**Hey guys! I am so sorry that this chapter took forever! School gets in the way, but I made sure that this was a long chapter! This is the longest single day ever...Hahaha sorry but I think this will be a very long fanficition...I hope that I do not disappoint you guys! You are all so amazing leaving such kind reviews, favoriting and following my story, and even reading it I am so thankful! Please know that I am working my hardest to get chapters up ASAP! I am so sorry that it takes me so long! I will try to at least have one a week if anyting, but I am doing my best to get all of them done ASAP and get a few chapters up a week (Hard with school work :P) Anyways thank you again for all of your support! You are all so amazing, and please feel free to critique if there is something in the story you think I should change or I could work on! Thanks again for everything and for being so patient! I hope you enjoy!**
Chapter 12
Jack was mad at Aster for ignoring him, he tried to voice his disapproval and explain everything, but now his voice was tired from trying to scream over the sound of the motorcycle and it was useless since Aster was ignoring him.
When they arrived back at Aster's shop, Aster parked his motorcycle, and walked away quickly, but Jack hopped off, took off his hemlet placing it on the bike, then quickly followed.
"WHAT THE HELL? WHY CAN'T I CALL YOU ASTER?" Jack screamed, making it known he was against this and how unfair he found it.
"Cause I said so, if yer gonna yell, then leave, or shut up and paint some more eggs or fill the other ones."
"NO! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS?"
"There is nothing to talk about, I don't want you to call me Aster, it isn't hard to understand.."
"Why NOT? You let me when I was little, when we were friends! Are you saying we aren't friends?" Jack felt a little hurt and scared by even having to ask that question.
"No, no, I am not saying that, but..." Aster's voice trailed off, they entered the shop, and headed up the stairs towards Aster's loft.
"But WHAT?" Jack demanded following close behind, refusing to let this go.
Aster stopped and spun around quickly on the stairs, causing Jack to have to clutch the railing so he didn't fall backwards.
"Let. It. Go." he muttered through gritted teeth.
Jack glared back at him, and continued to glare at his back when he spun back around and entered his loft.
"NO! Just explain why I can't call you Aster if you we are friends! If I was allowed to before!"
Aster walked into the kitchen, opened his fridge and grabbed a beer, the annoyance apparent on his face, but Jack would be damned if he let this go.
"Please...look just be honest with me! PLEASE!" Jack hated that he had resorted to begging and pleading, but he wanted to know, and it was killing him. In more ways than one.
Aster started gulping down his beer, as he walked into his little living room and plopped, once again, into his leather chair with a sigh. This time Jack was not bashful about sitting down next to him.
Aster looked away, slouching in his seat, and taking a swig of his beer.
"Why?" Jack was demanding, but it was also desperate.
Aster quickly looked at him, and got in Jack's face, "IT IS BECAUSE EVERYONE CALLS ME ASTER, BUT ONLY ONE PERSON IS ALLOWED TO CALL ME KANGAROO WITHOUT ME RIPPING THEIR HEAD OFF!" Aster didn't move his face away from Jack's, and Jack could feel his breath on his face.
Jack's eyes grew wide in shock, and a blush started to form on his face, he was about to ask what that all meant, when someone burst into the room.
"Bunny? Where are you? We have come to check up on you! Not heard from you in-" A big man froze, now taking in that Aster was not the only one in the room, but that his face was now inches from a young man's deep red face. Jack quickly turned even more red at the misunderstanding.
"Oh, no no- This isn't...Oh, uh..." Jack fumbled over his words. Aster had now backed away from Jack, and when Jack looked to Aster for some assistance he noticed that his face had a redish tint to it as well.
Aster stood up, not looking at Jack, "Hey, North, what can I help ya with, mate?"
North, Jack picked up his name, however hadn't removed his eyes from Jack, and Jack hated it.
"Who is this, Aster?"
"Jack."
"Thee one that has helped you with Easter?"
Aster nodded, and Jack thought he might have turned a little bit redder.
North let out a deep laugh, and walked over to where Jack was on the couch. Jack thinking he wanted a handshake, got up and stretched out his hand, as to not be rude.
