Hey guys! Guess who kinda promised Jack meeting Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel in the next chapter! And guess who hasn't done it!

Okay, I know you've all been waiting for the meeting, but this has been playing with my mind for a while and when a reviewer decides to help me along by giving me an idea for this particular topic, I just can't bring myself to say no.

So, yeah, here's the next chapter. Credit to jayleaf1 for the chapter idea, thank you so much!

Key:

Memories/Manny talking

Normal

Jack's thoughts

Disclaimer: I spend my life on the internet writing fanfiction. I'm not gonna be owning any of these characters any time soon.

"So now that we have all been shown that delightful memory, I'm sure your urge to murder Bunny has disappeared." Jack piped up.

"It's not disappeared." Merida muttered. "But it has faded slightly, I'll give you that."

"Which, when translated from Merida's language into modern English, means that Bunny is forgiven."

"Let's change the subject slightly." Rapunzel said before Merida had a chance to retaliate to Hiccup's comment. "What do we think the next memory is gonna be?"

"Oh Manny, I hope it's the one where I gave Bunny a frost mustache and he didn't notice all day. That was so funny, probably one of the best things I have ever done."

The first time it happened was so insignificant (well, it was insignificant in his mind) that Jack was surprised they found it strange at all. Having lived on scraps in his three hundred years of existance as a spirit, he had learnt to not be picky about what food he could get his hands on. Food was food, and if it tasted awful because it wasn't cooked or was out of date, well, it was better than starving to death. Jack didn't actually know if he could starve to death as a spirit, but he wasn't eager to test it and find out. Besides, he had discovered he was quite good at avoiding vomiting, so he could control himself enough to keep the food in his stomach, and that would fuel him for a few weeks or so.

Ever since Blizzard's death, Jack had a thing about taking food from others unless the food was offered or he was absolutely desperate. He couldn't stand it. The thought of stealing food from someone else made him feel ill. Which was almost amusing, when Jack thought about it. He could eat food that was out of date without a problem, but eating food that he had taken made him feel sick to the stomach. Which is why he only ever took food that had already been thrown out and wasn't wanted. And even then, if he saw someone who desperately needed it, Jack would place it nearby so long as the food wouldn't make them sick.

It never occurred to Jack how strange and worrying this might be for any other spirit, especially the guardians. After three hundred years, it became as natural for him to scavenge for food as getting fresh food from their kitchen or garden would be to anyone else. He saw no reason to have to change that.

Food when offered, though, was okay. Which is why when North asked him if he wanted some milk, Jack accepted gladly. He wasn't exactly hungry, but he was thirsty, and he could control his body temperature and ice powers enough to manage to not freeze the liquid before he had a chance to drink it.

When the elves arrived with the milk, Jack took his glass and started to wander around the workshop, taking a small drink occasionally. His nose screwed up each time at the taste, but he continued to drink anyway. He wasn't about to ask for another glass just because this milk was out of date. North may have a lot of food and drink, but his workshop wasn't a restaurant, and Jack wasn't going to treat it like one.

Once Jack had drained the whole glass, though, it was only a minute later before he heard the sound of North thundering down the hall, calling his name. Jack couldn't help but sigh. What had he done now?

"Jack!" North yelled once he spotted the winter spirit. "Don't-" He paused when his eyes fell upon the empty glass. "You drank the milk?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. That was what North wanted to talk about? Really? "Uh, yeah?"

"The whole glass?"

"Yeah, as proven by this empty glass that clearly has no milk in it. Why?"

"Yetis forgot to keep an eye on the date and didn't throw out the milk. Jack, you should not have drank it if it tasted off! You should have come back an asked for another glass of fresh milk."

Jack blinked. North was worried because he drank off milk? What for? So it was a few days out of date, so what? "Uh, I'll keep that in mind? Can I go now? Scotland is due at least three inches of snow, and I really can't put this off."

North looked confused. "Go? Jack, you could fall ill! Surely this snow can wait another day."

Oh. Right, of course. Most people usually got ill and started throwing up if they ate or drank anything out of date. North was concerned that he might be sick. Or maybe he just felt like it was his duty to take care of him if he was sick, even if he didn't want to.

