Author's Note: After two months of writing...It is finally finished...=')
Oh. My. Moon. I can't believe "Dream On" is finally complete ahhhhhh *Breaks down and sobs* You guys have no idea how much fun I had writing this entire fanfic...Ever since I wrote the idea down back in 2021, I always knew that this fanfiction would be pretty special. =)
Well, all of my fanfictions are special to me...Eh, you guys know what I mean. XD
I didn't prepare a big ol' final author's notes speech (I like being prepared, but I'm not that prepared, ya'll...XD), but I'd just like to say thank you. Thank you to the people who reviewed this story (Special shout outs to Taloness, Nahau Moondust, and Mixitupqueen! =D You folks are amazing, and I see you review a lot of my ROTG fanfics ^u^), thank you to the people who gave this fanfiction a fav or a follow. Thank you to those who didn't favorite and followed, but still gave this fanfiction a read anyway. =D
Today is the beginning of my hiatus, but do not worry my friends *climbs onto table* I WILL RETURN! =D I have a ton of stories that I need to get a jumpstart on and try and settle into my virtual high school environment. =) A couple changes will be coming, but I'll still be the same ol' Moonie. The dorky teenager who has far too active of an imagination, reads to the point where it's concerning, and writes MUCH better than she talks. XD
Anyway...thank you guys again! =D Down below is the final chapter to this story, so I hope you enjoy it. ^u^
Chapter Forty-One: Still Dream
Three Weeks Later
Oh, how he had missed this.
It was evening, and the sun was dipping into the horizon, casting its last few rays before it allowed the moon to rise. But despite the nearing of night, this didn't stop Jack, Baby Tooth, the Guardians, or the rest of the children from having a snowball fight. The biggest snowball fight.
How long it had been since he and the children of Burgess got together for a good old fashioned snowball fight. Jack laughed as he threw a snowball, and it nailed its mark on North's unsuspecting back. The ex-Cossack turned around, only to be pummeled by a snowball. This one had come from Pippa. The girl giggled and ran off before North had the chance to get back at her.
Snowballs rose and flew through the air, just like the fun and laughter that came from everyone. They had started the round with teams, but they had forgotten now that everyone was throwing snowballs wherever and at whoever they wanted. Jack grinned with glee, leaping through the miniature snowy battlefield. The feeling of fun was like a bubbling drink in his chest. The excitement that he saw from everyone, and the laughs that came whenever a snowball was thrown…He had missed it all. He had missed it all so much.
A snowball hit the winter spirit in the back of the head, and he whirled around, spotting Jamie standing behind him, a bright grin on his face. Jack smiled and laughed. Oh, how he had missed laughing too!
Quickly rolling up another snowball, Jack hurled it in Jamie's direction, but he dodged it before it had the chance to hit him. The fight drew on and the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky. The air grew chilly and cold, but the children and Guardians could hardly feel it. They were having so much fun, that the chill didn't bother them. Not one bit.
Eventually, the snowball fight drew to a close; the children were breathing heavily, red-nosed and cheeks rosy, but the smiles on their faces didn't cease.
"We'll have a snowball fight again another time, guys," said Jack, twirling his staff in hand and resting it over his shoulder. Baby Tooth rested in the nook of his hoodie.
"I just wish that it was still mid-winter break," said Claude. He crossed his gloved arms. "Or better yet, summer break."
"But then we wouldn't have any snow!" stated Pippa.
Jack shrugged. "I could always whip up a blizzard."
Baby Tooth chirped sharply.
Bunny elbowed the winter spirit. "Oi, ya know ya can't do that," he chided, but a small smile rested on his face.
Jack smirked. "Nothing's stopping me."
Tooth placed her hands on her hips. "Even if you did cause a blizzard in the middle of the summer, you'd have to deal with Emily Jane and the Summer elementals. Do you really want to go through all of that?"
Jack sighed dramatically. "Why do you guys always have to throw soil on my fun?"
"Is not like we want to," said North, ruffling the winter spirit's hair. "We just don't want you getting into trouble."
"None of us do," Cupcake chimed in. She smirked. "But with Jack Frost, that's incredibly difficult."
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Jack. Everyone laughed and after saying the goodbyes, the children headed home while the Guardians climbed into the sleigh and blasted off to Santoff Claussen. When they arrived at the North Pole, exhilaration was still pumping through the veins. It was hard to feel tired after such a fun and intense snowball fight, not that any of the Guardians were planning on sleeping anyway.
The yetis had kindly prepared snacks for everyone, so the Guardians headed to the Globe Room and sat down, where cups of hot chocolate and cookies were waiting. Jack quickly plucked three cookies from a plate, and shoved them all in his mouth, swallowing them after just a few chews.
