*Ahem* Yes, I am aware a Mother's Day one shot is a week late. But I may have (okay, I totally did) forgotten about that. But to be fair, on mother's day I had no opportunity to do any writing and yes, I realise I forgot to do one for Easter, too. My apologies.

Also, just a note: I am Australian, so normally I use Australian spellings for things, but I prefer to use 'mom' instead of 'mum' because, mainly, 'mum' just looks weird.

This also turned out more miserable than I had intended ^^;

Disclaimer: IDOROTG

...

Mother's Day

...

"There are… a lot of fairies with you today," North noted, eyes scanning the rather large swarm of tooth fairies fluttering around Tooth.

"It's Mother's Day," Tooth explained. "They always get like this."

A coughing fit broke out on the other side of the room and they all turned to see Jack choking on a cookie. North hurried over, giving the youngest Guardian a big thump on the back. Cookie unlodged, Jack took several deep breaths, his hand over his chest.

Sandy frowned, a few symbols flashing above him.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Jack rasped. When he had recovered sufficiently, he turned to Tooth. "That's today?!"

"Yes?"

"Oh, man! I'm so late!" In what could only be described as panic, Jack jumped up from his seat, grabbing his staff as he did so. "Where did I leave it?... Should be somewhere there…" he continued to mutter to himself as he moved closer to a window. Bunny stopped him before he had the chance to open it.

"What's the rush, Frostbite?"

Jack stared at him as if he were insane. "What's the rush? What's the rush?! Gah!" he threw his arms up and the window flew open in a gust of wind. "Yes, I know!" he told his silent companion. "Sorry," he told the Guardians. "I've gotta go right now. Ugh, she's gonna kill me!" And with that he was gone.

"She?" Bunny asked the empty space.

"Do you think… he could be referring to his mother?" Tooth asked slowly.

"But he is 300 years old," North pointed out. "Surely mother no longer around?"

"No, Sandy's right," Tooth said, understanding the golden symbols the Sandman was displaying. "Just because she's… gone, doesn't mean he couldn't visit her."

"Nah, mates, it sounded like he was talking about someone still around."

...

...

Jack was well out of breath by the time he arrived in the meadow. She always kept it at a reasonable temperature; not too hot or too cold. Rather than flying in through the window like he would at North's, Jack landed hurriedly on the grass and ran up to the door of the beautiful castle. It was made of only natural materials, with ivy and plants growing along the stone walls. He would expect nothing less of her. And, also to be expected, one of the walls was little more than a pile of rubble. She sure had a nasty temper.

Almost timidly, he raised his hand to knock on the wooden door. A small woodland sprite answered, giving him a look of disapproval.

"Yes, I know, I'm late," Jack sighed. "Please don't hold me up and make it worse."

The sprite nodded, gesturing for him to follow. They travelled through several winding corridors until finally they stood before an extravagant pine door intricately carved with plant designs of crawling ivy and blooming flowers. The sprite hurried off, leaving Jack alone.

Taking a deep breath, prepared to accept his fate, he knocked tentatively.

There was a moment's pause, then, "Come in."

Jack pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Lleu's presence had made the room warmer than it otherwise would have been, but a window had been opened to compensate. May Queen and Ceres sat opposite each other; May frowning her disapproval and Ceres smiling as if it were her birthday; no doubt she was expecting him to get in trouble. There were a number of others seated around, also; Rain, dressed as usual in her multicoloured dress, Storm, and several sprites and pixies to name a few. At the head of the table was the cause for his unease.

The woman appeared deceivingly young, no older than thirty, but Jack knew her to be nearly as old as the Man in the Moon himself. Her long hair was sleek black, appearing to meld with what appeared to be clouds around her. She held herself with an air of regalia, but her face held only kindness.

"Happy Mother's Day," Jack said awkwardly as he loitered in the doorway, not sure if he should sit down or not.

"Why thank you, Jack," Mother Nature beamed, gesturing to an empty seat beside Rain. He hesitated for only a moment before taking it.

Ceres' smile quickly slipped into a frown when it became clear he would not be on the receiving end of her rage. Jack couldn't be more grateful for Mother's good mood.

"How is life as a Guardian?" Mother Nature asked, sliding him a piece of cake.

"I'm enjoying it," Jack said truthfully, accepting the cake lest he anger her. "It's good to be able to do something helpful."

There was a 'tch' somewhere further down the table, he suspected from Ceres, but it was ignored.

"I'm sure you're also enjoying the company of the Guardians."

A very uncomfortable atmosphere settled over the table. Everyone present was aware of Jack's 300 years of solitude. "Yes." The slight bulge in his pocket allowed for a quick subject change. He carefully pulled out the meticulously wrapped present and slid it across the table top towards her. "I, uh, made you something," he said, looking away self consciously.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you," Mother Nature gently lifted the small object and began to unwrap it. In the silence that followed, the others likewise pulled out the gifts they had prepared, placing them on the table in front of her.

Mother Nature's eyes widened at the ball that fell into her hands. The orb, made completely of ice, contained an elaborately detailed ice-sculpture of her castle and the surrounding meadow, right down to the flowers and the fruits on the trees.

"Jack," she seemed to sigh. "It's beautiful."

"It, um, it won't melt, either."

"Thank you," she was genuinely touched. She really was in a good mood.

The remainder of the visit played out comfortably, with the others presenting their gifts and Mother Nature admiring each like it was the most precious thing in the world.

...

...

Jack heaved a great sigh of relief when he flew off that afternoon. While she could be loving and nurturing – everything a mother should be – Mother Nature was terrifying when she was angry, and it didn't take much to set her off. Although she wasn't technically anyone's mother, they all felt a sort of obligation to treat her as such; especially with their being nature spirits.

But now that that was over with, he could spend the rest of the day the way he was supposed to.

The graveyard was, like always, silent when he arrived. The wind blew gently through the vine-covered clearing, blowing dead leaves off the graves.

"Hey, mom," he said with a sad smile, seating himself before her tombstone. "Look, I managed to get spring's best flowers for you," he laid the bouquet down in front of him, arranging the flowers so they wouldn't fall over. "It wasn't easy, either. I had to receive a lecture on tardiness before I could even ask!"

He took a breath and turned his face up towards the sky. "I hope you're happy where you are."

A few leaves from the overhanging trees broke free from their branches, dancing as they fluttered to the ground below.

"Happy Mother's Day."

Guest Review Responses:

SaiyanPrincess: Glad you liked it!