A/N New Chapter! yay! Ok I am not 110% in love with this chapter, but I think I have achieved everything that I have wanted to achieve with this chapter and as a result it's going up. Hope you like it and as always read and review.
Disclaimer: Don't own Rise of the Guardians.
"You should probably head up stairs for some rest" Sophie said to her daughter once North had left.
"I'm fine" Jackie deflected. "I'm not tired"
Sophie sighed and put a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "Jackie, you're riled up, you need rest."
"So that when you finally have a plan you can leave me behind?" Jackie said seeing through Sophie's scheme. "No"
Sophie didn't even bother to hide it. "Jackie… you're a child, you shouldn't have to face Pitch again."
Jackie glared at her mother her hands starting to frost over. "Jamie did at my age, Katherine did at my age, and Sarah's doing it right now, what makes me so special?"
Sophie didn't answer as she had not answer to that and Jackie laughed bitterly. "Yeah that's what I thought I'll be outside if anyone wants me."
Before anyone could stop her she turned and walked outside.
"Stubborn little girl isn't she?" Tooth stepped in. "Remind you of anyone?" She asked Jack.
"Bunny?" Jack said attempting to joke. Tooth raised an eyebrow at him Jack sighed and looked down. Suddenly looking like a twelve year old boy.
"Go talk to her" Tooth said pushing him slightly toward the door. "You are probably the only one who can get through to her right now."
"She blames me for the problems Sarah's going through right now; she doesn't want to talk to me"
Tooth shook her head sadly. "No, Jack, she blames herself. Yelling at us, is just her way of coping."
"Not that that's an excuse" Sophie cut in with a side glance at Tooth. "But she's right Jack, I could scream until I'm red in the face, but the truth is you know better than anyone how it feels to be under Pitch's thumb, if anyone is going to get through to her it's you."
"Their right mate" Bunny said. "You know more then anyone, what Jackie might be feeling right now, your her father, she'll listen to you more then she'll listen to us"
Sandy nodded while Katherine just stared at him expectantly. Nicholas and Jessica just stared out the wonder holding tightly to eachother as they wished for their daughter to come back home.
Jack turned to the door that Jackie had left outside of and sighed.
Jackie was standing on the highest branch of the big oak tree watching the sun come up. Jack just stared at her for a long moment before taking a deep breath.
"We'll get her back Jackie" Jackie turned to see her father floating in the air staring after her.
"I know" Jackie said honestly. She did know it, everyone would do everything in their power to get Sarah back in one piece Jackie's problem wasn't that they wouldn't succeed; Jackie's problem was that they had to do it in the first place and they felt the need to do it without her.
"He knocked me out." Jackie said bitterly as Jack sat on the branch beside her.. "Again."
"You fought your hardest, in a fight you shouldn't have been in" Jack said.
"If we had just been more cautious-" Jackie started.
"You can't start thinking like that – Sarah wouldn't want you thinking like that." Jack said calmly. Probably the calmest she had seen him since they found out that Pitch had escaped. Yet for some reason that just angered Jackie more.
"How would you know!" Jackie cried her hands started to ice over as her anger mounted. "You've never had to sacrifice yourself for someone close to you."
Jack turned to stare at her. "Yes I have Jacqueline Overland Bennett"
It was the first time that Jack had ever used her full name that she just stared at him wide eyed. The way he said her name it was like her mother said it when she was in trouble, or when her mother wanted her to listen.
He said it like a father.
They stayed silent for a moment before the curiosity got the better of her. "Who?"
Jack smiled. "My sister, Jane Overland" He told her.
"Momma said you had a sister, back when you were human" Jackie said. "But she never told me what lead to you becoming Jack Frost, only telling me that you did something brave and it lead the moon to thinking you would make a good guardian."
"My sister, and me becoming Jack Frost are interrelated" Jack said "Your mother probably didn't want to worry you with the story. Not all the guardians became a guardian like I did."
"So she knows?" Jackie said. "My mother knows the full story"
"Told her when she was 16" Jack said a smile flitted on his face as though the memory itself was something beautiful.
Jackie stared at him waiting.
