So glad it's the weekend. *sigh*

Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows!


Warnings: Currently rated T for language, though liable to change in future chapters for dark imagery and mature content.

Disclaimer: I claim no copyright ownership to Rise of the Guardians or any recognizable characters depicted by DreamWorks, William Joyce, or other miscellaneous fairy tale creatures. However, the plot and original characters are my own.


Chapter Thirteen


"How is girl?" North asked when he saw Jack return.

North was stationed inside the workshop before a large instrument as he examined the small piece of gold-flecked wood closely. Jack was rubbing his head as he descended the stairs and approached the burly man, staring oddly at the machine.

"She's finally asleep," he said tiredly. "All the crying must have worn her out."

North's bushy brows furrowed in sympathy as he shifted the wood piece under the microscope.

"What are you doing?" Jack felt inclined to ask when the man gave no signs of providing an explanation on his own.

North sighed and leaned back, spine cracking in several places and eliciting a wince out of the winter spirit. "It is definitely gold," he said.

Jack wrinkled his nose. "How do you know for sure?"

"Because I make many things in workshop, Jack," North told him with a pointed look. "Jewelry is among them. I know what gold looks like."

"Okay," Jack exhaled. "So what do we know that can burn a golden handprint into wood?"

"That is what others are trying to find out," North navigated around the table and made his way back up the stairs, wooden piece resting firmly inside a small petri dish he carried in his palm. Jack followed close behind, skipping a bit to keep up with the man's larger strides. "They are in library."

"You have a library?" Jack asked, sounding both confused and mildly intrigued. He raised his eyebrows when North gave him a look that suggested he should have already known this.

"It is in east wing of workshop. As Guardian, I thought it'd be useful to keep steady collection of books. Both for my own personal enjoyment and for situations like this," he side-eyed the winter spirit as they ambled down a long corridor opposite the one Alice's room was located. "Maybe after this is over you could educate yourself."

"Educate myself?" Jack's face twisted as if he tasted something sour.

"Yes," North sounded amused. "You can never learn too much. There are many books that speak of powers like yours, of Guardianship, other mystical beings you probably didn't know existed..." he trailed off, smirking a bit at Jack's pursed lips. "Don't tell me reading is beneath you, Jack Frost."

They circled down another winding corridor and approached an impressively large set of double doors that were wide open.

"I wouldn't say it's beneath me but it's not exactly something I enjoy doing in my spare time," Jack retorted dryly.

"Well this should give you plenty of time to warm up to idea," North announced as they passed through the threshold.

Instantly Jack's nose was filled with the scent of leather bound books, fresh ink, and paper. There were a handful of columns extending backward into the grand room ranging a few feet above Jack's head and layered with books. There was a large round table sitting amongst the columns with a few piles of books, some of which were lying open and others that were cluttered off to the side. Tooth was sitting in one of the wooden chairs with her nose buried in a thick book that probably weighed more than Jack did. He didn't see Bunny in the flesh but he could faintly make out the shadow of the Pooka extending from one of the aisles to their right as he explored the shelves.

"Time for research," North said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Jack's lip curled at the word but he didn't comment as he padded further into the room.

"Is this really the most," Jack waved his hand around, "efficient way to do this? I mean, reading through all these books could take days. Or weeks. How do you even know anything about our thing is in here?"

"Do you have another idea?" North rose from where he was kneeling at one of the shelves. Bunny emerged with a fresh stack of books clutched to his furry chest. "Please enlighten us if you do. Otherwise we have no choice."

Jack floundered for a moment. He'd gotten too used to the modern-day suspense and thrillers. In all the films the main character always happened to know someone who magically had the answer. They made research look like it only took ten minutes. Hell, they had the damn Internet. He wasn't even from this century and he had to remind himself that the world didn't work like that. Even though they were Guardians they still didn't know everything. They weren't lucky enough to have someone who could pull all the answers out of thin air. Except—

"We could try talking to Pitch again," Jack suggested. Bunny deposited the stack of books onto the table next to Tooth and she looked at them miserably. "I don't care if you think he doesn't know anything. I'm not convinced. If you're looking for something that's evil, might as well consult someone who's an expert at it."

"As much as I'd love to run back and tear him a new one, Pitch Black was just wasting our time," Bunny scowled. "He doesn't know anything. Without his powers, he's even more useless than he was before."

Jack gritted his teeth. "What makes you so sure?"

"He's a rat scared of his own shadow," Bunny said flatly.

"Just because he's powerless doesn't mean—"

"We are not having this argument with you," North intercepted with a warning tone.

"Oh I'm not arguing yet," Jack countered darkly.

"Can we please not fight?" Tooth pleaded in a small voice at the table. The three turned to face her. She was clutching the thick book tightly in her feathered fists as she narrowed her eyes at the inhabitants of the room. "In case it's escaped your notice, there's a little boy missing. We don't know who took him or why, we don't know if he's hurt or not, and we're certainly not doing him any favors by bickering over how we're going to try to track down his kidnapper," she pierced them all with a threatening glare before turning her gaze onto Jack, eyes softening. "For now let's just stick with the books. We're pulling down all the ones that are relevant to what we're looking for. Mythology, Cryptozoology, Lycanthropy, you name it. We've narrowed it down to about a third of the library which isn't all that much if we all contribute," she said pointedly.

Jack still felt angry and somehow like they were avoiding another confrontation with the Nightmare King but at the mention of Max he deflated a little. He knew that fighting with the Guardians wouldn't bring them any closer to finding him and the longer they argued the longer it would be before Jack got him back.

