Jack sat perched in the rafters of the Workshop, watching the activity swirling below and thinking. He had a mug of cocoa and a plate of cookies that had been shoved into his hands by Phil, along with an apple from Greta when he arrived hidden balanced on the beam perpendicular to the one he was resting on, safe from the elves, his back against a vertical beam.
The odd protectiveness he'd felt at seeing the Guardians in General Winter's cage hadn't faded, despite the fact that none of them were in danger anymore.
It was...the closest Jack could compare it to was the feeling he'd had for his little sister, his few friends, but stronger, more persistent. It was a strange feeling, especially knowing that the others were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
And there it was again – that odd warmth, the feeling like being wrapped up in one of North's hugs that came when he thought to long about the other four. Cupid had grinned that silly, knowing grin at Jack the last time they had met up, almost preening when Jack had demanded to know what was going on and refusing to do more than drop cryptic hints.
It wasn't too hard to guess what was going on, though part of Jack kept denying it. A difficult task with Cupid being the one to look all smug over Jack's predicament.
At least the other spirit was being a bit reassuring when Jack starting worrying over how he felt this way for four other spirits. Jack was willing to forgive the smugness in exchange for that expertise.
But...why would the Guardians ever return Jack's feelings? He was probably mostly feeling this way because they were the first spirits to care about him, more than just as friends but as a team, since he'd become a spirit himself.
Sure, they touched a lot, and there were interesting looks between them, but they probably just felt like a family. Jack didn't want to be the one to ruin that by bringing...the word was even hard to think in privacy, but Jack made himself think it anyway.
By bringing romance into their family.
He was just going to enjoy this while it lasted (it was going to last. They weren't going to get rid of him, he'd finally found a place, he had) before they learned about the feelings taking root inside his heart and things got awkward.
Either way, Jack hadn't wanted to sit around outside when he had the option of going to the workshop, and he didn't want to be alone while he thought this through. Not entirely. Alone with his thoughts, but not physically.
He was thinking of the trip he'd offered to North, to go see the ice palace in Antarctica – Jack hadn't visited that continent since the confrontation with Pitch until a week ago, when he'd made a special trip to make sure the palace was still in peak condition and he wasn't taking North someplace dangerous – and wondering if Bunny or Tooth might try it when there was a change in the activity down below.
Jack watched from above, chomping into a cookie since he didn't have popcorn available. He wasn't going down to get caught up in all of that chaos until he had to, or until it looked like it might be fun.
Too many people for right now for him, even if they could all see him, he was better off up here until things calmed down.
Or until he was spotted and North's voice rang out throughout the workshop, calling Jack down to join him as North strode towards the family wing.
"Have news!" North announced happily. "Need to tell others...ah, need to find easier way to talk to each other..."
"You know, there are these human things called 'cell phones'," Jack joked as he followed along a little behind North to avoid the expressive arms North was currently flailing about. "Probably be pretty easy to convert some of those over to magic..."
North paused, tilting his head to the side. "Huh. Have been spending more time on toys and wonder, little on magic. Should try it. Later. For now, still want to go see palace in Antarctica. But must make stops to tell other Guardians the news."
He turned to face Jack, who was beginning to get nervous, grinning widely. "Have gotten message from Katherine and Nightlight. Will be home soon, within week! Are aiming to land in old village of Santoff Claussen, though were vague about it in message. In case it was picked up by unfriendly spirit."
Jack felt like the pit had fallen out of his stomach, but the grin he gave North was still real.
Nerves or not, he wanted to meet Katherine and Nightlight. Some of the stories were a bit vague yet, but this was Mother Goose and the original Guardian – sure he was nervous about being forgotten for the people the other Guardians had so much more history with, but he wanted to meet them and maybe...
"Does that mean I finally get to see Santoff Claussen too?" Jack asked, hopping up onto his staff.
"Ha! Yes, of course!" North said, speaking over his shoulder as he went to fetch his coat, this one with white trim, as the one with black was for fighting – primarily for fighting Pitch. "After Pitch attacked and Katherine and Nightlight left, most moved away. Could do to make sure is still in good condition, would not like them to come home and find home is gone."
