Well hello friends. I forgot to say in the last chapter…HAPPY EASTER! I hope you all had a fun and loving Easter!

Ok, so here is the extra long chapter I promised. Be prepared, the feels are comin' your way!

ActionLover203: Awww, thank you so much! I'm so glad to be back!

Summary: When a traumatic event knocks Jack's usually cheerful mood, the Guardians are determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

Chapter 6: Buried Past

It had started off a beautiful day; the sun's rays shining in a way only the winter's light could, turning the snow to glitter as it bounced off miles of ice that smothered the mountain range. The white tip of each mountain blended perfectly with the horizon, reaching higher as if trying to touch the heavens itself.

The biting nip of the air froze the noses of the hikers that had been brave enough to venture out to view this seasonal beauty. Wool scarves and gloves tried in vain to contain the little heat of the cold bodies beneath. Not that the hikers minded, of course, the picturesque landscape that stretched out before them was worth the numb fingers and sore feet. They had been planning this trip for months. The three life-long friends had dreamed of experiencing the wonder of the winter season first hand in an untouched environment for years and finally, they had made it.

Just a mile or so to go and the two women and one man would have made it to the top of one of the tallest mountains in the range. Each step felt like a thousand but excitement and determination overtook tiredness and fatigue at the prospect of this once in a life-time moment. Just a little further to go…

But they would never make it. A continuous roar like thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. Eyes widened in fear and breaths caught in throats as the realisation of the situation caught up to the experienced hikers. Though they had never taken the challenge of tackling a snowy mountain before, research and warnings had told them that many who attempted the very task before them, had suffered a fate that they had never returned from.

They had heeded the information as just that: a warning. It would never happen to them, of course. Nothing ever happened to them. But the wall of ice and snow that was hurtling towards them from above told a different story. Their dream adventure had started off just as they had imagined it to. However, they hadn't realised that the finale would never be reached; that their dream would die with them.

0o0o0o0

Jack Frost was in his element. Quite literally. The mountains surrounding him were blanketed in snow and ice as Jack flew at top speed through the sky, unable to feel the cold that tried its best to whip at his face and bare feet. His arms were outstretched as he glided, while his laughter echoed off of the miles of white wonder.

This was a place he could release his power without having to worry about harming anyone. He could create blizzards that stretched for miles or freeze areas solid without having to take precautions about if anyone would slip. The young winter spirit swooped and dived between the mountains before coming to rest on the very tip of one. He closed his eyes, marvelling in the knowledge of his height above the ground, his ever-present staff clutched in one hand.

The moment of calm over, the spirit leapt from the tip and, with a gesture of a hand, landed lightly on a smooth piece of ice that the winter teen proceeded to use as a board to glide over the unstable snow. Behind him he could hear the rumble of snow chasing him down the sloping descent. A game of cat and mouse ensued; Jack effortlessly keeping out of the clutches of the rolling snow as it followed close behind him. However risky the game seemed, Jack knew that he was in no real danger. All it would take was to fly straight upwards to be out of the path of the building wall.

Deciding that he wanted to watch the rest of the show from above, Jack abandoned his ice board to be swallowed up by the wave of snow and rocketed skywards. The sound was almost deafening and the spirit knew to keep well out of the way now as the falling element gained momentum. As it passed directly under him, he spared a glance down the mountain side, towards the direct path of the rolling snow. And his heart stopped. There, not 500 metres away, were three hikers, staring straight towards him. Of course, Jack knew they weren't looking at him but more at the wall of snow bearing down on them.

Time seemed to freeze before the spirit snapped into action. The hikers seemed impossibly far away as Jack flew at top speed towards them. He had no plan, no time and no idea how he could have been so reckless. The hikers themselves stood rooted to the spot, too terrified to move. It was a race of nature against spirit. Who would reach them first? Would this end in saviour or disaster?

Jack was half way to them when some part of his mind realised the truth of what was going to happen. He pushed to fly faster, even though he knew it was futile. The snow had too much distance on him. The avalanche would reach the hikers first. Jack Frost would be too late to save them.