Swallowing his pride, Jack rolled his eyes and slid into the seat next to Tooth. With a grateful smile she pushed a stack of books towards him.

"Just seems a little odd or… I don't know, anticlimactic that four of the most powerful beings in existence are using books to find information on a bad guy," he said wryly. "Like Poseidon using floaties in the kiddie pool or something."

"Everyone needs a hobby," North stated nonchalantly.

"Speak for yourself mate," Bunny gave him a weird look, as if the idea of him collecting books as a memorable pastime was preposterous.

"So what have we found so far?" Jack grudgingly grabbed the book on top of the stack and peeled it open. It was a book on sea creatures and the table of contents directed him to a section that described a reptile with golden scales.

"Well we haven't ruled out leprechauns yet," Tooth exhaled. "But the only thing that doesn't fit the bill is the teleporting you described. As far as I know they don't teleport and I haven't found any indicators in these books that they do," she gestured towards the discarded books across from her. One of them was titled An Leipreachán in Gaelic script. "Even though dragons are known for their love of gold, I think we can rule them out considering the circumstances. If her entire house was charred then maybe it'd be a different story."

"What about a shapeshifter who could turn into a dragon?" Jack asked. Tooth gave him a skeptical look. "I mean, it's not too far in the realm of impossibility," he defended himself. "Shapeshifters exist, right?"

"They do," said Tooth carefully. "But I don't think there's ever been a physical documentation of a dragon shapeshifter before."

"There's never been a physical documentation of MiM either but we know he exists," Jack pointed out logically. He still hadn't forgotten the conversation he had with the Man in the Moon all those months ago. He'd lodged it away somewhere in the back of his mind after it happened but ever since Max went missing it was like the dam had burst and it was all he could think about. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what MiM had been warning him about. He tried not to dwell on it in fear of giving himself a headache.

"Let's just stick to the books for now," Tooth patted the pages in front of him with a slow smile as she dismissed his last remark. At least she didn't try to insult him.

He was able to read the first two lines of the text before his mind wandered and he scanned the room absently. "Where's Sandy?" he noticed that their five-piece was currently reduced to a four-piece.

"Working," North answered, voice muffled behind a book about shoulder length in diameter.

Jack was momentarily confused because it couldn't have been nighttime already in Burgess but then he remembered there were other parts of the world that were in different timezones.

"Probably somewhere over Asia," Bunny added, returning with yet another stack of books. Tooth and Jack had similar reactions except Jack didn't try to muffle his groan. Bunny's lips curled upward at the sound as if seeing Jack in distress could not cause him any more joy. "Gonna have to pick up the slack while he's gone. I'd suggest you start reading," he smirked.

Jack angrily flipped the page in his book, nearly causing it to tear from the force. Bunny snickered.


Alice tossed restlessly in her sleep. Sweat brimmed her forehead despite the cold temperature of the room and she was clutching her pillow tightly in her fist, knuckles turning white. Her eyes were moving fiercely beneath their lids and her brows furrowed.

"Max, you can't go running off like that," Alice scolded, tugging on his hoodie string to pull him closer to her. Max's eyes were red-rimmed as he glanced sheepishly up at her beneath his long lashes. His hair was a bit longer than it was now, fringe flopping down into his blue eyes that shimmered brightly from the unshed tears. He sniffed as she forcefully held his gaze. "You understand me? You can't leave my sight, not even for a second. You don't know what kind of people are around here. You could get hurt."

"I just wanted to play hide-and-seek. I didn't mean to make you mad," he uttered sheepishly, sounding ever the part of a young boy that was being reprimanded by his mother. Except she wasn't really. Not yet, anyway.

She shook her head with a tired sigh. "You can't just go running off while we're here. I don't know this place well and neither do you. What if you got lost? What if I couldn't find you?"

He raised a hand to his mouth, muffling his voice with his hoodie sleeve that fell over his tiny fingers. "I'm sorry," he said, biting on the fabric to keep from crying. "I'm sorry, Alice. I won't do it again."

Alice narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before her face softened into a tight smile. She patted the side of his head. "Promise?"

"Promise," he nodded. Her pursed smile eased into a much more relaxed one and she nodded, shaking the nerves away.

"Okay, thank you," she stood up and outstretched a hand for him to take. He accepted it, wrapping his small fingers around hers. She began leading him away from the small alleyway they ended up in, glancing both ways down the sidewalk that bordered a busy city street before heading right. Max jogged to catch up with her long strides, avoiding passersby in business suits and cowering behind her legs whenever someone would accidentally bump into him. She lifted her unoccupied hand and studied the watch on her wrist. She cursed quietly. "I'm going to be late for the next meeting. Come on, we've got to hurry!"

They speed-walked through the hustle and bustle of the crowd that was gathering at the crosswalk. The light flickered green as cars came to a stop and allowed them to pass. Alice kept a firm grip on Max's hand and dragged him along behind her as her eyes scanned for the familiar white stone building. It loomed overhead another block away, large staircase beckoning her forward next to a busy parking lot.

"The courthouse is just up here. C'mon Max," they sped up into a steady jog. She could faintly remember this happening before. Or something like it. She could remember almost being late for one of her meetings with them. The woman had given her a chastising look the second she walked through the door and Alice had rolled her eyes. Some déjà vu.

"Did you see that man back there?" Max asked suddenly as they crossed another four-way stop when a car waved her on. She raised a hand in thanks as they skidded across.