Jack was surprised when his feet left the ground, and he felt his bones crack into the Russian's stomach.
"A friend of Aster's is a friend of mine. You carve snow globes, yes?" North asked as he placed Jack back on the ground.
"Bloke, ya should introduce yerself first." Aster said, and Jack noticed he smiled a bit at the big hug Jack had received.
"Ah, yes, I am North." The Russian bellowed out a laugh which shook his belly. Jack couldn't help but smile a little.
"Jack, and yeah, I create snow globes, how did you know?"
"Tooth, she told me you were helping Aster, and you create snow globe in her office?"
Jack nodded, smiling at Tooth's name. Jack then looked between Aster and North, "Tooth is my dentist, how do you two know her?"
Jack was obviously excited they shared a connection.
"We've been friends since college, us four have been tight for years."
Jack was both amazed and confused. Aster, one, North, two, Tooth, three...four?
"Four?" Jack said, still smiling.
"Ah, silly of me, we are all here." North walked to the door to the stairs and yelled down, "Friends it is safe for you to come upstairs!"
Jack looked at Aster, confused, but Aster was giving North the same look, North looked over at Aster.
Footsteps climbing the stairs, "They were here, sent me up, just in case you were not in good mood."
Jack couldn't help but chuckle a bit, North looked at him and smiled, pointing to Aster he said, "Bunny, gets cranky at Easter. You're probably the first to not be in thee ground for trying to help." Jack laughed a little more, peeked at Aster to see he was obviously blushing.
Jack wasn't sure why but he started blushing too, but his thoughts were interrupted, when two figures appeared at the top of the stairs.
Tooth was the first to appear around North's enormous build, and when she walked in she looked as timid as Jack had ever seen her. Tooth looked like she was walking gently on glass, as she scanned the room, but when her eyes met Jack's that completely changed.
She rushed over to Jack, and before he could even blink her fingers were in his mouth.
"AH! Jack! It is so good to see you! Oh goodness you look amazing! So white and shiny!"
Tooth must have been distracted because she looked at her side, blushed, and quickly removed her hands from his mouth.
"Sorry, Sandy. I am calm." Tooth said, and she blushed, inching away from Jack, as if being near him she would just explode again.
Jack looked down, to see a familiar plump face.
"SANDY!" Jack said, hugging the little man.
Sandy let out little squeaks of giggles, as he hugged the boy. The same smile as always across his face.
"What are you doing here?" Jack signed.
'I am here to check up on Aster' signed Sandy.
'It is nice I get to see you' Jack signed
'You are a nice surprise' Sandy signed, a nice smile forming on his face.
"Ya know sign-language?" Jack turned to see Aster and the rest of them had been looking at them watching their conversation through their hands.
"Yeah, I learned a little while back, in high school, had a deaf friend." Jack noticed that Aster was looking at his hands, and Jack blushed slightly as he realized that was still signing. Jack always did that when he started signing, he found he would occasionally carry it into regular conversation.
"That's pretty cool, mate." Aster said. "Gonna ask ya to teach me, maybe Sandy would like it better if I could."
Jack looked over at Sandy who shrugged.
"How could you guys be friends for so many years, and not know how to sign? How do you communicate?"
Aster looked around, the four of them looking for an answer, all of them shrugged at the same time.
Jack was thoroughly confused, and Aster must have sensed this.
"We've always just gotten what he wanted...if not, well, he would give us hints with gestures or try to mouth it...but I don't know...Tooth thinks its because we were all meant to find one another. It's not really easy to explain..."
Jack kind of understood, or at least he told himself and everyone in the room that he kind of got it.
"Well," Aster said changing the direction of the conversation, "What brings ys bloody buggers to my place?"
"We came to check on you! Come by to see if you need any help...which you usually deny." Tooth said, as she quickly locked eyes with Jack, and smiled, then turned back to Aster. Jack blushed slightly. "However, you also look like you could use a break! Wanna hit the bar?"
