Jack woke first, his arm tingling with pins and needles. Tooth had moved over a fraction and was now lying mostly on his arm and he couldn't feel his fingers.
He squirmed and ever so slowly eased his arm free without waking or hurting her. Sitting up, he flexed his arm and waggled his fingers, eventually getting feeling back and ridding himself of pins and needles.
Then he noticed his staff was gone and somebody had left a bowl of fruit and a jug of milk- not the best of combinations- on the bedside table.
That could only be Cal. That kid had no idea of good combinations. Jack had got the brunt of a rant from Jamie about mixed up paint cans with bright colours that clashed violently.
Tooth sighed and pulled the blanket about her. Jack made a face at her sleeping form. Yes, he was cold, but he couldn't help it.
There was a soft knock on the door, urging Jack to his feet. He padded across the room and pulled it open a fraction.
"That's mine." He hissed.
"You were sleeping! And I was only borrowing it, honest!" Cal held the staff out to him. "How's Mam?"
"Sleeping." Jack studied him. "What have you done?"
"Nothing!"
"Ticked Sky off big time." Bunny translated. Jack slipped out into the hall with them as to not wake Tooth. He looked at Cal, indicating that he had no choice but to explain. Cal kept quiet and it was then that Jack noticed it was snowing about Cal. "She had a bit of a paddy 'bout you freezing Cairo."
"Oh." Jack snickered, ignoring Cal's mildly exasperated and mostly insulted look. "That was funny."
"I got blamed for that! And she tried to melt me!"
"We don't melt." Jack assured, motioning for Cal to quieten his voice. "What'd you do anyway?"
"Well, the fairies were talking to me and she was all 'oh yay, Frost brat fan group' and then she went into a major one and everything got really hot and I was melting."
"Right." Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Is she still here?"
"I am not going near her. She'll kill me." Cal looked genuinely scared, but this only prompted Jack into laughter. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Fine. You sit with your mam and I'll sort things out." Jack coughed. "Chicken." Cal gaped at him, but then did the one thing he knew that would be effective and reminiscent- he knocked his father's feet from beneath him and laughed triumphantly, arms raised. Bunny was in hysterics while Jack lay on the floor, his expression a partially defeated 'why me?'
He sat up and reached for his staff, freezing Cal and Bunny in place. "Change of plans," He decided, getting to his feet and brushing himself down. He stepped out of their reach and smiled, "I might go and see North instead and just leave you here."
"Frost!" Bunny grabbed at him, but Jack was at a safe distance. For extra measure, he froze Bunny's boomerangs in their slings. "Damn you, Frost!"
"Don't get your ears in a bunch, Cotton-Tail." Jack smirked.
"Jack!" He spun on his heel and smiled sweetly at Tooth. "Let them go!"
"Mam, you should be resting."
"I'm fine." Tooth waved it off and flashed Jack a warning look. He sighed miserably and the ice about their feet shattered. Bunny tackled him instantly. "Bunny!" Tooth despaired. "Broken wing or not, I can still hurt you!" Bunny shook Jack a final time for good measure and then let him go rather reluctantly. Jack cleared his throat and dissolved into snickers. "Jack, you're such a child!"
"Let me hurt him." Bunny growled.
"Jack, behave or I'll let him!" Jack gave an incoherent protest. "I mean it!" Tooth warned. Cal had to catch a burst of laughter in his hands, but his mother instantly sent him to his room for 'encouraging his father'.
"No, that's not fair!" Cal argued desperately.
"If I have to kick you all the way there, I will. Your choice." Cal sighed and slouched off, dragging his feet pointedly. Grounded. Again. And it wasn't even his fault this time!
Thankfully, he didn't even get to his room when he was waylaid by April and Amber.
"Are you alright?" Amber demanded instantly. "I'm real sorry about Sky, but she can't control her powers sometimes, especially when she's in a temper."
"I'm fine." Cal assured, although it was a bit warmer down this corridor than the last. He had lost his personal flurry and the heat was seeping back in. "Is she still mad?"
"Yes, but we're leaving her to cool down before talking to her."
"I didn't mean to annoy her."
"No, she just has a short temper." Cal nodded and pushed the door open to his room. "And she does stuff like that as well."
His whole room had been torched.
That explained the heat.
His mother was going to kill him and he'd be grounded even more, but what could he do? Backing from the room sharply, he tried to inhale cooler air, but the heavy stench of smoke and the forceful heat swarmed him.
April grabbed his arm and directed him back the way he came while Amber remained to inspect his room. Everything was covered in smoke damage, black and burnt to a crisp.
"Cal!" Tooth's annoyance at him returning and not going to his room, like she had told him, faded when she saw his distress. "What's the matter? What's happened?"
"My room… Sky… burnt it." Jack moved around Tooth and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. Cold flooded through him and he found he could think straight and breathe clearer. "She's seriously over-reacting!" He exclaimed angrily.
"Cal, I'll sort it. You just stay here and cool off, OK?" Tooth touched his cheek. "Jack, Bunny- make sure he stays out of trouble, please." They both nodded and led Cal away. Tooth wandered down the hall, annoyed that she could not fly. She cursed herself for being stupid, but then she remembered that Jack was alive and well because she had risked her wing.
Amber and April stood nervously to the side as Sky paced furiously, grumbling to herself.