"I took my sister out ice skating" Jack said staring out at the town of Santoff Claussen children below were coming out of the woods having successfully avoided bed time, though most were starting feel the consequences of staying up all night long many barely made it to the house before they collapsed. Some where even falling asleep right on the ground outside. "It was a few days after Christmas and it wasn't that cold. Honestly that should have been my first clue that what we were about to do was a bad idea, but Jane had been begging all week and I just really wanted to see her smile, so I took her to the pond near the house, the very same pond that you and Sarah pass every time you head to your snow palace"
"Momma did say that you used to live in Burgess" Jackie said.
Jack nodded. "Jane had her skates on faster than I did, she was already skating before I had put on my first skate. Though admittedly I was distracted by watching her have fun."
Jackie smiled slightly.
"The ice cracked underneath her" Jack said. "Jane was so scared and frightened, I distracted her by pretending to play hopscotch, I grabbed the shepherds crook that I brought with me everywhere and grabbed her with and used it get her to safety but in doing so I ended up getting on the cracked ice and I fell into the freezing ice below"
Jackie stared at Jack eyes wide. "You died?"
Jack sighed. "The next thing I remember is seeing the moon with no memory of my past" He said avoiding the question.
Jackie was quiet for a long moment at this new information. Her father had died protecting a child. She just sat in shock as she realised that there was more to her father than she had ever thought.
"Do you regret it?" Jackie asked softly. "Do you regret not growing up and having a normal life?"
Jack stared at his only daughter. "No, because I know that my sister got to live, and besides now I bring happiness to kids all over the world and have the most precious child that I get to call my own. That's not something I would trade for anything."
Jackie stared at him eyes wide. "You think I'm precious?"
Jack turned to stare the young girl. "No matter what anyone tells you, you are the most precious thing to me – always."
Jackie stayed quiet for a long time just soaking all that in.
"I think your sister would have felt guilty" Jackie said. Jack turned to stare at her but Jackie just kept staring out into the sunrise. "In her eyes, you died, when it should have been her, I don't think she got over it right away."
Jack looked down. "I do remember her, and she did look sad every time I saw her" He admitted. "I tried so hard for her to see me, but she never did."
"Because instinctively you knew that she was your sister" Jackie said knowingly before shaking her head. "I hate feeling useless."
"So do I" Jack admitted. Thankful that the topic had been diverted. He hadn't been aware how much talking about it would hurt. He remembered heading to the grave
Jackie looked away. "I just wish there was a way I could let her know that we're coming for her, so that she doesn't feel so alone."
"She knows" Jack said softly.
"Oh yeah? How long did it take you before you stopped having faith?" Jackie asked bitterly.
Jack didn't answer the question and Jackie felt bitterly smug. "Yeah that's what I thought"
"Sarah isn't going to be trapped for as long as I was" Jack said. "Have some faith in your friend."
Jackie stayed quiet for a while just soaking everything in.
"I'm sorry" She told her father. "I'm sorry for how I treated you at the Pole" And she was. Sorry for yelling at him, sorry for being scared of him. After everything that had happened to her, she had no right to be angry at Jack for anything.
Jack carefully put an arm around her shoulder watching as she tensed before relaxing in his grasp. "I'm sorry I scared you." He told her. "As a father I should protect you not be the cause of more nightmares."
Jackie smiled a little at that before leaning into his chest, enjoying for the first time in forever the feel of her fathers protection surrounding her. She felt safe, at peace.
Protected.
"Tell me more" She said softly. "Tell me more of your life as a Colonial Boy."
Pitch dumped Sarah on the ground the second she touched the ground chains made of black sand wrapped around her hands chaining her to the wall.
"I will get free of this" Sarah hissed to Pitch. "The Guardians, will come for me."
Pitch smiled at her cruelly. "Yes, I imagine they will. The question is will you see them as friend or as foe?"
Sarah's eyes widened. "No, you can't Pitch please!"
Pitch smiled an ugly cruel smile at her. "Oh my dear, I'm afraid you'll find I can."
A/N Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did it make you groan? Please let me know any and all reaction you had in a review below.
Oh for those curious as to what happened to Jane Overland I posted a story several months ago called 'Jane the Grim Reaper' it technically takes place in the same universe as this but it can be read as a standalone. So please if you're curious go check it out.