Jack grabbed the staff with both hands and closed his eyes in concentration. Then, he opened his eyes and swung the staff wide. A large bolt of ice-lightning crackled across the sky and hit the fireball. The collision led to a huge explosion. Jack was flung a few feet back before he stabilized and brought up an ice shield. Down below, he saw everyone hiding behind a large sand shield. The battle paused a few seconds as the impact of the blast kept everybody hiding. Then, two quick, clear shots were heard in succession. Jack searched for the source of the sound and cursed when he found it. Bunny. Pitch had taken the opportunity to get Bunny.

xx

Elsa watched the scene; her head spinning. Her heart had been so heavy, it had seemed difficult to breathe - but now Kristoff was alive, and Jack - a blush rose in her cheeks again - he was here. He had saved her. Things had improved, and the despair was receding. But the battle was tipping in the favour of their enemies. The Tooth Fairy was down, and the Easter Bunny had switched sides. She had to help. She untangled herself from Anna's arms, and walked a few steps forward. She wobbled, and dropped to the ground. Anna bent and held her, trying to pull her up, but she raised her hands, asking her to stop. Then, she placed her quivering hands on the ground, closed her eyes and called on her powers. Slush rose from the ground and spun in a circle around her. Then, large volumes of the slush split from the circle and raced along the ice, reaching Hans, Pitch and the guards. She sent in another trail towards the Easter Bunny. The slush hardened into ice, gripping their feet and holding them firmly.

She opened her eyes to watch with satisfaction that all her enemies had been trapped in place. Hans looked at his frozen feet, scowling. Quickly, he created a large fireball in his hand. Before he could use it, however, a small, concentrated ice beam arrived and froze him completely from head to toe. She turned to look towards the source of the attack. Jack was looking at her, smiling broadly. Elsa's attack had been just the right distraction for him to get to gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and she smiled, her heart warming at the look on his face.

Jack glided down to the ground to meet the other Guardians. Santa Claus - he was bigger and fiercer than Elsa had imagined - had used his muscular arms to knock out the remaining guards. They slumped to the ground; their legs below the knees still held straight in the ice. They would probably wake up to a lot of cramped muscles.

Only Pitch remained, huffing as he strained against the ice encapsulating his legs. He looked at his empty gun, and then at the fallen guards. He turned to look at Elsa, eyes narrowing. Elsa stepped back, shriveling into herself with fear of being controlled again. Anna reached down and held her hand, crossing fingers. Warmth and love ran from her to Elsa, and it helped her feel steady. The despair was almost completely gone. He couldn't get her.

A boomerang arrived, shattering the ice around Pitch's feet. It returned to the hands of the Easter Bunny, whom Elsa had completely forgotten. He had quickly broken free of the ice, and had now helped Pitch as well.

"Kill them all!" Pitch instructed Bunny, panic lacing his words. Tendrils of golden dust flew through the air, spun around Bunny, and transformed into a large cage. Elsa looked at the Sandman, impressed. Bunny threw the boomerang again, and a part of the cage disintegrated into soft sand dust, creating a small hole. The weapon swung back to land in his paw, and he aimed it again. Another few throws and he would be out.

Santa pulled out a snow globe from his pocket, shaking it and muttering something. Little flakes rose inside it, spinning and swirling.

"What is that?" Pitch asked, stepping back, "Destroy it!"

Bunny shifted his aim. The boomerang swung towards Santa, but Jack intervened, freezing it mid-path. The iced boomerang fell to the ground. Santa took the opportunity and threw the snow globe towards Pitch. Elsa watched the object, which looked like an innocent little toy, as it transformed on its path into a hole that grew wider and wider. It landed underneath Pitch, darkness and little lights swirling and churning within it.

"Hope you like the little place we've built for you," Santa said. Pitch's eyes widened, and then he fell through, his scream echoing in the tunnel. The portal closed, turning back into an innocuous snow globe.

Bunny stopped struggling, and Sandman disintegrated the cage. He walked up to Santa, a large question mark floating over his head.

"Oh, I'm sure he won't get out," Santa responded, "The only way in and out of that place is through my portal."

"No such guarantees for him, though" Jack said, as he hovered towards them and pointed at Hans, "He blew out of a block of ice last time - and he can do it again. I can already see him glowing." It was true. Hans looked red, and thin cracks were trailing through the ice block that held him. Elsa clenched his fists, ice traveling down her arms.

"I might have a solution for that," Kristoff said, and the Guardians looked at him, surprised.

He pulled out a looped string from his pocket. It looked like bits of leaves and rocks strung on a vine. He reached into his collar and pulled at a similar string around his neck.

"I visited the rock trolls before we came here," he explained, "To get advise and guidance. The amulet I'm wearing protects the wearer from magic attacks, and this other one prevents the wearer from doing magic. They aren't very powerful, but they do work."

Santa looked at Kristoff suspiciously, having never spoken to an adult before. Jack reached out and grabbed at the string, "Thanks! I always did love the rock trolls." He winked at Kristoff, and he smiled back with a shake of his head, pretty sure that Jack was being sarcastic.

Jack handed Sandman the string, and stepped back with folded arms. Sandman turned to the block of ice, and raised the string. A thin trail of sand wound around the string and lifted it. It flew towards the ice and sand grains in the front shifted to form a drill. It drilled a tiny hole, and snaked through the ice to Hans, settling around his neck. Immediately, Jack reached up and sealed the holes and all the cracks that had appeared. They waited several moments, and when the glow within the ice dimmed out and everyone was satisfied that Hans was indeed trapped, they all breathed out and relaxed.

"Sandy," Santa said, "Help Tooth call in the tooth fairies who were on stand by with the teeth. Let's get all our Guardians up and about."

Sandman nodded, and floated towards the Tooth Fairy. Elsa turned to look at Jack, only to find that he had been looking at her. She smiled, and he grinned back widely. He walked up to her, reached for her hand, and looked deep into her eyes. Those naughty, twinkling eyes made her giddy with joy.

"So, you decided you could just kiss me?" she asked with a stern face.

Immediately, Jack dropped her hand, a panicked look crossing his face, "I'm sorry. I was - it was - I didn't know -"

"It's ok," she said with a blush, interrupting his poor attempt at an apology. She smiled, enjoying watching his usually smug face so lost. He saw her smile, and smiled back in relief.

"It is?" he asked, searching for more meaning in those two words. Elsa reached for his hand, and gave it a squeeze, so glad that he was alright and here with her. She looked into his eyes and nodded, and saw the joy that lit them up. They understood each other - she finally understood herself and what she wanted.

Anna slowly came up to stand beside them, her eyes still lingering on Kristoff, who was wincing at the loud pats he was getting on his back from Santa. Elsa let go of Jack's hand, and they both turned to look at her.

"I can see why you were so insistent on staying to help," Jack said with a straight face, "What with the punches and all. You practically saved the day."

Anna turned red with embarrassment, and narrowed her eyes angrily, "It must be easy to mock when you have to simply lift your fingers to bring in snowstorms."

Elsa panicked, worrying at the possibility of the two most important people in her life not liking each other. She looked from one to the other, trying to judge how serious they were.

"It is, actually," Jack conceded, and grinned. Then, the two of them started laughing. Elsa smiled, tears of joy - oh God, so much joy - filling her eyes.

xxxx

Final chapter will be up tomorrow.