0o0o0o0

A gentle snowfall wove its way through the cluster of trees and landed gracefully on the frozen surface of the lake. Curled up with his knees to his chest sat a slight figure with snow white hair. Two hours earlier, he had caused a tragedy that three hikers would never walk away from. Three people who had their whole lives ahead of them, who had plans, dreams and aspirations.

Now they'll never be able to try. And it's all my fault. Jack wrapped his arms tighter around his knees, burying his face further into them. He stayed in that position for a little while before his neck protested at the continued strain. Stretching out on his back, he stared at the grey sky above him, hands clasped over his stomach. The blue and brown of his hoodie and pants contrasted sharply with the stark white of the ice under him. Suddenly, a small object flitted across his vision, snapping him out of the trance he had started slipping into.

"Baby Tooth?" Jack called, confused. He sat up to greet the feathery creature who looked at him with concern in her mismatched eyes. She squeaked at him which the winter spirit took as a question of was he OK. He gave her a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I'm fine, Baby Tooth. Promise." She stared at him for a second longer before swiftly darting off and, as quickly as she appeared, she had vanished.

Jack gazed for a moment in confusion towards the direction she had disappeared. Figuring that the mini Tooth had just remembered something important, he resumed his previous position laid on the ice. Thoughts and regrets chased each other round his mind for another few minutes, making him feel exhausted and empty. Once again starting to slip into a sort of daze, Jack felt the world around him start to blur together. With a strange sense of déjà vu, however, the spirit was startled back to his senses when a familiar face appeared above him.

"Jack? Are you OK, sweet tooth?" Tooth asked, worry clearly evident in her voice.

"Tooth! Hi, um, yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?" Jack tried his best to regain his composure after the mini heart attack the fairy had just given him. He grabbed his staff, which had been next to him, and stood up so he was on her level.

"Well, Baby Tooth just came to me saying you were laid on the ice looking upset and said you were fine when you clearly weren't. Now I know what she was talking about. So, are you sure you're alright, sweetie?"

Jack couldn't quite get himself to meet her violet eyes, so instead he stared at his feet and responded to a question he hadn't figured out the answer to yet. He couldn't tell her of the incident that had just occurred, she'd be horrified. He wasn't quite sure he'd come to terms with it himself yet. No, he definitely couldn't tell. He responded slightly more snappishly than he intended, "I told you, I'm fine! I was just having some down time."

"And there it is." Tooth gently lifted his chin with a finger so the winter spirit was forced to meet her gaze. She smiled at his puzzled expression, "You never have down time. You can't stay still for more than 5 minutes which means you're definitely lying. Come on, we're going to North's" And with that she grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the air.

"Wait, what?! Why are we going to North's?" But Jack's protests went ignored by the fairy queen who simply continued to drag him in the direction of the Workshop. That was, until Jack pulled her to a stop high above the ocean.

"Tooth, I'm fine, I don't need to go to North's" Jack said in a kind voice, knowing the Guardian of Memories meant well but honestly, he didn't have the energy to deal with the slightly over-bearing Guardians at the moment. However, Tooth wasn't having any of it. She stared at him with a disbelieving look but replied with, "OK, you don't have to go. But I'm going there now and I think the others are there; you might as well join us. It'll be nice, a little get-together."

Jack knew he had no reason to refuse to go and, even if he did, it definitely wouldn't help his case on convincing Tooth he was perfectly alright. It looked as if he didn't have much of a choice. He sighed and gave her a small smile, "OK, then, I'll come."

0o0o0o0

Not long later, the Guardians of Memories and Fun flew into the Globe Room at Santoff Clausen. Just as the fairy had said, their fellow Guardians were milling around, drinking eggnog or (in a certain Pooka's case) warming feet by the fire. At the feel of a chilling breeze that accompanied the winter teen everywhere, Bunny turned away from the fireplace and settled himself into an armchair before greeting the new arrivals, "Hey, Tooth. Hey, Frostbite. Um, Tooth, why are ya keeping the kid hostage?"