Jack winced. "Hoo, yeah, that...yeah."
North paused as he tucked several extra snow globes into his coat. Shoving the last one down into his pocket, he crossed the room in two long strides to grip Jack's shoulders.
"Jack, they are going to love you," North said seriously, and inwardly he winced at his choice of words but Jack didn't seem to notice, looking up at North through his bangs. "They know there is new Guardian, just never got chance to meet you. Were already off to heal before you became Jack Frost. Have big hearts and will want to care for you, because we care for you."
It took a good deal of effort not to use the word 'love' again, despite 'care' not quite covering the way North felt for Jack, but he wasn't sure Jack was ready to hear it. Jack obviously cared about all of them, but love? None of them were sure if he was ready to hear that yet – or to hear about the marriage.
It seemed to work, anyway, as Jack smiled up at North, one of his real smiles. "Yeah, I guess I just got used to rejection," he said, flipping down easily off the staff when North moved back. "Come on, let's share the news, and let me show off the ice palace. I updated it a bit when I checked it out."
For all Bunny complained of the cold, he still tagged along to come see the ice palace. Tooth did as well, though she was bundled up in a thick coat of her own, and a pair of thick boots as her wings were caught under the coat, to protect them from the cold.
She and her fairies could take the cold where people lived, she explained to Jack, but cold like Antarctica? She'd rather take a few precautions, and Jack was all for it. This trip was supposed to be fun, not dangerous.
They approached the palace from the air, the whole of the sleigh already abuzz with excitement – Katherine and Nightlight were coming home, and they were going to get to what Jack could do with snow and ice when he decided to get creative!
Sandy pointed down as they passed overhead, and Jack huddled a little against North.
"Oh, that? Um...remember I said I hadn't come down since Easter 2012?" Jack said as the other Guardians looked down at the huge, spiky ice sculpture down below. "Pitch and I sort of...had a bit of a scuffle down here. That's what happened when our powers merged."
Baby Tooth, tucked into Jack's hoodie up against his neck, peeped soft reassurances and patted his neck. She was bundled up in a tiny snowsuit, courtesy of the yeti, but was still staying tucked into Jack's hoodie for protection.
"Do you mind if we look closer?" North asked, already tugging the reins to pull the reindeer down towards the ice.
"Too late to say I do," Jack snarked. "But I don't."
The sleigh slid to a stop near the huge black sand and ice creation, and the Guardians slowly climbed out of it, looking up at it with awe.
"Ya may not be proud o' it, but it's still pretty impressive," Bunny finally said, to agreeing noises and a burst of golden sand from the other guardians.
Jack stepped forward, resting his hand against the ice. "You know, for a bit? Right after we made this but before everything else? Pitch...he really sounded like he meant it, when he said he wanted a family and somebody who understood. I...know none of you are going to like me saying this, but do you think there's any hope at all for Pitch not being a giant extra drama king villain?"
The other Guardians exchanged looks, and Jack turned to look at them, his hand still resting lightly on the snow and sand sculpture.
"Made offer before," North said, stepping closer to Jack. "Was turned down flat."
"Still, we can always hope, right Snowflake?" Bunny added, stepping up to mirror North on Jack's free side, all three of them looking into the reflective ice and sand.
"You're sure?" Jack said, looking over at Bunny, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I distinctly remember a grudge about a certain storm..."
"Ah said we could hope, nothin' about not holdin' a grudge," Bunny replied, giving Jack a playful little shove. "Come on, let's go see that palace o' yours."
Jack shoved back and darted away, laughing, as Bunny chased him back to the sleigh.
The ice palace was closer to the center of Antarctica than most humans would try to venture (yet), though Jack wasn't sure if they would be able to see it if they did get close enough.
He hadn't made it to be unnoticeable, like North had the Pole, hadn't put any particular protections on it save the moat...but the fact that he used magic to make it could very well make it impossible for humans to see.