"What man?" Alice asked absently. She neared the edge of the steps and began making her trek up them. Max groaned a little but followed her up nonetheless as she was still firmly clutching his hand in hers.

"The man that was in the alley with us," he said, so casually that Alice had to stop herself halfway up, feeling a pang of alarm pierce her chest. She didn't remember this part.

She kneeled down in front of him and Max had an uneasy look on his face. "What did the man look like?" she asked carefully, rubbing her arms along his for a second before gripping his shoulders steadily.

Max shrugged very childlike. "I don't know," he said. "It was too dark to tell. He had black pants on and nice shoes. But his eyes were funny," Max furrowed his blonde eyebrows, wrinkling his button nose and shifting the freckles that dusted his cheeks. "They were this glowing white. I didn't like it. I don't want to see him again."

"Glowing white?" Alice repeated. Her blood ran cold and she couldn't figure out why. Something about that seemed hauntingly familiar. It could have just been a trick of the light. A child's imagination could conjure just about anything up if they were scared but for some reason she didn't feel that's what happened.

"I think he was trying to get me before you came," Max uttered in a small voice. He seemed to be shrinking in on himself as if he were afraid of being too out in the open. His eyes were shifty and her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Don't let him get me," he begged quietly and Alice licked her lips. "Please don't let him get me. I want to stay with you. I promise."

"Okay Max just relax," she said shakily but Max didn't seem to hear her.

"Don't let him get me, please don't let him get me. I'll be good I promise, I'll be good to you like I was to mom, just please don't let him take me away…"

"Max," she tried to shush him and her own voice sounded echoed and faint. The world around her seemed to dim and Max's voice was beginning to sound farther and farther away. "Max?" she said again, breathing heavily. She felt disoriented, like the world was continuing to spin whereas she remained stagnant. "Max just slow down for a second, I feel dizzy," she brought a hand up to her forehead as if he were causing it. When she didn't get a response she tried gripping his shoulder tighter in her other hand but she found her fingers wrapping around nothing but air. She panicked. "Max?!"

Alice forced herself to her feet despite her equilibrium's protests and her head darted this way and that trying to find the blonde-haired boy. Oddly enough, the streets had emptied and it seemed that no one was around. That didn't make sense. It was the middle of the day in downtown Columbus. There should've been a traffic jam along the road in front of her but instead it was deserted.

"Max?" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth to project her voice. "Did you run off again?" she felt angry only for a second before a throaty chuckle emitted from somewhere behind her followed by the sound of dress shoes clicking on the stone stairs.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she quickly twisted around, nearly stumbling down the stairs and outstretching her arms to right herself. A figure was descending the stairs in a pinstripe dress suit and shiny shoes. It was clutching a pocket watch in its spindly hand that was connected to a gold chain protruding from its front pocket.

What really set her on edge was its face. It was a blank slate, save for a pair of shimmering white orbs that rested in the upper center. The eyes. They were the eyes Max saw.

"I don't think he can hear you," the figure taunted. A large mouth formed when it spoke but there was no nose or creases in the skin that proved it had a real face.

Fury mingled with fear settled into her features. "Where's Max?"

"Oh I wouldn't worry about him," the figure said in a sing-song voice. "I'd be more worried about yourself."

Dread pooled in her stomach. "What do you mean?"

The figure deterred from her question. "You know Alice, I like you," he said, lifting a finger in her direction as he stepped to the side. She kept her guard up, shoulders stiff as she followed him with her eyes. She felt disconcerted that he knew her name. "You're smart. You're logical. You don't immediately believe something to be true until you have a good reason," he said, enunciating the word 'believe' in a weird way as if she was supposed to understand the meaning behind it. "You're headstrong. I like that in a person," he grinned.

She narrowed her eyes. "Meaning?"

He tsk'd. "Just because I think you're smart doesn't mean you have been," he stepped a bit the other way. "Everything that's been going on in your life the past couple months… I mean, crazy right?" he laughed and even with the childlike grin it managed to sound maniacal. But his words didn't make sense.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "Unless you mean with Max and Anne-…"

"I'm not talking about that and you know it."

She paused and hastily closed her mouth. Her stomach twisted. Somehow she did know it.

"You've made some pretty interesting friends, Alice," he noted and if it were possible his glowing white eyes seemed to glint mischievously. "You know, if someone were to find out that you're apparently friends with Jack Frost and Santa Claus, well," he chuckled quietly. "They may find you a bit crazy."

Alice bit her tongue to keep from retorting. She swallowed down her protests because she knew that he was right. Which was why she didn't bother telling anyone in the first place. They just wouldn't understand. They didn't believe like she did—like Max and Pippa and Jamie did.

"It's kind of absurd, right? A nineteen year old girl claiming to see fairy tales?" Somehow he managed to narrow his eyes at her as if he were scolding a child. "I'm honestly a bit disappointed. I thought you were a grown up."

"Why are you saying this?" she hissed. It'd been a long time since someone called her a grown up and she found herself oddly insulted by the term considering that's what she was, wasn't it? A grown up? An adult? How could you be offended by something if it's clearly what you were?

His shoulders slumped in mock exasperation. "I'm saying that you need to open your eyes, Alice."

"Stop speaking in riddles," she squinted. "No one's ever able to figure them out anyway. If you want to say something, just say it."

The figure regarded her for a moment, appearing in deep thought. He raised a finger again. "Food for thought, since I know you're smart..." he paused for dramatic effect, letting the anticipation linger. "How do you know all of this is really happening?"

