We're in the home stretch. There are only a few chapters left, I hope you've liked it. I've really enjoyed all the support, reviews, favorites, and follows. Thank you all! Please continue to let me know what you think of the story.

I do not own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of childhood. They belong to William Joyce and DreamWorks. Thank you to all the writers who have inspired me with their amazing writing!

(Letter)

Dear Jack,

We're not sure when it will happen but we know some day you will get your memories back. And knowing you, you'll feel like you hurt us and start blaming yourself. But just like when you knew, when we disappeared, that we had found a way to make the best future for ourselves. We know that this is all a part of your path on which the best future will be reached for you. We'll keep our promise to you, every winter we will always make time to be with our friend and blood brother. Baba Yaga and the Piper explained how you were chosen by the Man the Moon, similar but different to how they were, for this new life and we couldn't be happier for you! When you remember your family, especially your sister, please know that we will always take care of them! We'll tell Mary all about you; she's our blood sister, through you after all. But more than that we'll let her know that you'll always be with her! Because Jack, you are! You don't remember her, but a brother's instincts never disappear. It just means these instincts are benefiting all children, and you have an unlimited supply so no one is skipped over or given less. I meant what I told you that day we talked in the tree. You have a gift and that gift is being nurtured and strengthened with every interaction you have with kids. Belief will come, just keep at it. One day you will remember us and when you do we'll have the biggest celebration you've ever seen! We'll even invite Mary in your parents.

Thank you for being there for us Jack! You saved us! If we hadn't met you and you hadn't opened your heart to us, we would have left Burgress and probably never heard the Piper's song. We'd have probably perished on the run and had no one to care about who we were. But, because of you, we made our gifts into a future, we owe you everything!

With love, your blood siblings Tiffany and Adam!

P.S: after you read this go to Buregress hall and look up my painting named "Brother Winter."

(Present)

Jack read the letter four, five, six times. Tears welling in his eyes. He delicately folded it, put it in its envelope, and then held it close to his chest. As if he could somehow send his hug through this letter, back 300 years and to the two who put so much love into writing it. They told him not to blame himself, but he couldn't help it. They were gone, the celebration they dreamed of sharing with him would never happen. They died knowing that Jack didn't see them as anything other than friends, valued and cherished friends, but not the blood siblings they were. And to top it off, they'd kept their promises. To Mary they'd been like a new set of older siblings. They'd helped take care of the whole town but his family in particular. And every year they made time to play, talk, and just hang out with him. As the tears began to escape his eyes, freezing as they rolled down his cheek, the moon's light brightened and shone down on the winter spirit.

"Jack Frost." A kind voice, one that was unmistakable, called his name.

The tears stopped on a dime, though some still shown in his eyes, as he spun to stare shocked at the moon. "Did… Did you… You…."

"Yes! I'm talking to you, Jack Frost." The Man in the Moon's voice was kind but also filled with regret. "I'm so sorry! It was never my intention to not answer you or tell you more. I heard every question, every word you spoke."

"Then… Then why?"

A very deep sigh came from the sky and the light seem to dim in response, but it soon shone brightly again. "When I give soul immortality and turn them into a spirit, it takes a lot of power out of my magic and the Moon Clipper. After, I don't have the ability to talk without using my lunar gong at the Lunar Lamadary, moonlight, or the guardian crystal. With your transformation it was even more so." Jack bowed his head, feeling unashamed. "Jack! It wasn't your fault. What you did that day was the most heroic, unselfish, wonderful thing I'd seen a brother or anyone do in a long, long time!"

"Is that the reason you chose me?"

"I chose you long before that!" Another sigh, this one full of sadness, escaped Mim. "I wanted to invite you into the Guardians' ranks when you were an adult. When you reached that age, and were expected to find a job for yourself, I was going to present my offer to you. I knew you would continue to spread joy and fun whether you became a spirit or not, but I felt you should be given the option. After you fell through that ice… I… There…." The Man in the Moon fell silent. Jack held his staff so tight his knuckles were whiter than usual. "I couldn't believe what I'd seen, that act of pure love sealed the deal! I knew I had to give you another chance at life. I reached out to you as fast as I could, but the cold water worked faster than my light could in the early hours of the day. You died before my eyes, but I wasn't ready to give up!

When the night fell I contacted the Angel of Death, and she answered me readily. She agreed that your life had been cut short, far too short, and was more than happy to release custody of you into my hands. But there was a problem. During the day your soul had left your body. The Angel of Death explained that she had guided you on to the path of transition between life and its destination after death. While on that path a soul could be brought back, but at a cost. The life of a person was used as a soul's energy for the journey after that, so something of importance had to be used to create a new life."

"Is that where the idea of a person sacrificing their life to bring a dead loved one back to life came from?" Jack interrupted his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yes." Mim said. "But I couldn't do that, not only would it go against everything I believed but I knew you would never be able to live knowing another died to bring you back, something else had to be used. That's when I realized that memories were life, or at least a part of one, and that they could be used. I figured Toothiana would be able to help you soon after, making this cost far better than another's life could ever be. So the Angel of Death took your memories and transferred them into life energy. Then she returned your soul to your body and gave the new life to me, I went to work immediately! I combined the Moon Clipper's power; my magic to transform mortals into spirits, and the life the Angel of Death created from your memories and sent them straight to you. It took far longer and put a huge strain on myself and the Moon Clipper then when I transformed the living, but in the end you rose from the ice and took your first breath as Jack Frost. I told you your name, but just as I was about to explain things, the Moon Clipper nearly lost all power giving me only the bare minimum to work with.

My moon bots and I worked feverishly but it was no use. As always I just had to wait for it to recharge. Tragically it took 300 years for that to happen I was able to send picture messages, like Sandy, but they were easily misinterpreted. I tried to use the gong but the Lunar Lama's have to ring the gong on their end to activate it. The guardian crystal can only be activated when a new Guardian is chosen and because I was unable to explain things to you, you had to learn about the spirit world, your powers, and your gift by yourself. Only after you had learned all that, could you take your rightful place.

Today was the first time I was able to actually talk to anyone since that night and I felt I owed it to you, to talk to you first. I know all this is no excuse for what you've had to go through. All I can say is how truly sorry I am!"

Jack shook his head. "Don't be!" He looked at the letter once again. "Like Tiffany said, losing my memories was part of the path that led to my best future. You gave me a second chance, a second life. You gave me the ability to bring fun to kid's generation after generation. And I'll be doing it for generations to come! Better than ever before thanks to me being the guardian you always knew I could be." Jack smiled at the moon, a true, earnest, trusting smile like the one he'd given the night the moon had made him Jack Frost. "Thank you!"

"That's good enough for me!"

Jack spun on a dime and saw a grandfather like man, with a beard that fell to the ground, standing there. He held a staff with the curled end and a pocket watch hung from the belt of his cloak.

"Hello there Jack Frost. My name is Ombric, the Guardians know me as a fellow member and good friend. But you would have heard of my other name, Father Time. Mim requested that I come, to give you a gift only my power can. But the gift he wants to give you can't be taken lightly! There are rules that must be followed, rules that took me a while to accept. I had to be sure you would have the maturity to do just that. And you showed me, just now, that you do. It would be my honor to grant you this gift!"

"What gift?" Jack asked, as Ombric turned the key on his watch.

The pocket watch began ticking and then glowed. A portal of gold light open behind him, and he stepped aside. "To take you back to see your family and friends now that you have your memories."