"So, how are you feeling, Jack?" asked Tooth, settling in her chair. Baby Tooth perched on the arm rest, nibbling on the cookie that she and Tooth were sharing. "I know it's only been a few days since you woke up, but it doesn't hurt to check on how you're doing."
Jack smiled lightly. "I'm fine, Tooth," he said. He rested his staff on his lap. "Thanks to that three-week long sleep I took."
After the winter spirit had admitted that he was too afraid to sleep on his own, the Guardians had stayed with him in his bedroom until the winter spirit woke up. Jack had slept for three weeks…straight. There were moments where the Guardians thought that he'd wake up, but the Guardian of Fun was simply shifting positions.
Sometimes, the Guardians would have to leave to tend to their tasks, but they kept their absences minimal, and they always made sure that one of them was with Jack before any of the left. When the winter spirit woke up, he found that everyone was still there. Jack had to admit that he was rather surprised that the Guardians really had stayed with him for so long. And Pitch didn't come slipping in from the shadows. Not even once.
"Just making sure," said Tooth with a small shrug of her shoulders. She lifted her mug of hot chocolate and took a sip.
"Has anything happened with Pitch yet?" asked Jack, seemingly out of the blue to the other Guardians, but little did they know that he had been thinking about the Nightmare King recently. "I'm pretty sure Emily was the last one to check on the lair."
"He hasn't made a move since he's been released," answered Sandy, taking a sip of eggnog after making the statement through his dreamsand.
"Pitch used a lot of power to pull off what he did," North said. "He probably spent almost all of his energy."
"Pitch'll need a lot of time ta recover," said Bunny, tracing the rim of his mug. Instead of hot chocolate, he had regular milk. "So he probably won't be comin' out any time soon, hopefully."
"Yeah," agreed Jack. He tapped his fingers against his staff. "I'm still surprised that he rejected the offer I gave him."
"You were very brave to make that offer to Pitch, Jack," said North. "But Pitch has been under control of Fearlings for centuries."
"There isn't much we can do for him now," said Bunny, a hint of despondency in his voice.
"But we shouldn't give up, right?" said Jack. "Maybe if we find a different approach—the right approach, we could get through to Pitch. A lot of children wouldn't suffer from nightmares, and who knows, we might even get a new ally."
None of the Guardians said anything after that, and while they believed that all hope was lost for the Boogeyman, Jack silently believed that there was still a chance.
…
Jack felt like heading out for some fresh air, so he had flown outside and landed on the domed roof of Santoff Claussen. The night was cool and quiet, and Jack found himself gazing up at the glowing moon above. This time, he didn't feel resentment, and nor did he feel upset. Jack was still irked with the Man in the Moon, but he wasn't going to let this irritate him for the rest of his life.
"What you did was wrong," said Jack, not caring if the Moon gave him a response or not. The Wind swirled around him, snowflakes twirling in her wake. "Leaving me alone for all those years by myself when you could've just told me what was going to happen. You could've helped me during my 300 years alone. You could've told me that I was going to become a Guardian…Heck, you could've told the Guardians to come and find me the instant you resurrected me. But guess what? I'm not gonna let this bother me any longer. The Guardians are great people, and even though I don't say it often…they're like a family to me. They are a family to me. And I'm really glad to have them. I know that if it weren't for you, I probably never would've met them, or made it through my nightmares."
Jack paused for a moment before continuing. "You probably have your reasons for why you left me alone for so long, but I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks."
Jack felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest. He stared at the night sky a little bit longer before turning around to head back inside and get some rest. He still wasn't completely caught up on sleep, and if he didn't go back inside soon, the Guardians would surely drag him in.
As Jack walked toward the window that would take him back into the Globe Room, he suddenly heard a voice, one that he hadn't heard since he had first risen from the lake all those centuries ago.
Dream on, Jack Frost.
Jack looked up at the Moon, eyes wide. Manny didn't say anything else, but Jack smiled anyway.
"I will," he whispered softly. And then Jack flew back inside, where his family, light, and life were waiting for him.
Time to close your eyes, but when you awake, still dream…
~ The End ~
Author's Note: ...And that's it. That's the end.
Jack: YES, WE LIVED!
Of course you did! Why would I kill any of you off?
Jack: I don't know. To make things interesting. *Leans on staff* You can never tell with you, Moon.
*Shrugs* Yeah, you're right. You know me too well.
Jack: Well, I am one of your favorite characters, so of course I do.
True, true. Hey, you wanna help me give the closing?
Jack: *Smiles* If you insist!
Together: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR READING, AND WE'LL SEE YA'LL IN OCTOBER! =D
Yeah, I couldn't resist closing off without giving Jack some spotlight, ahaha. XD *Waves* Until the next story, everyone! =) *Flies off on the Wind with Jack*
~BeyondTheMoon1203