Her brows twitched. "What do you mean?" she asked again.

"I mean the accident," he grinned widely out of the side of his mouth. "You do remember it, right?" he quickly backtracked in false confusion. "Almost getting hit by a truck, mysteriously falling out of its path in just the nick of time, hitting your head and blacking out… ring a bell?" he scanned her apprehensive face before nodding solemnly as if her expression was answer enough. "Good. Yeah, that," he waved vaguely. "I mean, you heard the nurse and doctors. It was a miracle you walked away from it unharmed. Well, besides that nasty bump on your head. I see you still have a scar," she raised a hand without thinking, tracing her fingers along the indents of the scar on her hairline. The action made him smile mysteriously. "It's all a bit weird though, isn't it? Taking a fall like that and escaping relatively unscathed? Talk about a medical mystery. But," he raised a hand proudly. "I have a better theory. What if you never actually woke up?"

The air thickened with silence.

It took her a few moments to process his words but once she did she shook her head emphatically. "I don't—…"

"Come on," he whined like a petulant child, outstretching a leg to step down a bit closer to her. She instinctively backed up and descended a step, too. "Think about it. Use that cataleptic noggin of yours! How do you know you're not still lying comatose in a hospital somewhere? Your imagination can really get away from you when all that brain matter has been squished into jelly. Don't fail me now, Alice. You're a rational thinker like me. You only believe what you can see," he stressed, descending the stairs one step at a time. She didn't move away this time, too paralyzed to try. "You're right-handed which means you think with the left-side of your brain, if you believe such things," he tapped his finger against the side of his head. "So use that to your advantage and think realistically."

Alice's jaw was tense as she stared at the empty palette of his face. Her eyes flickered left to right as she considered him. All the memories of the past few months came flooding back to her. Being pushed out of the way, seeing Jack's face right before she blacked out, finding him waiting outside her bedroom door to check on her and screaming when they first came face to face, laughing as she ran with him through her backyard dodging snowballs. Her mind couldn't have made all of that up. "Jack saved my life," she argued in a murmur. "He told me himself. He said that he asked the Wind to push me out of the way because he couldn't. Because I didn't believe in him. Not yet," there was a bit of hysteria in her voice as she attempted to defend herself. "But I do now. I swear I do. I believe in him. I've talked to him. I've touched him. Felt his skin on my fingertips... I could smell him!"

The figure mustered a pitying look as if she were a wounded animal beyond saving. "See, things like that are what get you sent to the psychiatric ward with weekly visitation rights," she winced at the thought. "Imagine only getting to see Max once a week for sixty minutes with a nurse breathing down your neck making sure you didn't say the wrong thing. Where would Max go?" he innocently wondered out loud and Alice felt her heart rate spike at the thought of someone taking Max away from her. Social Services would never stop gloating if they found out she was being shipped off to a mental institution. They probably had an orphanage on standby for situations like that. They'd physically sign him away to foster care right in front of her if they could.

"You're the one who took him," she countered. Even she admitted that her argument sounded weak, like she didn't quite believe herself.

"No," the figure turned a bit and yanked Max to his side as if grabbing him out of thin air.

Alice gasped. "Max!" she reached for him but the figure held him just out of reach. He looked so scared.

"Now, now," he warned. "You'll get him back, but not this way. Not like this. If you haven't noticed, he's not actually here," he sounded annoyed with her, voice raising an octave. "You want him back don't you?"

"Yes," she cried, hiccupping a bit as she clenched her fists.

"You want him now?" he tugged harder on Max's arm and he whined at the roughness.

"Yes!"

"Then do me a favor," he snarled, spit flying from his lips as he glared darkly at her, Max gazing fearfully up at him with tear-stained cheeks. "Wake up."

"But," her eyes were wide and panicked. "But I—I don't know how, I—…"

"If you want to see your son again," he hissed, teeth barred and gleaming silver. "Then you need to stop prancing around with the fairy tales inside your head. All you have to do is wake up and it'll be like none of this ever happened," when all she did was breathe heavily and gasp in uneven spurts he spat, "Do you hear me you insolent girl?" he shrieked, Max's sobs ringing in her ears as he glowered at her. "I said—!"

"Wake up!"

Alice gasped, eyes snapping open as she coughed, clawing at her throat as if to force the oxygen down into her lungs. A pair of cold hands grabbed her wrists, holding them steady as she grappled for the air she so desperately needed.

"It's okay, Alice. It's okay, just breathe," a voice instructed calmly from somewhere above her. She could feel the bed sunken next to her and felt a chilling presence resting at her side.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, breathing heavily as she gained her bearings. She was in the bedroom North had let her use, sleeping underneath a silken white canopy and covered in red velvet sheets. Jack was sitting closest to her, pale hands clasped firmly yet not painfully around her wrists to keep her from thrashing about. She jumped at the contact, feeling momentarily startled that she could actually feel his flesh brush against hers, and he quickly released her with a look of confusion.

"Are you alright? You were yelling in your sleep," he said carefully, arms still lifted towards her as if he didn't quite know what to do with them before placing them at his sides and using one to lean against. The bed sunk further as he did so and she watched the spot where his hand met the mattress with a blank look. "Alice?" he pressed, tilting his head to try and meet her gaze. She quickly swept her eyes away and connected her eyes to his, feeling tired and like she'd just been viciously woken from a nap.