Shut up, negative side, no one asked you for your opinion.

"As a matter of fact, North, I actually can't. Scotland needs that snow now. The longer I put it off, the more snow I'll have to give them in one go, and I can't be bothered with that."

"But-"

"I'll be fine, North. I don't get sick from milk that's out of date anyway." He flung open the nearest window and turned to wave at the Christmas spirit. "See you later, North!"

He jumped out of the window and let the wind take him away in it's currents, not bothering to look back and see the puzzled look on North's face.

The second time it happened because of (in true Christmas spirit) cookies.

North had asked him if he wanted to help make some cookies for the guardian meeting, and Jack had practically pounced on the chance. He'd always wanted to try making cookies, but since he didn't have anything other than his lake and his staff, he'd never gotten the chance.

They had just mixed the cookie dough together and North had gotten distracted by trying to get the elves out of the kitchen, leaving Jack alone for a moment. With the cookie dough. And despite Jack telling himself firmly in his head that he could wait until the cookies were actually done, his eyes kept drifting to the dough, his mouth watering. He hadn't eaten for so long, and he'd been feeling the hunger for days. Huge demands for snow kept him busy with barely a moment to rest and find some food and then he remembered that North wanted his help for something and rushed straight to the workshop without giving himself a chance to eat. Plus, it was cookie dough. He loved cookie dough, had loved it from the very moment he found some that a person had thrown out when they had a little bit extra. It was a waste, true, but it did mean that Jack got to experience cookie dough. Ever since then cookie dough had been a treat, and if he found some, then damn everything else, it was his.

It was chocolate chip as well. And it was right in front of him, practically begging him to eat it. Jack was sure if he was on the other side of the workshop he would still hear the call of the cookie dough. How could he resist when he was so hungry? Maybe just one little taste. Surely North won't notice a tiny bit of cookie dough missing.

Jack didn't allow himself much time to think about it as he took a small amount of cookie dough on his finger and brought it to his mouth. He would probably regret this later, but he was hungry and it was cookie dough, so damn the regrets he would have later. The cookie dough was his.

The cookie dough had just reached his tongue when a voice made him jump."Okay, Jack, back to the cookies!"

Jack froze, mouth still hanging wide open, probably making him look like an idiot. Dammit. Trust North to turn around just when he finally decided to have a tiny bit of cookie dough. Manny, all he could do was hope that North didn't kill him for trying to eat his precious cookie dough.

But instead of yelling at him, North just stared at him for a moment or two before he burst out laughing. Jack felt himself relax slightly. "You didn't have to wait until my back was turned to eat the cookie dough, Jack! Elves do it all the time."

Well. That explains a lot. Jack swallowed the blob of dough and turned to North. "Yeah, but unlike the elves, I was only going to have a bit."

North chuckled and ruffled his hair, a thing Jack would never actually admit he liked. "It is not as if we will run out of cookie dough, Jack. I would never allow it You may have as much as you like."

His stomach, of course, decided to contribute to the conversation with a particularly loud rumble. Jack felt his face heat up slightly and he could have groaned out loud. Traitor.

Something seemed to occur to North, and the smile slipped from his face. "Jack, when was the last time you had a decent meal?"

"To this day I still don't know how he figured this out from only a piece of cookie dough and a stomach rumble."

"It was too loud to be normal." North insisted. "And you were too thin."

"It never occurred to you that he might just be thin naturally?" Hiccup asked.

"No one is like a skeleton naturally."

"Uh... a couple of months, maybe three?" Jack didn't actually know. He had never bothered to keep track of how often he ate. What did it matter? All it meant was that he would have to remember something boring that he didn't actually care about. Would counting the number of days since he'd last eaten change how often he needed to eat? No. So there was no point.

But the information seemed to worry North further. "What was it that you had?"

Jack strained to remember. Manny, was this some kind of rule about being a guardian he'd missed? Did he seriously have to keep track of how often he ate and what he ate? If so, it was a ridiculous rule, and he would refuse to obey it. It was too much effort. "Uh, a sandwich and a packet of crisps maybe?"

