I am so intensely sorry that this chapter was not up on Saturday as I had hoped. I wound up spending much of the night in the hospital with my meme due to an asthma attack induced by a cold. That and I found out that I had dropped my GPA from 2.640 to a 1.830 (EDIT: just checked GPA is at 2.14 currently, but I'm still missing 2 grades)... so I'm not too happy about that, however, until January when I go back to school, there is nothing that I can do about it. So, enough about how my life has fallen apart in the past couple of days, my meme is alright and just came home today, and the GPA... well, I'm working on that one. Oh, yeah, and my sister ( ballerina-13 ) and I just got back from my second, her third, viewing of Rise of the Guardians! :)

But, on a happy note, thank you so much to my wonderful readers! I'm so glad that you enjoy it and I'm working on the next couple of chapters pretty well right after I post this. So, without further ado, I bid you read on, but just remember that this story belongs to Dreamworks and William Joyce!

As the three made their way into the kitchen, North filled in a bunch of things that Jack had missed. Tooth had to make six new towers in twenty years to handle the amount of children in the world, and she and Sandy were busy as always. Bunny would only show up when he was called or on Easter Sunday, but other than that, nobody knew what he was up to. It was slightly depressing for Jack to hear that, but he filed the information away to examine later.

"So, what have you been up to, North?"

The old man's eyes twinkled slightly. "Dealing with elves is almost like dealing with your tricks." He laughed as Jack smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. "But is no matter. What have you done?"

Jack took a deep breath and looked at the man that, in the last twenty years, he regarded as a father. Now that he thought about it, they all seemed like family... Tooth, the older sister that constantly fretted over him, Sandy, the protective older brother, even Marie, North's wife, could be seen as a mother. The only one that Jack couldn't figure out a roll in the family for was Bunny, and it didn't really make much sense, but he didn't dwell on it too much. "Well, the night right after we defeated Pitch, I took a look at the rest of my memories. I needed to know about who I was, however, some of the things that I saw, I couldn't handle around everyone. It wasn't winter so I flew to Antarctica for a while. I would come back and spread winter, and visit Jamie and Sophie, staying at my lake so that it stayed frozen all year, but in my off season, I stayed at the South Pole. It was a bit lonely, but it was the only place that I could be sure to be completely alone. I needed to be alone without anyone telling me how to interpret those memories, and so that I could figure out how I felt about them."

"I won't ask about them, but how do you feel about them?"

Jack looked away. "I am alright. There are a lot of them that I'm not happy with how I handled them back then, but there are some that I'm okay with. Like the one where I saved my sister."

North knew that he had saved her, but he had never heard Jack talk about it. "Tell me, Jack. Please?"

"We had decided to go ice skating one day, and we didn't realize that the ice wasn't thick enough. All of a sudden, she looked up at me and her eyes were big and scared. The ice had started cracking beneath her skates, so I slipped my skates off while trying to keep her calm. I talked to her and she was crying and shaking, but I decided to start a game of hopscotch. She watched as I hopped towards my staff, then it was her turn. As she made her way over to where I was, I was prepared. With her final step she was just in range for me to grab her and fling her off the ice. I was so worried that I didn't even care if when she landed that she got bruised and banged up, I just didn't want her falling in. But..." Jack stopped and took a few seconds to compose himself. "But I miscalculated her weight, so I used too much force. I flung her off the ice, but wound up throwing myself onto it. Next thing I knew, I watched her face go from happy that she was safe, to complete horror as I fell through the ice." Jack looked up into the face of the embodiment of wonder. "When I first saw this memory, I was so happy that I had a sister, that I had overlooked one thing." The older man looked at him, waiting for him to go on. "I didn't know her name. So when I looked at all of my memories, I saw the one where my parents showed me that I had a sister. They said that her name was Emma. Part of the reason that I went to Antarctica was to mourn for their loss, and to grieve that I wasn't there to help my family through the years because I had died. I needed that time by myself because I was a mess. The empty continent is a safe place for me to let loose my emotions and not endanger anyone. I think I cried and screamed and mourned for about two years. Only leaving to bring winter and visit Jamie a couple of times. After those couple of years, I began to piece everything else together. I looked at some of my other memories, and was able to handle them better, and by the time that I knew it, I was healing. I looked at the three hundred years after my birth as Jack Frost, and realized that I was not the easiest or most forgiving spirit to live with, especially for Bunny, but I needed to be alone to make sure that I wasn't influenced in how I was thinking about the memories or I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I noticed though, that a couple of times, Sandy would reach out to me as he did he rounds, but it was me that would pull away. I'm sorry that I blamed all of you for abandoning me."

