Sorry it's taken so long, I was away in Kilmarnock in Scotland and was busy as heck. Didn't spend a lot of time on this one, just bashed it out. Can you guys believe we passed 70 reviews already? Achievement!

This is North centric again. I'm slowly starting to realise that as much as I adore Bunny, North seems to be creeping his way past to be my favourite. I think I let all my love out in 'The End Of Summer'. I just picked a whole bunch of 'oopsy daisies'.

Anyways, please enjoy :)

Catharsis, n
- release of strong emotions and feelings expressed in drama, art and literature

North quietly walked through the Pole, wondering how he could possibly thank Jack for all he had done for the Guardians in the three days he had spent with them. It had been a week since, and Jack hadn't been to see him or the others. North knew where the boy was – he was spending his time with Jamie, wrapped up in the actuality that he was for the first time in his life believed in. It was a significant experience, but North was weary that one day Jamie would get older and his belief would be tested and at some point he would stop believing. They all did.

But for now he'd let the boy be. He had more things on his mind, and thanking Jack was one of them. He could address the issue of children's belief when the spirit was around, and then hopefully he would understand why they tried not to get too attached.

Wondering what he could do to make the newest Guardian feel welcome, he wandered slowly around the globe, taking in the millions of twinkling lights and feeling somewhat at peace by simply looking at them. They were the only thing keeping him here, they were what gave his life meaning and purpose, they were what he loved and devoted his existence to.

He stopped in front of the control panel, tapping his foot slightly as his mind trawled through all the different things he could say or do to make it seem special.

Glancing down, the Russian looked at the murals on the floor that represented the Guardians. There were only four of them, and then it struck him.

In minutes he'd fetched his tools from his office and had pulled each of the Guardians' plaques up, placing them gently to the side so he didn't have to rework them. He pulled up the slabs around them, lifting the heavy stone from the floor before cutting it into new shapes, working it so an extra triangle could fit in. Moving the stones around, putting the Guardian's plaques back down on the floor in their new positions, he brought a new piece of heavy stone out from his office, and sat right there on the floor, in the middle of the workshop, working hard to create something new.

Hours he spent working over the stone, chiselling out the tiny details to make a small figure of Jack in the centre of the plaque. Arms by his side, hood down, long and lanky as he was with his staff held across his body. He put him in a hexagon, fitting with the theme of the shapes surrounding each of the other Guardians. North himself had his figure carved in a square, Bunny in a triangle, Tooth in a diamond and Sandy in a circle. The Russian decorated each point of the hexagon with points, reminiscent of the edges of snowflakes.

From the edges of the hexagon, outwards to the two acute points of the plaque, he spent ages etching out delicate fractal patters, layering them with patterns of gentle swirls to represent the wind the teen so often flew on. He continued like that, until at the edges he finished with two very small snowflakes, both different to the other, neither resembling any of the fractals he'd etched into the plaque before them, and he sat back, smiling.

It took a small while to dust his new work off, polish it up and set it into the floor alongside the others, pleased about how it looked like it just fit. Just like Jack did. He was meant to be there.

North took his tools back to his office, set them down on the table and walked back out to the workshop, admiring his handy work. He didn't know where Jack would visit, but he knew when the boy did, he would see how he truly did belong there, and they were happy to have him, they loved him already.

They were family.