North's eyes widened. "Jack, you do realize that is not a real meal, right?"

Jack was confused even further. "Does it matter? It's enough to sustain me for a while. I'm a spirit, after all. I don't need food that often."

The concern from the other spirit seemed to grow. "That does not mean you should not have a proper meal, Jack. Why did you not have something decent and filling?"

"Well it's kind of difficult to get my hands on something like that. It's not as if people throw out full meals on a regular basis."

North stiffened in shock, and it took Jack a moment or two to realize what he'd just said. Crap. I forgot most people don't take scavenging for food too well.

"Jack, what do you mean by throw out?" North asked slowly. Jack swallowed before he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Isn't there's something more important you have to do than stand here and chat with me?"

"Jack. Do not change the subject. What do you mean by throw out?"

"I'm sure Carl has gotten the colour of the toys wrong again."

"Jack. Answer the question. What do you mean by throw out?"

Jack sighed in despair. Crap. He wasn't getting out of this, was he? "I mean food that isn't wanted for whatever reason and has been thrown away. I didn't exactly have any other way to eat, and I'm not eager to experiment to find out if spirits can die of starvation, thank you very much."

It was strange and almost heartbreaking for the three other seasonals to hear this conversation. None of them were used to Jack being like this. They were used to a Jack who constantly asked North what he had in the kitchen, a Jack that practically inhaled his food at dinner, a Jack that even occasionally took some food from the kitchen to give it to someone, possibly a child, he had found starving in the streets, knowing that North would not mind. Not a Jack that refused to touch food that came from the guardians. They were almost ashamed to think about the fact that they hadn't considered what the guardians had done to help Jack while they were watching his memories.

North's eyes softened slightly. Jack couldn't tell if it was with pity or sympathy. "And you are still doing this? Scavenging for food? You realize you can come to one of us and ask for food, right?"

Ask for food? Was North mad? There was no way in hell he was going to take advantage of the guardians like that when he could just take the unwanted food. "North, really, it's fine. It's not as if anyone else was going to eat the food anyway. I wouldn't take it if someone else wanted or needed it."

"It is not fine, Jack. You should not have to take unwanted food. You should have fresh food, that is much better for someone of your age."

"I'm over three hundred years old!"

North ignored him. "Next time you are hungry, I want you to come to me, understand?"

"But-"

"Understand?"

Jack hesitated. He didn't want to say yes only to ignore the instruction, because that was as bad as breaking a promise, and Jack hated breaking promises. And yet somehow he didn't think North would take no for an answer. But he just couldn't say yes. He couldn't take someone else's food like that. It would go against everything he had taught himself about taking food during his three hundred years of isolation. Besides, the last time he'd taken someone else's food, he'd cost someone their life. And by someone, he meant a certain wolf that had adored him and followed him around loyally.

North seemed to notice his reluctance, so he tried something different. "Tell you what. We are having a dinner next week. I want you to come. You will enjoy it. Yeti's are very good cooks."

Jack sighed. "If I don't show up, you'll just send Phil to pick me up via a sack and magic portal, won't you? Fine, I'll be there."

Jack turned to leave, but stopped for a second when North called after him. "Jack, come to me if you ever need food. We have plenty to spare, and we will never say no. I do not like seeing you have to take food that has been thrown out."

Jack bit his lip for a moment, considering the offer, before he replied. "I'll try and keep that in mind."

With that, he jumped out of the window,letting the wind take him back to his lake, and if he seemed to eat a little more than a normal person was at dinner the next week, then no one mentioned it.

"North practically shoved food down my throat every time I visited." Jack grumbled slightly. "And Bunny only encouraged it."

"Hey, it got you to start eating at the pole more, didn't it?"

"I guess so."

Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel exchanged a look but kept quiet as they waited for the next memory to appear.

So there's the end of the chapter! Alright, the next chapter really should be Jack meeting the other seasonals, since I don't expect to get distracted with any other chapter ideas. Thank you once again to jayleaf1 for helping me out by giving me this chapter idea! And before you leave, please leave a review, it will be very much appreciated and loved.