At those words, tears finally spilled from the boy's eyes, and it was times like this that North was reminded that even though Jack was almost 350 years old, he was still a child in more ways than one. It was also this knowledge that made it hard for him to turn his back on the boy again. Jack was only eighteen when he had died all those centuries ago in the colony of Burgess, and his body and mind had frozen at that age. North vowed that he would never let the boy feel the overwhelming loneliness that had been his fate for that time. "Of course we forgive. You are family, never forget."

Jack's eyes lit up and he jumped into North's arms and just let himself be held for the first time in many, many years. North was all too happy to oblige and he held the boy tightly and stroked his large hand in comforting circles over the blue hoodie that Jack always wore. "Is alright. Is alright."

Marie walked out of the kitchen where she had gone in when the boys had started talking. "Nicholas, bring Jack in here, I think there is someone that he'll want to meet."

North nodded and carried the winter spirit into the kitchen where his wife was making dinner and he sees who Marie was talking about. Standing at stove, helping to make dinner was a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Hearing the large Cossack enter the room, she grinned.

"Hello, Papa. Who's that?"

"Hello, sweetie. This is Jack Frost," North explained, setting the teenager down.

Jack was a little confused, but he rubbed his eyes to make sure they were clear before looking to where the sound of a young girl was. He blinked. Shutting and reopening his eyes, she was still standing there, so either Sandy had given him an amazing dream, which was weird, since he hadn't slept in twenty years, or she was really standing there.

Rubbing her hands on the apron she was wearing, the girl quietly approached him and held out her hand with a smile. "Hi, I'm -"

"Emma," Jack breathed.

"Yes. How did you know?" she asked, truly surprised.

He chuckled and rubbed his hand on the back of his head a little sheepishly. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Emma walked up a little closer and looked at the face of the teenage boy staring at her. "You look familiar, but it couldn't be, I had seen him die." She shook her head to clear the awful thoughts threatening to fill her mind. "You remind me of my big brother. His name was Jack, too."

Jack Frost nodded. "He had brown hair, and brown eyes, just like you. You told him that he always played tricks, but he knew that you loved to play hopscotch." He held up the staff that was still in his hand, and Emma gasped at the shape, as well as the words. "On the day your brother died, you and he were ice skating, but the ice was too thin and it started to crack. You said that you were scared, and he said that you two were gonna play hopscotch. He grabbed the staff at the end of his turn, and then at the end of yours, he caught you in the staff and threw you off the ice." Jack's voice choked a bit, but he pressed on. "When you hit the ground away from where it cracked, your brother was thrown onto the part he had just saved you from. The impact from his weight broke the ice and he fell into the freezing water."

When Jack had finished the story, he looked into Emma's eyes, and he saw the flicker of recognition. "Jack!" She jumped into his arms and just buried her face into the crook of his neck and sobbed. She never thought she would see him again, yet here he was, standing in front of her in the home that she had come to love with a new family. Still in her big brother's arms, she just whispered his name like a mantra, almost as if she stopped saying it, he would disappear from her again.

Jack heard her whispering his name through the tears and he lifted her off the ground, spinning in circles. "It's alright, Emma. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere. Never again. I promise." He just held her and whispered softly into her hair. "I promise, I'm not gonna leave you again. I promise. I'm so sorry that I left you in the first place, Emma... can you forgive me?"

The young girl pulled back from her brother's arms so fast, that Jack wasn't sure if he had ever actually been holding her. "Of course, I forgive you, silly. Why wouldn't I?"

Looking down at his feet, Jack looked sheepish. "I died and left you guys. I have no clue what happened after that, I had no clue who I was... Manny took away all my memories, so I didn't have any idea who I had been... who you were... I feel guilty that I forgot and never checked up on you guys." Tears slid silently down the boy's cheeks creating frozen tear trails.

A small hand reached up to brush them away. "Jack," she waited. "Jack, look at me." With her hand on his chin, Emma gently made her brother look her in the eyes. "We did alright. Sit, and as I finish dinner, I'll tell you what happened."

He did as he was told and sat next to North at the counter, while Marie and Emma finished making dinner. Every couple of minutes, Emma would turn and explain things to him and answer his questions about their family.