"I'm fine," she said, carefully raising her hands to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Once she pulled them away, she noticed the three other figures standing tensely off to the side as they watched her speculatively. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and a little embarrassed at the audience she had.

"Are you sure?" Jack urged, looking skeptical.

She shrugged his concerns off with a nod. "Yeah, fine. Just a bad dream… I guess," she pursed her lips and blinked the events of the dream away before she could dwell too deeply on them. She flicked her gaze up to meet the others quickly. "Did you find anything?"

Jack sighed and rubbed an exhausted hand over his face. She tracked the movement carefully. "Not unless a dragon snuck into your house in human form and flew away to the nearest Lonely Mountain," he said lightly, smirking a bit at his own joke before the weird look she gave him caused the expression to fade. "No, we haven't," he clarified and she closed her eyes. "We're still looking though," he tried to quickly reassure her. "We have a few possible suspects but none of them have quite hit the mark yet."

"You're welcome to come sit with us while we look if you want," Tooth offered with a kind smile. She eyed North and Bunny out of the corner of her eyes and subtly elbowed them in the stomach.

"Right!" North jumped, startling Alice who'd gotten distracted by the luminescence of Tooth's feathers along her crown. They were just so vivid and bright. How could her mind imagine all of that detail? "We could use all help we can get," he smiled invitingly. "There will be more cookies and milk."

Alice slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and concealed a yawn with the back of her hand. "I should help," she agreed.

She followed closely behind the Guardians as they led the way to the library. Every now and then one of them would attempt to peer slyly over their shoulder to check on her and each time she narrowed her eyes at them and they quickly averted their gaze after being caught. Jack was walking to her left, his shoulder occasionally brushing against hers as he walked closer to her than was really necessary but she found herself focusing on the touch. The fabric of his hoodie brushed gently against the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. She could feel the coolness of his body temperature seeping through the material, flowing towards her in soft waves like when she'd hold her hand over a cold glass of water and could feel the chilling air that wafted up into her palm from the cup.

She tried pushing the dream to the back of her mind. That's all it was: a dream. None of it was real. Her stress was taking its toll on her conscience, warping old memories she had with Max and scaring her. She missed him and that's the reason she had the dream. She saw the figure of the mysterious man—or thing—because Max had described it to her as such and her mind attempted to conjure up something solid. That's all. She wasn't going to let it get to her. Because it wasn't real. This was real.

They eventually reached the library and the smell alone eased her troubled mind. She loved books. There were a few stacked precariously on a large round table in the center of the room. She navigated through the shelves and took a seat at the table after Tooth did. She didn't notice that Jack was going to pull a chair out for her but stopped himself before he could, nor did she notice that everyone else did. She did, however, notice the conflicting look that flickered across his pale face and she furrowed her brows but before she could say anything, Bunny stepped up behind her and laid down a few smaller books.

"It's a lot to take in. Make of it what you will. And before you ask: yes, it does exist and no, you can't see a picture of it."

He walked around the table and she cracked a half smile at him before leafing through the book. It was talking about fairies.

Jack took a seat next to her, offering a boyish half-grin before distastefully tugging an unopened book towards himself.

"So," she said loudly enough to where only Jack could hear her. His head rolled towards hers, resting his chin on his hand. "What exactly are we looking for here? I mean, I don't know how much help I can be. I don't really know what I'm supposed to find," she felt guilty knowing that she wasn't going to be of much use. It left a bitter taste in her mouth admitting that she didn't have any experience with the supernatural creatures the Guardians must have already faced. It was only just two and a half months ago that she learned things like that actually existed. And already they were threatening to tear her family apart and she could do nothing to stop it.

"None of us really know what we're doing," Jack admitted after a moment's hesitation. He must've expected a worse reaction out of her than she gave because she just pinched her eyebrows together. "But we're just trying to find something that relates to gold in some way. Like the gold that was burned into the wood by your window?" she nodded. "That's the best lead we have. And frankly it sucks but… I guess they're doing the best they can," he nodded towards the three Guardians that were shuffling through book after book, seemingly adamant on finding something that may be useful to their endeavor. "None of them have heard of anything that can leave a mark like that. But they're trying."

Alice smiled sadly, swallowing down the frustration she felt building up inside again. They were doing their best and she couldn't ask more than that. It was more than enough that they were even bothering to help her in the first place. She gave Jack a look that she hoped conveyed those words without having to speak them aloud and the smile he gave her in return told her that he read her loud and clear.

A stream of gold sand then filtered into the room at that moment and Alice glanced up, gazing at the sparkling dream sand with an awed look on her face.

"Welcome back, Sandy!" North greeted jovially. Her eyes trailed from the beautiful glittering sand to the jolly man who was parading around with a fresh batch of cookies. The large furry creature that had been watching her earlier was trailing behind him with a full pitcher of milk and some glasses. North was always in such high spirits. It made her feel warm inside and she found that she clutched that warmth as close to her as she could. It anchored her.

"Pleasant dreams?" Bunny asked with a hint of sarcasm. Sandy tossed a clump of sand at him in response and he avoided it with a huffed laugh.

"Time to get to work," Tooth gestured towards the books they collected. Sandy gazed down at them with wide eyes. "We've got a lot to cover and not a lot of time to do it."

"Speaking of work," North commented offhandedly, depositing the plate of cookies in front of Alice with a wink before turning his attention to Jack with his hands on his hips. "I think you have somewhere to be."