Indeed, Tooth still had hold of Jack's wrist, forgetting that she could actually let go of the winter spirit when they came into the Globe Room. However, her fingers sprang away immediately on remembering. She spoke to her now-freed hostage before turning to the mildly amused Pooka, "Sorry, Jack, I completely forgot. And I was not keeping him hostage! He came of his own accord, right, Jack?"

Jack, who'd been quiet throughout their exchange, his mind wandering back to hours before, snapped back to the present, "Oh, of course."

Bunny frowned slightly but thought nothing of Jack's lack of attention, at least, for the moment. Instead he addressed the newest Guardian with a smirk, just loud enough for the fairy to over-hear, "So, where'd she kidnap ya from?"

"I did not kidnap him! And I did not hold him hostage! Please tell him, Jack." Tooth turned desperately to the youngest Guardian but, despite his fondness for the fairy queen, Jack couldn't let the opportunity to tease her pass. A sidelong glance and a simple response of "Burgess," along with a cheeky smirk was all it took for Tooth to send him a startlingly frightening glare.

However, her naturally sweet nature meant she couldn't really be mad at him, not for long, at least. Her expression softened before she patted Jack on the shoulder then flitted over to a spare armchair. Jack followed her and curled up in the chair furthest away from the roaring flames, staff leant against the arm beside him.

"So, what have you been up ta, Frosty? Burgess getting a little too thawed out for ya liking?" Bunny asked.

"And that is exactly why I brought him here." Tooth broke in suddenly before Jack had a chance to answer, "Because he wasn't doing anything, just laid on the lake looking incredibly lonely. I couldn't just leave you there, Sweet Tooth." Tooth's violet eyes held worry as her fingers fiddled with nervousness, her anxiousness for him to understand evident.

"Really? You alright, kid?" Bunny asked suspiciously.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?! I'm fine!" Jack shot back. Tension starting creeping into his muscles at being the centre of attention. Attention he knew he had no chance of deflecting if the others thought something was amiss.

"It doesn't take a minute to tell us if something's happened, ya know. It's not the end of the world, Frosty." The Guardian of Hope's joking tone had vanished to be replaced by a tone of seriousness.

Not the end of the world maybe, but the end of three lives. An overwhelming feeling of sadness replaced the anger and the winter spirit took a deep sigh, looking away from his colleagues and into the dancing flames of the fireplace. Unbeknownst to him, Tooth and Bunny shared a worried glance, before their attention was drawn to the arrival of the final two Guardians who had just entered the room.

"Ah, full house! Fantastic!" North's thunderous voice rang through the Globe Room as he and Sandy joined the others at the fire front. "So, what is discussion?"

"Not much, North, just wondering why Frostbite here is lying to us." Bunny had clearly made up his mind up on whether to believe Jack's claim. The Pooka was sitting cross-armed and looking expectantly at Jack, who sat glaring daggers at the older Guardian.

"I am not lying, and if you'll excuse me I'm going to get some cookies from the kitchen. I'll see you all later." The Winter Spirit took the first opportunity he could to get out of the room. The situation was growing out of his control and he knew if he didn't leave, he'd end up digging himself a hole of excuses. He grabbed his staff, flew over the back of the chair he'd just vacated and glided out of the room as fast as possible without drawing suspicion.

Trust Bunny to suspect something, he can't let anything go. That Kangaroo's far too observant for his own good. Once out into the corridor, he drew up his hood so it covered his features and stuffed his spare hand into the pocket of his hoodie. His mind started wandering as he drifted aimlessly through the various corridors of the Workshop, passing yetis and elves who were scurrying from room to room.

A trail of ice traced the line the staff drew on the wooden floor as the frost teen dragged it behind him. The same ice that had ended lives. Jack knew that his season was not for the faint of heart and, unintentionally or not, his season had killed. Jack was always cautious of the freezing temperatures his snow brought and, seeing as the last incident occurred 50 years ago, he thought he'd been doing a pretty good job in controlling where he sent his most deadly blizzards. But apparently he wasn't careful enough.