Tooth cleared her throat and gained the fiery glare from the summer spirit. "I just wanted to ask why you burnt my son's room."
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, actually. It's part of my Tooth Palace and he's my son."
"Well, I'm sorry," She grumbled sarcastically, "but if he and his stupid dad weren't such idiots and screwed things up continuously, we wouldn't be having problems, would we?!" Tooth bunched her fists. "Summer may not seem that important to an all-powerful Guardian, but I'm as protective of it as you are of this!" She threw her hand up, indicating the Tooth Palace. "They ruin what I do and are too thick to understand why I get annoyed with them!"
Tooth wasn't going to stand there and let her insult her boys any longer.
She slapped Sky, who staggered, equally shocked and wounded.
"That," Tooth spat, taking a breath to compose herself, "is quite enough. If you didn't over-react with everything, maybe you could all get along!" Sky didn't even have the heart to scoff, nursing her wounded cheek and staring at Tooth in amazement.
Tooth turned and mentally summoned Emily, who appeared seconds later. "Can you get Cal, Jack and Bunny for me, please?" Emily nodded and saluted, zipping from the hall.
Looking back at Sky, Tooth forced a calm smile. "We're going to sort this out and if you over-heat, so help me…" Tooth let the threat hang in the air.
Emily returned a minute later, the Frosts and Bunny in tow.
"I didn't do it, I swear." Cal said instantly. Tooth sighed.
"Did I miss something?" Jack asked eagerly.
"What is it, shelia?" Bunny asked. "I gotta get back to me warren."
"Bunny, if you have to go, you may. I'll update you later." Bunny smiled gratefully at her, tapping his foot on the ground and opening one of his tunnels. He disappeared, leaving behind a rich purple flower.
"I love it when he does that!" April squealed. She dashed forward and lay on the floor, smiling fondly at the flower. The others stared down at her in bewilderment, but they eventually carried on as normal.
"Cal, Jack and Sky, we're going to sort this feud out right now." Jack snorted.
"No offense, Tooth, but winter and summer don't really get along." Tooth smiled at him, but it wasn't a nice smile- more of a 'do as I say or I'll string you up by your insides' kind of a smile.
"And I'm going to change that." Cal and Jack shared cautious glances while Sky silently fumed. Tooth was being very brave. "Without shouting or burning them," Her gaze was firm and strict on Sky's, "explain why they annoy you so much." Irritably, Sky sighed. She was in two minds about leaving, but she had heard about the state Tooth had left Pitch and Time in and didn't feel up to being a spitting image.
So she did explain, keeping her tone as level as possible and her temperatures down by imagining a warm summer's day splashing through pools and eating ice-creams. She also took pride in the fact that Cal hovered nervously behind his father.
"Well, it's exactly the same for us." Jack reasoned once she had finished talking. "You melt our snow."
"Because you ruin my summer!"
"Not always. Just when we're bored."
"Freeze something else then!" Tooth cleared her throat pointedly and Sky counted to ten slowly in her head, willing herself to calm down. "I'll stop melting your snow if you stop freezing my summers."
"We'll stop freezing your summers if you stop melting our snow."
"Jack!" Tooth reprimanded. "Cal, don't laugh!"
"Sorry." Cal bit his lip and tried for serious. It didn't work.
"Yes or no?" Tooth demanded. Jack glanced over his shoulder at his son, who smiled. He looked back at Sky, seeing her usual glower taking place again.
"OK, fine." He held his hand out. Sky seemed mildly surprised.
"No tricks?" She asked cautiously.
"No tricks." Father and son confirmed. "Unless its' April Fool's Day." Cal added. "No!" He clarified at his mother's firm stare. "No tricks!"
"Good." Sky shook Jack's hand and, for the first time since Cal had met her, she smiled. It was a nice smile, warm and giving her the friendly appearance he had expected of summer originally. She looked much prettier without the scowl.
Tooth sighed and her annoyance faded. She smiled too.
"I'm glad that's sorted. Cal, go and clean your room."
"What?! But… that… she- oh, that's unfair! Dad, tell her! She's being mean!" Jack was too busy laughing.
"Sorry about your room." Sky mumbled. "I was just angry."
"Help me clean it and all will be forgiven." Cal bribed. She pursed her lips debatably.
"Fine." She eventually decided.
"Go on then." Tooth waved them away. "I want that room done by tomorrow at the latest."
"No pressure then." Cal grumbled. "Can I make it snowy?"
"No."
"Ugh, why not?" He complained.
"'Cos you need this." Jack held up his staff. "And you're not having it."
"I borrowed it. And I gave it back!" He paused. "And I used it for thirteen years and it's still in one piece." Jack looked at his staff and then back at Cal. "I'm being honest." Tooth laughed softly.
"He's been really good with that, Jack. He was really upset when… um…" She suddenly looked sheepish.
"When I stole it back?" Jack finished for her. She nodded slowly, looking at something over his shoulder. "I feel loved. And no sarcasm that time." She smiled gratefully at him.
"Well, room to clean. Yay." Cal turned, but tripped instantly. He had forgotten April was lying on the floor.
Sorry for not updating last night. I hadn't finished the chapter and I didn't want to post what I had 'cos I wasn't all that happy with it. I hope this is OK though! :D