"Then, Frostbite can't join." Aster said, as if it was the most nonsensical thing in the world. Jack felt his heart flutter when Aster immediately thought of him.
"No..No, that is ok. I will get out of your hair...I can just-"
"NONSENSE!" North bellowed, grabbing Jack by the shoulder and pulling him to his side. Jack once again crushed against the larger man.
"How about we all go to the Tree Bark?" Tooth suggested.
Aster and Jack quickly looked at each other, shooting each other a knowing look.
"Uh...ate there earlier...not in the mood." Aster quickly said.
"But, you told me you are never sick of their carrot cake..." Tooth chirped, oblivious to what was going on.
Jack panicked, but the three of them seemed to want to go to the Tree Bark Cafe. Aster kept looking at Jack, obviously worried about him. What if Casey was working? How would Jack handle seeing her?
Jack felt bad though, he already kept them from the bar, he had no excuse not to go there.
"Tree Bark Cafe is really good." Jack said, forcing a smile. Aster looked at him, a worried and sad look on his face, as if he knew what Jack was thinking.
"OH YAY! They have the best Garden Salads, and I have been craving one all week!" Tooth squealed jumping up and down.
"They have excellent cookies." North said as they walked out the door.
Before Jack could walk downstairs someone pulled him back into the loft.
"Are ya gonna be ok, Frostbite? I mean if...if she is there working?" Aster looked into Jack's eyes, concern obvious in his features.
Jack forced another smile, hoping it was more convincing than it felt. "I'm fine, Kangaroo! It isn't like we had a lover's quarrel or something."
"Don't. Don't do this, ok? I can make an excuse if you don't want to deal with all of this." Aster's eyes were determined and worried, and this made Jack's heart ache and leap at the same time.
Jack put on a soft smile, a little more genuine, "I am fine, I will figure it out when I cross that bridge...I'm going to see her again tomorrow in class anyways."
Aster still looked doubtful as Tooth called up to them, "Stop making out, and get your butts down here!"
This quickly made both Aster and Jack realize how close their faces were, and Jack became increasingly aware of Aster's presence. Both their faces blushed, as they separated Jack hurried down the stairs.
"We weren't..I mean..." Jack stuttered.
Aster smacked him lightly on the back of the head, Jack winced, but when he glared he noticed Aster was still blushing. "If you stutter like that they will think that something happened, don't give them any reason to think something stupid."
Jack thought he felt his heart drop to his toes.
Jack followed behind the four of them, as they chatted away, his head hung, all the way to the cafe.
When they entered the door, Jack looked up when he felt someone jab his side. He looked over to see Aster giving him a concerned and panicked look, pointing to the register.
Jack looked over to see Casey was smiling at the customers she was taking orders from. Everyone else may have seen a normal smile, but Jack thought that it looked a bit off. Aster must have had the same thought because he leaned in a whispered to Jack, "She looks out of sorts...Do you want to do this? Not too late."
Jack shook his head, "This is ok, I will see her eventually, plus everyone was excited to come here, and I like hanging out with them. Granted I don't know North well, but he greeted me with a hug, so automatically he is one the greatest people I have ever met." Jack chuckled at his own comment.
Aster still looked like he was not convinced, but he smiled at Jack anyway, putting his hand on his shoulder, as if for support, as he led him to the counter.
When Casey finished with the other customer, and her eyes fell on Jack, her smile faded slightly.
"Jack...hey...Wh-What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, came to eat with some people."
Casey didn't look at any of them, the only thing she seemed to be looking at was Aster's hand on Jack's shoulder, and then Aster himself.
Jack subtly shrugged his shoulder, so Aster would let go, and he did, but Jack suddenly felt weak again, and wished he hadn't.
"Ho-how are you?" Jack asked.
Casey didn't even try to force a bigger smile, as she blatantly lied, "Fine."
