he opened his eyes he was welcomed by the familiar site of the plastic glowing stars that he had stuck on his ceiling and the fur of some cuddly toys. He sat up and smiled.

Two years and he still looked at his room with wonder. After so many years with nothing but grey walls and chains, the beautiful colors of his room were always a warm welcome. He had kept up his tradition of painting a snowflake on his wall before going to bed, there were many more now, still no two the same, still just as beautiful.

His ceiling had been decorated with some glowing stars Jamie had given him one Christmas, they were not as pretty as the real thing but they were still pretty and Jack still smiled up at them as he fell asleep at night. His toy collection had grown bigger, he now kept them in hammocks in the corner of his room, apart from the cuddly and soft ones that got to go on his bed.

His bed was now almost completely just a pile of cuddly toys. There were a few pillows and sheets, but they were barely visible under all the toys. Jack laughed as he cuddled one of his toys close before placing it back on the bed and flying over to the already open window.

The wind was strong and some snow blew into the room. "Good morning wind!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The wind howled in return making Jack laugh once more before opening the bedroom door and flying off towards the kitchen.

"Morning Jack." North greeted, smiling at Jack as he entered.

"Good morning, North!" Jack shouted enthusiastically, smiling brightly, his eyes filled with the same wonder and hope, the same joy as always.

It made North smile. "Good dreams?"

"Amazing! There were these giant teddy bears that made gummy worms and a submarine!" he shouted, sitting down next to North as he began to tell the story as he ate his breakfast that the yetis had prepared for him.

The yetis seemed as just as amused as North to hear Jack's dreams. North chucked when it was over. "Well Jack, you sure do have a big imagination, no wonder Sandy loved your dreams so much."

Jack smiled. "Sandy loves my dreams?"

North nodded. "He loves every kid's dreams, but yours especially."

Jack looked proud. "Well, I love my dreams too!"

North chuckled. "I think everyone does. So what are you going to be up to today?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a second. "I need to do basic winter stuff first, ya know, spread snow, freeze lakes... then I will start a few snowball fights, make some magic snowflakes, then I'll go play a game in one of the towns. If I have time, I'll visit Tooth in the evening then I'll join you for dinner," Jack said, smiling at his plan.

"Sounds good. Please try and eat something before dinner though. You keep skipping lunch but it is unhealthy to do so, Jack."

Jack nodded. "Okay, North."

"Would you like yetis to make you a sandwich or something so you can put it in your pocket?"

Jack hesitated, before nodding. "Yes please."

North nodded, smiling before telling a yeti to prepare Jack a sandwich. Jack put the sandwich wrapped in a serviette in his pocket. He waved goodbye to North, thanked the yetis, and let the wind carry him away.

He spread his snow; he froze the lakes and ponds and so on, always testing the thick ice before leaving. He started a few snowball fights like he promised: three in Russia, four in China, one in England and when he finished he headed towards Burgess, he decided Jamie would appreciate a visit.

He laughed and landed on his lake skating across it thickening the ice. "Perfect," he smiled, jumping off the lake and into the snow. He began to run through the snow towards the town but something stopped him.

A blur of black caught his eye, running in the opposite direction to him. Jack hesitated, but his curiosity got the better of him and he took chase. For a second Jack thought it may be Bunny, but then he realized a small trail of black sand being left behind. His eyes widened and he shot ice at the black blur.

It stopped, Jack approached it, frozen. He had frozen the Nightmare. Talk about 'déjà vu', Jack frowned running his hands though his hair as he tried to make sense of the Nightmare "Pitch..." he whispered, they never had fully defeated him.

Jack decided it was probably a mistake, Pitch was still recovering and the stray Nightmare had gotten lost and Jack had defeated it, nothing to worry about, all though he would still mention it to North. He was going to leave when black sand wrapped around his ankles, making him fall.

Jack's eyes widened and struck at the sand with his staff, it froze and broke. Jack gasped and looked around; the shadows seemed darker, bigger. "Pitch! Come out!" he shouted.

Pitch laughed "Jack... long time no see," the voice echoed off the trees as if in a cave.

Jack looked around nervously, moving around, not daring his back facing one area for too long. "Pitch, what do you want?"

"Do you really want to hear that whole story again? Didn't I already mention it at the Tooth Palace?"

Jack held his staff tightly. "If you do not see you're fighting a losing battle, you're an idiot!"

"Is that so, Jack?"

Jack didn't reply as he kept moving around.

"If that's so... why so nervous?"

Jack took a few steps back. "I'm not nervous, cautious is what I am."

Pitch laughed. "Yes, of course. My mistake... so, how is life with the Guardians? I hear you've become quite attached."

Jack glared into the shadows. "We are family."

"How cute... yet sad."

"Sad?"

"That you fall for their lies."

"Lies?"

"Yes of course. Family... you think their family, Jack? They're not your family, there your guards, you know, in case you murder someone else."

Jack laughed this time. "You think you can fool me that easy? First, I did not murder anybody, second, they don't guard me at all, in fact, they let me do as I wish. Slightly protective but only in a good way."