Jack eventually came across a door on his right that he knew to be a storage room, so with a quick glance behind him, he slid inside. Within, the room was crammed floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes and shelves; each box stuffed to the brim with various objects that Jack thought to be Christmas decorations. An arched-shaped window stretched across half of the back wall, starting at floor height and reaching high above the winter spirit's head. Unlike the one in North's office, this one didn't have a window seat so Jack settled himself cross-legged on the wooden floor, looking out over the white landscape.

He knew the others would understand if he decided to tell them what had happened but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, couldn't bring himself to admit that he wasn't all fun and laughter, that when his power went wrong the results were deadly. It was at his hands that people froze or slipped, at his hands that lives were lost. These thoughts had haunted him for centuries but Jack had been quite successful at stifling their nagging for attention. Only once in a while did he lose the battle and the dark thoughts would slip back into his awareness. At these times, they circled around and around his mind for days. However, he knew that these guilty thoughts would not make good company for the many hundreds of years ahead of him. Each time, he slowly managed to drag himself back and paste on the grin he was so famous for.

It appeared he had lost the battle once again. Unfortunately, this time it would be even harder to deal with; keeping his dark mood from the Guardians was not going to be easy.

Jack blinked back into the present when a gentle knock at the door broke the silence in the room. He kept his gaze on the monotonous view in front of him as he heard the handle of the door turn. He heard the click of the door shutting and light footsteps coming towards him. As the figure knelt down next to him, he moved for the first time for what felt in years, bringing his legs in front of him and wrapping his arms around his knees. He turned his head slightly to see who his silent companion was and frowned, "Since when do you knock?"

"Since when do ya run off when a lame excuse for cookies?" Bunny shot back.

"Hey, I happen to like cookies, I'll have you know." Jack glared at the Pooka who just looked disbelievingly back

"And yet, here ya are, sat cookie-less in a storage room." Bunny knew that to get Jack talking about what was bothering him, the older Guardian would have to stop the winter spirit from darting down a different conversation path and avoiding the subject entirely.

"It's a very nice storage room…" Jack turned his gaze back to the window, propping his chin on his knees.

A moment of silence passed before Bunny spoke again, "Jack, what's happened?"

Bunny could see the conflict pass over the young spirit's face; an internal war raging. Apparently, the untrusting side won out as, quite suddenly, Jack grabbed his staff and launched himself off of the floor. "In the world? Well, quite a lot actually, I think. Politics has been making the news a lot recently…"

"Jack! You know perfectly well what I mean." Bunny had stood up rather rapidly when Jack had so he now towered over the winter teen who was stubbornly avoiding his friend's gaze. "Talk to me, mate."

"About what? The weather? You've made it clear you don't want to talk about politics." Jack shrugged and started wandering around the dust-covered room, freezing random boxes of decorations.

Bunny half covered his eyes with a paw, frustration building up inside him. "Bloody 'ell, kid. Why do ya have to make this so difficult?" He muttered under his breath.

"I am not! Just go back to the others and I'll stay here in my cookie-less storage room without an annoying kangaroo bothering me." Jack, sharp of hearing that he was, yelled back from behind a shelf.

However, as soon as he said it, the young spirit knew that wasn't actually what he wanted. He didn't want to be left alone with the dark thoughts he'd become so accustomed to. On the other hand, nor did he want to be flung back into the company of the bundle of energy that was the Guardians. He'd known the Guardians for some time now; perhaps it was time to start trusting them with some things. Of course, after 300 years alone, that wasn't going to be at all easy. If he was going to say anything, Jack knew he wouldn't be able to face them all at once. Out of all of the Guardians, (even though they would constantly argue and insult each other) Bunny was probably the one he would trust the most to confide in.