Alice turned to Jack and frowned as he tilted his head in confusion. "I do?" North gave him a pointed look and after a moment's pause his eyes lit up in recognition. "I do," he confirmed for himself with a sigh. He pushed himself away from the table slowly and grabbed his staff. "Blizzards and snowstorms. Hail and sleet. Work. Right. Sandy didn't get the night off so why would I?" he wondered rhetorically.

North lifted a finger, eyes focused on the page he'd just flipped to in a book. "This is not vacation."

Jack made a sound in the back of his throat before smirking down at Alice who was watching the exchange with a tight grin. He raised his eyebrows at her and tapped the top of her head with his staff before snatching a cookie and stuffing it in his mouth. "Guess I'll be back later."

"Don't freeze your tongue to a pole or eat any yellow snow," Bunny droned from his spot on the floor.

"Ha ha," Jack uttered sarcastically before turning on his heels and heading towards the doors.

Alice bit her lip before jumping out of her seat and running after him, causing the four Guardians to glance up at her with furrowed brows before exchanging looks.

"Jack," she called and he stopped mid-step, turning on the balls of his feet to face her with an expectant look. She wringed her fingers, realizing a moment too late that she didn't know why she stopped him. She licked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the need to at least say something now that she had his attention.

She wanted to ask why he had to leave right this second and if he could maybe stay a little bit longer because she didn't want to be left alone with the other Guardians. He was the only one she felt comfortable around and maybe he deserved to hear that. He immediately brought her to the North Pole because he thought that it'd be the safest place for her and he hadn't stopped moving since because he wanted to get Max back and she felt so incredibly grateful despite how little she'd been there mentally since it happened and maybe he deserved to hear that too. She felt the haunting tendrils of fear slithering up into her subconscious and she wanted to keep him near her to make sure that he wouldn't disappear, that everything wouldn't disappear. Because she was afraid that if he left her sight, she'd never see him again.

However, what actually managed to slip out of her mouth in a quick blurt was, "You know what the Lonely Mountain is?"

She inwardly kicked herself for her word vomit and subtly grinded her teeth.

Jack raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I've snuck into a lot of movies," he reminded her with a wicked grin.

She huffed a laugh through her nose. "Right, I forgot. No one being able to see you and all," she rambled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. He turned fully to face her, staff thrust casually over his shoulder as he smirked at her. "I guess there's hope for you yet then if you're a fan of The Hobbit."

"Oh I didn't say I was a fan," he countered, blue eyes gleaming teasingly.

She rolled her eyes, the knots in her stomach from the day's events untangling a bit at the normality between the two. She could do this. She could talk to him as if nothing had happened. Like it was a just normal day and she wasn't afraid that she was being trapped inside her own skull. "Well that's something we can fix later on," she amended with a wry smile.

His smirk widened. "Oh really? What did you have in mind?"

Alice shrugged, crossing her arms tighter over her chest. "I don't know. We could watch the movies at my house or something I guess? If that's something you might be interested in doing?" she winced internally. She didn't mean for it to sound the way that it did and she quickly backtracked, hoping that her need to have him close by didn't inevitably end up chasing him away because she had sudden dependency issues. "I mean, just hang out. As friends do. You know?" she bit the inside of her cheek so hard she nearly drew blood. She could've just smacked herself.

"Friends," Jack repeated as if he didn't know the meaning of the word. "Right," his smirk eased into a gentle smile and she relaxed a bit because it was a familiar look on him. "Yeah, we can do that. I think it'd be fun. Pretty sure I've only seen the first one, but I did see all the Lord of the Rings ones when they came out. That was a long time ago but I think I can remember them pretty well."

She perked up. "Me too. I went with my family to see all of them. We were big Tolkien fans," at his blank look she laughed a bit and explained, "He wrote the books."

"There were books?" Jack sounded stunned.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Yes Jack, there were books."

He didn't seem to find that nearly as appealing. "Well as long as you don't make me read them or something," he eyed her carefully. His eyes were still swimming playfully.

She placed a hand over her heart. "Scout's honor."

Jack nodded, grinning as he gazed at her for a few moments before he tilted his head back. "Well, duty calls," he stated almost apologetically.

Alice nodded. "Right. Blizzards and snowstorms," she repeated his earlier words.

"I'll be back, Alice," he told her and there was an underlying promise in his words, something intimate that made her shift uncomfortably as if he knew that she was worried about him leaving and not returning. When all she did was nod he gave her a quick wink before turning back around and gliding through the doors, whistling as he did so.

She watched him go until he rounded the corner, biting her lip anxiously all the way. The longing she felt to have him near her couldn't have just been a figment of her imagination. No matter how frightening they were, those emotions were real. She wouldn't have been fighting them if they weren't. There was no way he was just inside her head.

Right?


Jack felt momentarily relieved when he unleashed a mandatory ice storm in northern Sweden. His pent up frustration had reached its boiling point and it showed in the aggression of the turbulent snow that wreaked havoc on the unfortunate cities within range.

There used to be a time when mercy wasn't part of his vocabulary. Before he became a Guardian he didn't care who suffered from his wrath and when he was angry and lonely enough there were villages frozen over until life was simply unsustainable. Nowadays he at least had the audacity to feel mildly concerned whenever he inflicted more damage than absolutely necessary. Because he found that part of him just didn't care. He forgot that his job, for all intents and purposes, reflected negatively on the people living below. He didn't have the right to take away something as fragile as a human life even though some part of him regrettably acknowledged the fact that sometimes people didn't survive that blizzard he created that he thought was small and relatively harmless.