Jack stepped a little closer to the counter, "Look...can we talk later? I feel like something needs to be done. I don't like this awkwardness, and-"
Casey held up a hand, a small genuine smile on her lips. "It's ok. We'll talk later. I have my break now so-"
But before Casey could finish Aster stepped in, "Perfect. Casey, I need to talk to you." Without a word Aster lifted her from the other side of the counter, with ease, causing her to let out a small squeal. Jack was amazed at how effortlessly and smoothly he picked her up over the counter, and placed her on the other side.
"We'll be back." Aster said, as he grabbed Casey's wrist, leading her away, he ruffled Jack's hair.
Jack stared as they walked out the front door, and around the corner of the building.
"Aster...Aster...ASTER!" Casey's voice finally caught his attention as he power-walked to an unkown desitnation.
Aster stopped and turned around. "Oh...Sorry Casey." He let go of her wrist, and she quickly twisted it a bit, but waved it off.
"You're fine, but why did you literally whisk me out of there?" Casey looked at him, cocking her eyebrow and head slightly.
Aster knew what he wanted to ask, he just didn't know how to say it. So he simply asked the first thing that came to his mind, not one hundred percent sure where it was going.
"How long have you known Jack?" he asked bluntly.
Casey seemed a little surprised at the question. "Uh, a few years maybe? We met in High School." Aster wasn't sure what it was about that statement that made him say: "How long have you really known Jack?"
Casey's eyes grew wider. Aster could tell she was wondering and questioning wether or not he really knew what he knew.
"Jack's accident...I know about it." Aster said. Casey seemed to start shaking a bit, but it wasn't from the weather. Casey looked somewhat relieved, however, and she smiled slightly.
"Since, elementary school." She bowed her head, from the tone in her voice Aster knew that Casey was about to release a whole weight off of her shoulders, and Aster was more than willing to listen, especially since his Frostbite was involved.
"Not mine." he mentally scolded himself quickly before Casey began saying, "We met in the fourth grade."
Casey smiled a bit as she seemed to be playing the moments in her head.
"Jack...Jack was kind of one of those invisible kids in our school. He was not a nerd, or a dork...he just simply...existed. No one made fun of him, but no one really tried to befriend him either. It is interesting, because he often stayed so quiet, sometimes when he did speak it would startle people. Not that his voice was loud, it was always soft, but people never really heard him speak, and it was weird to hear his voice."
Aster felt a small break in his heart for Jack, being alone and invisible like that seems like it would be a terrible thing.
"Anyways, one day I was playing on the playground at recess, and I hear kids yelling 'fight fight fight.' Curiosity got the better of me and I found myself trying to fight to the front." She paused a little smile back on her lips, "That was when I really saw him for the first time. His hair was brown back then."
Aster felt the surprise and curiosity show in his face, but luckily Casey was looking down, and didn't see.
But with his blue eyes, it was such a cool trait, I instantly thought he was...was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. One of the big kids thought that he was the reason that he slipped on a dodgeball and fell. Kid was a jerk though, and overreacted, because all that happened was a tiny scrape on his hand." She sighed in annoyance at the thought, as if she was really there, before continuing.
"Well, Jack...was well, Jack, and even then he knew how to get under people's skin, how to say the exact wrong thing to push your buttons. However, he seemed...happy." Casey seemed more like she was talking to the air than to Aster, that she was reminsicing and he just happened to be around. She looked confused, like she still didn't quite understand why he was so happy.
"I don't know why...but he looked truly happy that this kid wa yelling at him, he looked like he might punch Jack, and I don't know why...but I stepped in. I rushed in front of this kid I didn't even know, trying to protect him. The bully told me to move, I didn't. It was alright though. When he knew he wouldn't and couldn't hit a girl he walked away, mumble some more insults at Jack, who shot them back twice as hard. I had to literally turn around and put my hand on his mouth to get him to shut up."
Casey looked at Aster for the first time, and she smiled lightly, "He smiled underneath my hand, he looked so happy. He looked like a child on Christmas, and I don't know why, but he instantly asked me 'can you see me?' I... I was so shocked by that. At the time, I thought he was ridiculous, of course I saw him, I was touching him."