"Of course Jack... you've spent several years with them; I will need proper evidence to prove... I can supply that, but not now, and not here. Seems you will have to come with me."

"Not in your dreams! …Nightmares?"

Pitch laughed as black sand began to tie itself around Jack's feet, Jack looked down and raised his staff to freeze it again, but sand grabbed at his staff as wel,l pulling it out of his hands. Jack gasped and scolded himself, looking around frantically.

His froze when he felt cold hands grab his hands, holding them firmly behind his back. He struggled and was going to scream but Pitch let go with one hand, placing it on Jack's mouth. Jack struggled desperately, wishing he could scream for help.

Pitch smiled evilly. Carefully, with a movement of his hands, black sand bond Jack's hands. Another movement and black sand gagged Jack, making him cough. Pitch let go of Jack and stepped in front of Jack, who glared up at him. Jack tried to attack but the black sand around his feet held him to the ground and he couldn't break the bonds around his hands.

"I know what your thinking, Jack, you think the Guardians will come save you... right?"

Jack just glared fiercely up at the older man.

"Well, you may be right... now two things could happen. One, I use you to capture the Guardians or two, they never come and I am given evidence of my earlier point," Pitch explained, sounding proud.

Jack struggled further against his bonds but it was useless. Jack looked over to his staff as Pitch picked it up, looking at it carefully. He frowned. "This is completely powerless, just a simple conduit for your own powers..."

Jack tried to say something but the gag prevented him, Pitch looked Jack in the eyes and then grinned. "A simple conduit that you treasure like nothing else..."

Jack struggled as Pitch held up the staff and he realized what Pitch was going to do. With a quick movement Pitch hit the staff against a tree and it snapped. Jack fell to his knees in unexpected pain. Jack whimpered as Pitch stood over him, amused.

"You are the Guardian of Fun," Pitch said, having fun with Jack.

Jack didn't react to the word. Pitch moved around Jack to a place where he cast a shadow over Jack, opening up a portal though the shadow. Jack fell straight through into Pitch's lair. Pitch looked at the clearing he was in, a frozen Nightmare and Jack's broken staff, that should get the message through.

North was finished with his work as usual and wandered off to see how dinner was going. He smiled when he saw it all prepared and laid out. He thanked the yetis and sat by the window to wait for Jack. Time passed and North began to worry. Jack didn't usually come this late, in fact, he usually came on time. Jack was good with things like this.

He thought about his conversation with Jack this morning, maybe he was still with Tooth. It's easy to lose track of time when with Tooth, her hyper nature. So North decided to pay the Tooth Palace a visit. Grabbing a snow glob,e he was there in a matter of minutes, Tooth was busy at work, shouting orders to her fairies.

"Tooth!" North called and she turned and smiled, waving before flying down to greet him.

"Hello, North, how are you? What brings you here?"

"Hello Tooth, I am fine. I was looking for Jack actually... he said he may visit you today, he is late for dinner you see."

Tooth shook her head. "No, no sign of him here... haven't seen him in a few days actually."

"I see... maybe he got busy, are you busy, would you like to come for dinner? Give Jack happy surprise?"

Tooth smiled, turned and hesitated before nodding. "I would love to, just give me a second," she said while flying off to where she worked from. Quickly she gave her instructions for the fairies while she was absent. They nodded and got back to work.

Tooth smiled flying back down to North. "Okay, let's go!" she said excitedly.

North smiled and nodded throwing the snow globe and they returned to the North Pole. North frowned when he saw Jack still hadn't come. "He isn't usually late..."

"He's probably busy."

"Yes, probably..."

Tooth and North decided to eat, Jack would not be angry. He never was. Besides, Jack may like his food cold but they definitely didn't. They finished their part of the meal and went to the living room, telling the yetis to inform them when Jack got back. At first they chatted, happily telling stories and such. But as time passed, worry began to ruin the otherwise quite relaxing moment.

"Normally Jack would be asleep by now..." North whispered.

"Maybe he is? He might have fallen asleep in a tree or something, he used to sleep in trees and stuff before the prison after all," Tooth pointed out.

North stood up. "I will speak with Sandy. If Jack is sleeping, Sandy will know."

"North... Don't you think you're being a little overprotective, you might upset him?"

"But..."

"Just wait until tomorrow, he may be working overnight. Although sleep is good for him, he's an immortal and can easily go a few nights without it."

North sighed and nodded. "Okay..."

When morning came, North wandered over to Jack's room. He quietly opened the door and let out a sad sigh when he saw the room was empty, his toys untouched. North closed the door and decided he would visit Sandy.

North found the Sandman spreading his dreams. Sandy was always busy, it was always night somewhere. North approached and when Sandy saw him he smiled and wave, forming a question mark with the sand above his head.

"Hi Sandy... I came to ask you, do you have any idea where Jack is? He didn't return to the Pole last night, since you have to give him dreams I was hoping you'd know."