He forgot the extent of his powers sometimes. On rare occasions his morals got away from him. There was something deep buried within him that yearned for a taste of darkness. Jack figured that most beings like him had to resist the temptation to let their powers control them rather than the other way around. It was normal, wasn't it? It was the difference between people like North and people like Pitch. North didn't give in to the darkness whereas Pitch did. North was in control of his powers but Pitch let his powers consume him. Jack was able to see the damage a decision like that could inflict on one's psyche because Pitch had become dependent on power. He was weak without it.

Usually Jack didn't let something like that go to his head. Not too long ago he felt almost sorry for the Nightmare King. He pitied Pitch even though he hated when other people pitied him. He was a bit of a hypocrite in that respect.

But at the moment, Jack found himself taking advantage of the fact that Pitch was at his weakest.

He still owed him a private visit after all and he had every intention of following through.

Jack took a detour on his way back to the North Pole. Well, technically it wasn't much of a detour at all since Burgess wasn't exactly on the way.

Jack landed gracefully a few feet away from the entrance to Pitch's lair. He found his fists were clenching up as his gaze landed on the iron bed. The last time he'd been here was when he found Tooth's fairies locked up in cages and Pitch gave him his memories back. It didn't feel like it'd been a year since it happened.

He schooled his features, steeling his expression to firm resolve before he stepped forward and prepared to command the Wind to carry him down into the hole. His concentration was broken however when a twig snapped from behind and he jolted around with his staff outstretched defensively.

He was taken aback when he was met with a pair of familiar yellow eyes though he shouldn't have been too surprised considering this was his territory.

"Pitch," he hissed, lowering the staff a bit. "What are you doing out here?"

"Jack Frost," Pitch drawled with a smirk, hands clasped behind his back as he ambled forward casually. "What a pleasant surprise. I was simply taking an afternoon stroll. Gets really stuffy down there sometimes," he droned in his thick accent, words flowing smoothly like poisoned honey. "Fresh air is good for the soul, after all."

Jack snorted. "What soul? I was under the impression you didn't have one."

Pitch placed a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "You wound me, Frost," he lifted an eyebrow and his infuriating smirk returned. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I feel so rebellious meeting like this. Hopefully our parents don't find out," he teased coldly.

"I want to talk," Jack said, ignoring his last comment. He lowered his staff completely before crossing his arms over his chest. "About Max, the kid who was taken."

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Oh please, still singing that song are we? I already told your fearless leader that I didn't take him."

"Maybe you didn't take him but that doesn't mean you don't know who did," Jack countered with a glare.

"A very valuable argument but alas they already tried that one on me," Pitch lamented. "I do hope you enjoy disappointment because my answer isn't going to change even if you say please."

"I have no intention of saying please," Jack said darkly, advancing on Pitch slowly who for his part appeared both amused and mildly curious. "See, there's a difference between the other Guardians and me. They like to do the right thing, they see the good in people," Jack flicked his wrist lazily. "Whether the good they see in you is in relation to your missing powers or not, well, I could care less. You're still as much of a threat to me and the people I care about as you were a year ago except now the only difference is that someone important to me has gone missing and your name is written all over it," Jack closed the distance between them until there was only a foot of space separating them. "I'd like for you to understand that the boy who went missing has a family that loves him and wants him back. Now I'm not saying please, but I will ask nicely," Jack smiled without emotion. "Can you tell me who took him?"

Pitch regarded him for a few quiet seconds, yellow eyes gliding over his face as if he were a fascinating specimen being examined in a lab.

"Interesting," he murmured finally. He raised a grey finger and pointed it at Jack. "Now is this protective mama bear speech in relation to the missing boy or his young, attractive mother?" he asked with a taunting grin and Jack felt his blood run cold a split second before his staff snapped forward and sent Pitch flying into the nearest tree with a loud crack.

Pitch groaned as he landed in the dry grass but a pained laugh erupted from between his lips. "Thought so," he said, arching his back with a wince.

Jack stalked forward and kneeled before the prone Boogeyman, lip curled in unconcealed rage as he leaned within inches of the man's face. "I'm not playing games here, Pitch. I came for answers and I know you have them. Insult me all you like but I'd suggest you leave the kid's mother out of this or I won't hesitate to bloody that pretty face of yours."

Pitch gazed at him as if his words startled him. "I'll be damned," he chuckled lightly. "There really is a dark side to you after all. You and I are a lot more alike than I thought."

Jack growled before wrapping a fist around Pitch's cloak and hoisting him to his feet roughly and bringing them nearly nose-to-nose. "I'm nothing like you," he spat fiercely before his hand glowed blue and a beam of light protruded from his palm, knocking Pitch off balance and slamming him back into the ground in an uncoordinated flail of limbs.

This seemed to send the Nightmare King into hysterics for he started laughing again, this time louder. "Is this your brilliant plan then?" he mocked, leaning up onto his elbows. He was out of breath from slamming into the tree still but otherwise unharmed. "Slap me around until I tell you what you want to hear?"

Jack shrugged with a wicked grin. "If it works."

He gave Pitch time to clumsily return to his feet, brushing his cloak off as if he didn't plan on falling again. He tossed his staff aside for the time being, confident that he wouldn't need it.

"You know, this act of heroism isn't becoming you," Pitch noted, stumbling a bit as Jack approached him again. There wasn't fear in his eyes but the situation was obviously beginning to make him slightly uneasy. Jack felt a surge of satisfaction at the thought. "Do you think that by forcing information out of me you'll sweep the lady off her feet?"