Ahh, who says fate isn't real? Jack took a deep breath and slowly walked out from behind the shelves. Bunny was stood with his arms crossed, looking patient and not at all as annoyed as Jack had expected him to be. He didn't move as the winter spirit strode by him and retook his place on the wooden floor in front of the grand window. Only when the youngest Guardian spoke did the Pooka move to join him.

Jack plucked up the nerve and, with a huge amount of mental encouragement, told his friend of the tragedy of only a few hours earlier. Bunny said nothing as Jack spoke, not wanting to break the spirit's resolve, even when he started speaking faster and faster as the retelling went on. The teen never made eye contact with his companion; only staring out at the blank wilderness beyond the window. The plain colour of snow that rose up on the distant hills made the telling of the story all the more difficult. Though he spoke faster, his voice slowly dimmed in volume, until eventually, he was practically whispering.

When he finished, Jack was motionless, his arms hugging his knees once again. A haunted look clouded his eyes; a look that Bunny suspected had been there longer than any of them had known him.

Bunny eventually spoke, his voice no louder than Jack's had been, and yet, it seemed to disturb the ghosts that had settled in the room. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, is it?" It was more of an observation than a real question but Bunny's thoughts were confirmed when Jack silently shook his head.

"When was the last time?" Bunny asked, aware that the Winter Spirit could shut him out at any moment.

"1968." Jack responded after a moment's hesitation.

Bunny mulled the date over in his mind, convinced that it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Wait, 1968? That's the year I first met you. The year…" The details kept coming to him; however, he was stopped when Jack abruptly interrupted him.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. None of it does. I'm just being stupid. My power kills. It's who I am…It's what I am." Jack rested his head on his knees, facing away from the Guardian of Hope.

"Jack, this is not who you are. It's just what happens. The winter season and you have a few things in common. You're both fun-loving, the kids adore ya, and ya both a pain in my tail." Bunny's attempt at humour achieved its goal when a small smile made its way onto Jack's pale face. "But you are not winter. You are your own person. You know this better than anyone but, yes, winter can be harsh and unforgiving but it can also be exciting and, dare I say it, pretty extraordinary. Just because you have control over ice and snow doesn't mean it has control over you."

Jack was silent for several moments before he turned to the Pooka next to him, a genuine smile gracing a youthful face. "Who are you and what have you done with Bunny?"

The Pooka chuckled, a sarcastic remark easily rolling off his tongue, "I'm a clone sent to give philosophical advice to those in need of it."

The winter Guardian gasped dramatically, slamming his hands onto the floor either side of him. "I knew it! The real Bunny would never compliment winter."

"Hey, just because I prefer my feet unfrozen doesn't mean I don't appreciate the season." Bunny pointed out.

"OK, appreciate is better than nothing, I'll take it." Suddenly, Jack looked very seriously at Bunny. "You can't take that back now. It's official. You don't hate winter anymore."

Bunny laughed shortly, "Maybe not. Maybe it's the annoying and pestering Guardian that makes winter just about bearable."

"Aww, you do care." Jack concluded.

"I'm still deciding." The Easter Guardian countered. "But Jack, seriously, I know it's hard but try not to feel the guilt of the hiker's deaths. Carrying their ghosts around with you isn't going to make things any easier. Leave them be and move on."

The young spirit darted a glance towards the window before turning back to his companion, face filled with a little more hope than before. He nodded once, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time his season caused damage beyond his control, but as long as he had friends like Bunny, it would be the last time he would deal with the grief on his own. Lives would be lost and tears would be shed. But winter would never cease to be a wonder to all.

"I'll try"

Welcome to the other side…I'm so glad you made it. So! Waddya think? Thank you so much for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!

I've half written the next chapter however, next week is exam week so I'll try my best to finish and post it but I can't make any promises, sorry!

P.S Just a little side note, I am shockingly dreadful at chapter titles and summaries so I'm sorry if sometimes they don't always make sense. Sometimes I'm sure I spend longer on the summaries than on the actual stories XD

It is now 11pm after a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon and so is my bedtime…

Until next time!