"How old where you? When you died, I mean," Jack asked quietly.

"I was sixteen."

"How did it happen?"

"A bunch of children and I were picking berries for snacks in the woods when we were attacked." Seeing that her brother was getting ready to interrupt again, she quickly held up her hand to stop him. "We were surrounded and before I knew it, the boys were all shot and the girls and I were being brought to where they were gonna keep us. I was the oldest in the group, so I was the one that the children were looking to for protection. I decided to make a deal with the men that were holding us captive. The would let all of the children go, and they would be escorted back to town, with me watching to make sure that they all got there alright, and then I would accompany them back and they could do what they wanted with me."

Jack felt his blood beginning to boil with the thought of his baby sister in some murderers hands, but he controlled his temper. Wouldn't do any good to scare his sister now, just after he got her back.

"So we all went to our colony and the children were released and I was escorted back to the camp." She turned to her brother and noticed that he looked capable of murder. "Oh, they didn't do anything. They kept me around to cook their food and stuff like that, but then Father came too close to finding where they were hiding. So they killed me and ran, leaving my body there. Manny saw me and made me a spirit, but I'm not a Guardian, yet."

"Where they Indians?"

Emma shook her head, "No, they were men from the next colony over. They were on a trip to discover what was around to try and expand on their colony. They found us and that was it."

"What are you the spirit of?"

"Oh, Jack, I'm not going to tell you that one. You're just going to have to wait and figure that one out for yourself." Emma giggled at the shocked look on Jack's face.

"Seriously, Emma?" he laughed, causing her to grin.

"Okay, kids," Marie interrupted before they could continue. "Dinner's ready. Emma, sweetie, can you set the table? Jack, can you help me with the plates?"

"Okay, Mama," Emma said.

"Alright, no problem."

So, as the new family sat down to eat dinner, North finally spoke up about something that he had discovered about Jamie Bennett. "So, Jack, I found something on Jamie and Sophie the day before last." The teen looked up from his food with a raised eyebrow. "They are related to you and Emma."

The two children looked across the table at one another and Jack turned to North. "How is that possible if I didn't have any children before I died. Did you, Emma?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't, but we actually had a baby brother."

Jack didn't think he could get any more surprises, he spluttered. "A baby brother? What was his name? What was he like? How old was he when you died? What happened to him?" His mind reeled with questions for his little sister and their placebo family.

"His name was Aaron, and he was four when I died. He was a lot like you in so many ways. He loved sneaking up on me and scaring me. As far as I know, he grew up well and married a young woman and they had four children... three boys, one girl. Am I right, Papa?" she asked, turning to the man sitting at the head of the table.

He nodded, "You are right, Emma. Aaron's second son, Lucas, is Jamie and Sophie's ancestor. They do not know, but I think you should tell them, Jack. It would help ease their minds."

Marie spoke up at this, "Sophie is worried about her baby, and with her just losing her husband recently, that worry is amplified. Jamie is trying to be strong for her and his son, but he is even beginning to lose faith in what he once held dear. Jamie lost his job two weeks ago, but has been doing his best to cover it up, but Sophie knows that something is wrong and E.B. is slowly realizing that his life is falling apart. Jack, those three have nothing left in Burgess. I want you to bring them here after Easter. They will keep the house for whenever they wish to visit friends and take a vacation, but their family is here, I want them to have that."

Jack nodded. "Alright, I'll go let Jamie know after dinner that he needs to start packing the house."

With that, they finished their dinner and Jack took off out the window in search of his best friend.

Sorry that Bunny wasn't in this chapter, but it is for the good of the story, trust me. Please, review so that I can get better and make you happy. The only one who even ventured a guess was ballerina-13 but she doesn't really count cause I live with her... and I was explaining a portion of the story to her at the movies this afternoon.

Well, here is an update for you all! And I am working on a Christmas one-shot for you all as a present, but in case I don't get that to where I'm happy, Happy Christmas to those who celebrate that, Blessed Yule (late) to those of you (like myself) who celebrate that, Happy Chanukah to those of you (like my brother) who celebrate that, and Happy Kwanza (early) to those who celebrate that! and to any religions that have been forgotten, you have my sincerest apologies and my deepest regrets... I just don't know what everyone celebrates. Anyway, happy holidays and I hope to get that one-shot out tonight.