Sandy looked worried and shook his head, forming a bed and a cross above his head.

"Jack did not sleep last night?"

Sandy nodded.

North sighed. "Tooth said he was probably just busy, but I can't help but worry about him, you know?"

Sandy nodded, pointing to himself then holding up two fingers.

North nodded. "I guess I should just wait and see?"

Sandy nodded. He pointed to himself, made a speech bubble with his sand, pointed to North, made an ear with his sand.

"Thanks Sandy," North said. "I hope to see you soon, good luck." North then left.

North forced himself to calm down once he returned to the North Pole and got back to his work. He worked himself hard, harder than usual in an attempt to distract himself. But as the days passed, nothing could distract him from the absence.

It had been a week when North finally went to the globe room and with a sigh he pulled the lever, the northern lights appearing above the North Pole and calling forth the Guardians. Soon the four original Guardians were in the globe room. Only their youngest member was absent.

"Friends..." North began, about to tell them about Jack.

"Hey wait mate, Frostbite ain't here yet, he ain't that late yet."

"I know that, Bunny, but I highly doubt Jack is going to come."

Tooth was the first to react. "Why is that?"

"Remember a week ago, I was worried Jack did not come to dinner on time, I still have not seen him since."

"So your worried about him? Wait did you call us all to the North Pole just cause the kid got lost... kids get lost all the time! He'll find his way home!"

"Bunny, Jack is not simply lost! Jack is smarter than that."

"I didn't mean it literally, point is, Jack ain't here, your overreacting, he probably just got carried away with some game."

"For a week?"

Sandy formed a picture of the bed and a cross like before.

"Without sleeping?" North added.

"He hadn't been sleeping?" Tooth asked Sandy.

Sandy hesitated, then shrugged forming a picture of a bed and a picture above it of a dolphin.

"He hasn't been dreaming," Bunny said. "He was probably just really tired."

"But Bunny, he would come when called," North pointed out, pointing to the Northern Lights.

Tooth sighed. "They have only been there for a little while. Besides, if Jack is in say the South Pole, he may not even be able to see them."

"Why would he be in the South Pole?"

"I'm not sure..."

"I know it looks like I'm overreacting but... I know I'm not, I feel something is wrong, in my belly!"

Bunny rolled his eyes. "We'll wait a bit, if he doesn't show up; we'll search for him, sound good?" Bunny decided.

North nodded. "Sounds like good plan."

Bunny went over to a chair and sat down in front of the fireplace, waiting for Jack to come in through a window panting from having flown too fast and laughing, asking what was the matter. But hours passed and there was no sign of the winter spirit.

"Okay, fine, we'll search for him," Bunny mumbled seeing the time.

"Good... we should split up," North decided.

"Bunny, you can check Burgess and the area nearby, I will check South Pole... Sandy can check Africa and half of Europe, Tooth you do Asia and other half of Europe, okay?"

Everyone nodded and headed out to search their assigned location. North took the sleigh, Tooth and Sandy flew. Bunny took his tunnels. The best thing about splitting up was being able to take their own form of transport in Bunny's opinion.

Bunny was searching around the lake, sniffing the air when he saw something on the ground that drew his attention. He crouched down to inspect it and his eyes widened when he realized what it was: Nightmare Sand. Quickly Bunny ran off, following the sand to a clearing. He felt a shiver go down his spine when he saw the frozen Nightmare and, more importantly, the broken staff.

He hopped over and picked the staff up. Sniffing the air he searched for Jack's scent, it was all over to the staff but apart from that was completely absent. Bunny swore opening a tunnel; he began to run to the workshop as fast as he could to activate the northern lights.

"What is it Bunny?" North asked, entering the globe room at surprisingly the exact same time as Sandy and Tooth.

"I found this... next a frozen Nightmare," he said, showing them the broken staff pieces.

Tooth gasped and Sandy stepped back, North ran forwards taking them from Bunny. He looked at the delicate wood, snapped. Then he let out a roar of frustration. "He will pay for this," he said, clenching his fists around the handles of his swords.

"Pitch has him?" Tooth asked. She knew she sounded stupid, but she didn't really care.

"Sure looks like it," Bunny replied. "He probably caught the kid off guard."

"Do you think his had him this whole time?" Tooth asked wide eyed. "Oh... North you were right! We should have gone looking for him that very night... I hope he's okay..."

Sandy frowned, looking at the open window. There was a huge blizzard going on outside. The wind was angry, very angry. Whatever Pitch had done or was doing to Jack, it was not okay. Wishing Sandy could tell this to the Guardians, he sighed. And let his sadness turn into anger, anger that would make him stronger while fighting Pitch.

North was already leading them all down to the sleigh. This was an emergency and not even Bunny complained as he climbed into the sleigh. All of the Guardians were determined to find Jack. The kid was family and you do not mess with family.

Especially not if that family is formed by a giant sword wielding Russian, a hyper fairy with thousands of workers, a giant rabbit with boomerangs, the most powerful dream maker in the world and Jack Frost, the most powerful winter spirit alive.