Jack sort of hoped they could. He wanted to see their reactions when someone came across a big-ass castle in the middle of Antarctica, surrounded by a star-shaped moat filled with freezing water.
The ice palace was bigger than the Guardians had expected, and Jack laughed at their gobsmacked expressions.
"It started out pretty small," he said as North drove the sleigh overhead in circles to take in the scale. "But I kept coming back down and adding to it each time I got an idea or got bored or wanted to test something, so it just kept getting bigger and bigger. There's a whole bunch of ice sculptures inside too, in the courtyard and in the palace."
"Okay, so it's pretty impressive," Bunny said grudgingly.
"It's not very colorful but I like it," Jack said. "I thought about living here, but eh, I like my den. It's more comfortable than this. Then again...if I could get some things down here to make it more livable, who knows."
"Would be good for impressing the reluctant," North commented, landing the sleigh where Jack directed him, sliding to a stop outside the upraised drawbridge.
Jack paused after jumping out of the sleigh, looking up at North in confusion, glancing over to Tooth for clarification.
"Some spirits are still more impressed by fancy trappings and elaborate buildings than the more subtle ways of showing power," she said. She shrugged, moving her hands expressively, conveying more with the expression than her words covered, mild irritation and disgust with the attitude and shallowness and resignation. "We don't invite other spirits into our homes often, but still."
"Huh," Jack said, still turning it over in his mind. "Right. Well, it's not really suitable for anyone who isn't prepared for the cold. Maybe we can change that if you really think I should, that could be fun. Just a sec, I have to let down the drawbridge – I'm the only one who can. The courtyard's kind of full or I'd have skipped it, but eh."
With that, Jack took off, and the drawbridge lowered over the moat moments later, the huge double doors behind it creaking open, with a sound like iceburgs moving.
Jack flitted around the other Guardians as they walked though the courtyard – an impressively large area, one filled with ice sculptures of anything and everything – and into the main palace.
From there it was like releasing a pack of children into a play zone. Yes, most of the palace was imposing and impressive, but it was still made by Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun (or Joy, the exact title was still up for debate).
Which meant things like banisters wide enough to slide down, lots of places to hide for a snowball fight, things to climb and things to slide, dozens of rooms and a million ways to have fun in the cold and snow.
Hours later, and they needed to return to the Pole before going to Santoff Claussen. They had all gotten pretty snow covered and cold – Bunny in particular, as Jack and North both seemed to find a special amusement in catching him off guard with a well-aimed snowball.
He'd gotten his revenge, and gotten it well, which was why they all (save Jack, who enjoyed it but had spent three hundred odd years in the cold) needed to get warm. Even Jack wasn't going to turn down warm blankets and hot chocolate, especially Pole chocolate.
Despite their excitement to go to Santoff Claussen and make sure it was still ready, Tooth and Sandy had jobs to do. While Tooth could leave hers in the care of her girls for longer and longer, she still needed to check in now and again, and there was no one to take over for Sandy.
So Tooth and Baby Tooth were off to the Tooth Palace, with Baby Tooth promising to remind her mother to come and help at Santoff Claussen in a few hours with a tiny salute and stern chirp, while Sandy was off to spread dreams to children.
Despite his excitement, it was clear Sandy might not be joining them for this trip. He had a lot of work to do, and he had slacked off enough for one night, maybe even the entire week.
After all, kids needed dreams every night, not just one season or one night a year. And Jack might have needed to do Winter, but he still could slack off – he only needed to make sure things didn't get out of hand, give things the personal touch, help kids have fun and help keep them safe. North and Bunny needed to keep an eye on things and do maintenance, come up with new ideas and experiment with them, but they could take time off.
So it was a trio that set off for Santoff Claussen, not all five.
Tooth and Sandy were a bit disappointed to miss out on Jack's first reactions to the place, but work had to come first, and they had already left it for longer than they had intended.
Still, Katherine and Nightlight were coming back. Watching them meet Jack would help ease the sting of missing this.
With that thought in mind, Tooth and Sandy waved the other three goodbye and took off even as North opened a portal to Santoff Claussen.