"No," Jack said simply. "Because I don't plan on telling her," he then drew back his arm and punched Pitch in the jaw. His hands immediately flew up to cup his face with an angry hiss, narrowing his eyes at Jack who only smirked in return.

Pitch clutched his face for a moment longer before his emotionless grin returned. "How very noble of you," he looked about ready to say more but Jack only hit him again because once just wasn't enough. Pitch howled in rage, pupils dilating a bit at the pain before he launched forward and hit Jack in the side of the head, stunning him briefly as he saw stars. "Go on," Pitch snarled, no longer entertained as he loomed over Jack as he hunched over and tried righting himself. "Feed that darkness. Come on, take it for a spin. Who knows, you may like it," he sneered with a taunting smirk.

Jack yelled before straightening his spine and thrusting his arms forward, blue sparks scattering through the air like lightning as they reached their mark and jolted Pitch's nervous system. His lips momentarily turned blue as the cold numbed his blood before he fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

"Just tell me what I want to know!" Jack roared, hands shaking. "Who took Max?! Who?!" he stomped forward with a glimmering ball of ice hovering threatening in his palm.

"I already told you—…" Pitch uttered through clenched teeth before Jack hurled the ice ball at him, nailing him in the shoulder and taking his breath away.

"Stop lying!" he screamed, patience worn thin. He had tunnel vision, glaring fiercely at Pitch who finally managed to summon somewhat of a frightened look on his face as he attempted to back up out of Jack's reach. He wasn't able to move fast enough and Jack reached down to grab the nearest limb within arm's length which happened to be Pitch's leg. He squeezed with a force he didn't know he had and Pitch yelled at the bruise that instantly formed before he yanked him to the side and tossed another beam of ice at him. Pitch attempted to block the attack but only managed to tear the sleeve of his cloak at the onslaught of the cold.

"Alright, alright!" Pitch relented quickly, raising a hand in surrender while he clutched the other one to his chest.

Jack breathed heavily through his nose as he stared down at the Boogeyman in obvious disgust. There was a large purple and green bruise swelling along his jawline, the white-grey skin along his arm showing through the tear in his cloak with a blue streak decorating the surface that looked like a mix between a developing bruise and frostbite.

"I'm listening," Jack stated, voice calm and quiet but no less deadly.

"I only have a name, alright?" Pitch panted, rolling his shoulder as he flexed his injured arm. "It's not even his real name, but it's what he goes by with customers."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'customers'?"

"He makes deals. People go to him because they want things they can't get on their own but in order to get them, they have to do something for him first."

If possible, Jack's expression looked even more dangerous. "And being the rat bastard that you are, you made a deal with him so you could get your powers back didn't you?"

Pitch rolled his eyes. Even in pain he still managed to look exasperated. "I never knew anything about the damn kid he took. I didn't know he existed. I don't even know why he wants him because my deal had nothing to do with him," Pitch said forcefully and even though Jack could still feel his blood boiling, he was able to read it in the Nightmare King's eyes that he was telling the truth.

"What was the deal then?" he asked instead.

"None of your bloody business," Pitch snapped. "Look, the only important thing is that he goes by Tom. Alright? Satisfied? That's all I know."

Tom. A three letter word. That was hardly anything to go by. Millions of people around the world probably had the same damn name.

Jack eyed him skeptically. "And you don't know his real name?"

"I was given it when I first started searching for him but I hardly remember it by now. It's not exactly a common name," Pitch said with a bit of snark.

"Why should I believe you?"

Pitch scoffed a laugh. "You shouldn't. But regardless I'm telling you the truth."

Jack felt inclined to interrogate him a little further, could feel his fingers twitching and begging him to reach forward and grab him by the throat, but Pitch's eyes wandered over his shoulder and they widened a bit as he caught something coming up behind him.

Jack immediately turned on his heels, arms held out in defense, only to see a glowing ball of light floating towards them. It was a bit red in tint and the closer it got, the more Jack was able to see something swirling around inside of it. Something murky and dark. He squinted, shoulders tense as he tried to make out what the thing was but he was forced out of his trance when Pitch made a pleased noise in the back of his throat.

Jack rounded on him in an instant, easily spotting the look of recognition on the man's face. "What the hell is that?" he demanded.

"That," Pitch stated with a vicious grin. "Would be him upholding his end of the bargain."

Jack's brows furrowed, not catching the meaning of his words until the orb approached him. It hovered above him for a moment and it was then that Jack understood what the blackness was that was whirling within the orb's center faster and faster the closer it got to the Boogeyman. As if it were antsy and couldn't wait to be rejoined with its master.

"If I were you," Pitch warned with a threatening chuckle, not taking his eyes away from the orb as it seemed to glow brighter. "I'd run far, far away from here. Considering what you've done, I'm not feeling very merciful at the moment and I won't hesitate to rip you limb from limb once I get it all back."

Jack edged away from Pitch and the orb, only taking a second to balk as a flurry of dark nightmare sand burst free from the orb in a blinding beam. Pitch lurched as it connected with him and Jack had to forcefully peel his eyes away from the scene to run back and grab his staff. He took another brief moment to glance over his shoulder, seeing the nightmare sand engulf Pitch completely as he laughed sadistically, voice reverberating off the trees in haunting waves.

Jack quickly took off, commanding the Wind to take him high into the sky and out of sight before Pitch regained his full strength and developed a strong desire for bloodlust.

Now it seems they had two problems.

And odds are he just made them both catastrophically worse.