Her smile faded, "He followed me around everywhere...he wouldn't leave my side, ate with me at lunch and talked to me a lot. Honestly, I liked the attention, to have a friend all of my own...but...I was selfish. I think that I pitied him a bit, but I hung out with him for a while to make myself seem like a good person...people would say how kind I was for hanging out with Jack, how it was nice since he was so odd and rarely spoke." Casey put on a simple smile and let out a scoff. Aster was surprised. "Funny thing is, that Jack never stopped talking, there was so much he wanted to say, so many different thoughts, stories, and fun times. Honestly, I never minded, his thoughts, everything he said was so interesting and captivating, before I knew it that original guilty conscience subsided, soon, I found that it turned to tenderness..." She paused, looking back at the ground, "And that turned to love."
Aster felt a drop in his heart, but he hoped that it didn't show on his face.
"I was there when he had his accident, the one that caused his hair to turn white."
"What happened?" Aster didn't mean to interrupt, but he was too curious about Jack's hair.
Casey looked up at Aster, as if she was surprised he could talk, but then she forced a small smile and answered, "He fell into a frozen lake."
Aster's eyes grew wide.
"Pippa, his little sister, and I were all at the lake, we had gone so many times before, but the weather was a little warmer that week, and some of the ice had thinned. Jack managed to save Pippa, throwing her to the thicker part of the ice. He smiled, super excited he could help, but soon..." there was a pause as her eyes grew wide from the memory. "There was a loud crack, and honestly I don't remember much after that besides Pippa screaming. Luckily, her cries were so loud that some of the neighbors heard...I don't remember what happened, I just stood there...I stood there like an idiot while the boy I loved was drowning in ice cold water. All I remember is staring at that dark hole in the ground. I don't remember who called what, or who, but all I remember is someone jumping in after Jack and then his limp body was in a strange man's hands. I didn't see him again for days, and he didn't actually wake up for a week."
"When he saw me again for the first time...He smiled at me...I did nothing for him, and he was being so strong and smiled at me, so that I would not get upset, so that I could be happy. That's just who Jack has always been.
"I visited him everyday, and the one day I walked in and he was bald, I remember staring at him, and that was the first time I ever really saw him look upset...I tried to tell him that he looked fine, that it was fine, but he just sulked. The next day though, I came back, and he was the happiest I had ever seen him. He talked about you." Casey looked into Aster's eyes.
"He told me that you were the Easter Bunny, that you two were friends, and that you told him the truth, that he looked horrible, but you helped him feel better…you…I hated you. I'm so sorry." Casey started to cry a bit, "I'm sorry, but I hated you. You could so easily do what I couldn't, you helped the boy I loved when I couldn't and I knew him longer. You..how?"
Aster knew that she wasn't really asking him so he remained silent.
"Overtime he never stopped talking about you, even when he was older, before the accident. Before he lost his memory, he still talked about you all the time. He often wondered where you were, what you would be up to. No matter what, he would think of you and randomly bring you up." She looked away as if she was ashamed of herself.
"When…when he had the accident, he forgot me. He remembered many other people, but not me…he asked me who I was. That broke me, however, when I mentioned your name he told me he had no idea who you were….I…I'm sorry, but I was so happy, I thought that maybe that he had finally stopped loving you, and I would have my chance."
Aster's eyes widened. "Love?"
Casey nodded, "I knew Jack…and he…he felt strongly about you…I think in some way you saved him."
Aster was truly puzzled, he didn't know how to respond to this hypothesis besides shaking his head. All he asked was, "How did he lose his memory?"
Casey took a deep breathe, trying to prepare herself or to calm herself down, Aster wasn't sure.
"He was in the car, they were on their way to get ice cream. A drunk sped through a red light, and hit the driver's side dead on…." She paused as if contemplating whether or not she should tell the rest.
"If Summer hadn't turned the car, so that she got the worst of the impact, Jack would be dead too."
Aster's eyes grew wide. "Someone died?"
Casey nodded.
"Who was Summer?" Aster asked.
Casey looked him in the eyes, completely serious but also very upset, barely audible she responded,
"His big sister."
