I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh D: I won't bore you with excuses - I've been busy and unmotivated. I don't know when the next chapter will be, but I try not to let the gap be quite so large.

Thank you so much for all your patience! xx

Disclaimed.

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A Change in the Wind Part II

...

Being the semi-sentient force of nature that she was, there was really very little in the world that the Wind truly cared about. One was shiny things. The other, and by far more important, was a young winter spirit who had entered the world alone. There was nothing, Wind knew, that she would not do for this lonely boy, her constant companion and beloved friend.

She was always with him, laughing and playing alongside him as she carried him wherever he wanted to go; worrying and fretting over him when life was particularly cruel; and cheering him up or scolding him when the need arose.

Of course, being what she was, the Wind could only ever be there for him in spirit (essence?) apart from the regular, week-long period once every one hundred years when she could take on a 'body' of her own; though in truth it was little more than a distortion in the air. But Jack didn't seem to mind, creating an 'armour' of sorts for her so she could leave the temple every time. And if Jack was happy, so was the Wind.

Wind looked over at the winter spirit in question, who was flying alongside her, supported by her currents, and was chatting excitedly about all the things he wanted to show her. This was only the third time she'd been able to be with him like this and the look on his face was exactly the same as it had been the first time – so full of energy and excitement.

Behind them she was aware of the reindeer-pulled sleigh containing the strange group that called themselves the Guardians. She knew all of what had occurred between them and her boy, both good and bad, the latter of which she was willing to overlook so long as they continued to look out for and support him as they had been. Wind knew Jack considered them to be something of a family to him, and so in a way they were family to her. So long as they did nothing to hurt him, of course.

"We're here!" Jack called, beaming at her as he suddenly dove down towards a frozen lake beneath them.

The Wind laughed as she chased him, easily catching up and dancing around him with all the grace of a ballerina. Frostwind, somewhere behind them, huffed at their antics.

"Race you!" Jack suddenly challenged, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The Wind would have rolled her eyes if Jack could have seen. They both knew he could not outrun the very force that controlled his flight. To prove her point, she blew a gale back at him to slow him down and easily took the lead.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

The Wind only laughed, dismissing the headwind and letting him catch up.

"Okay, new rules," he told her. "We freefall. No powers. Deal?"

The Wind smirked, killing the air current keeping them both afloat. The both plummeted, the younger of the two with a startled cry that quickly morphed into laughter, mingling with the gentle jingling of the items amongst her armour that doubled as instruments.

The surface of the lake was now mere metres away and, just before the two of them could crash into (through) the ice, Wind caught them both, depositing them gently on the surface.

"I win!" Jack declared.

Wind pushed him.

"Okay, okay, it was a draw."

She crossed her arms, some of the shiny things that made up the mask of her face rising like a sceptical brow.

"Fine," Jack sighed. "You win. But it was close; I'll get you next time."

"Are you okay?" Tooth fretted, flying over to them before the sleigh even got the chance to land.

"We're fine, Tooth," Jack reassured her, looking around for the eighth member of their party.

Baby Tooth announced herself with a chirp of hello as she fluttered over to land on Jack's shoulder and eyed the Wind in a mixture on interest and nervousness.

"Hey, Baby Tooth," Jack smiled at the tiny fairy. "I'd like to introduce you to the Wind. Wind, this is Baby Tooth."

The Wind, of course, already knew that. But it was different to know about something than it was to actually see it. In awe at the beautiful (shiny) hummingbird-like creature, Wind moved closer, picking the fairy up in gently cupped hands.

"Heh, I think she likes you," Jack smiled.

Baby Tooth greeted the force of nature in her squeaky language. The Wind practically cooed, excitedly placing the fairy on her head with the tiara from Sophie.

"The lake hasn't changed much since last time," Jack informed her, gazing around at the scenery. "But hey, Burgess has! Come on!" and then he was off again, running across the surface towards the town.

Wind hurried after him with Frostwind in tow. The Guardians watched for a moment before joining the chase, only Bunny grumbling that it was 'bloody freezing' and 'why did they have to do so much running around?'.

With Jack as her tour guide, Wind took in the buildings and layout of his hometown, marvelling at how different it had all become since the last time she'd truly seen it. What had once been little wooden structures and large stone buildings were now far more 'modern' and larger. She took great interest in the glowing signs and lights – something that was so different to what had been around a century earlier – and the things people were wearing and doing.

Much as she'd expected, Jack eventually led them all to the house of a certain young boy and his sister; two children that Wind knew were very important to her winter spirit.

"Okay, wait here," Jack instructed to all of them as they came in to land in the backyard. "I'm gonna go check if they're home." Without checking to see if they would all obey, he flew up to one of the second-story windows.

Wind turned, preoccupying herself by looking over the Guardians clambering out of the sleigh. They all watched her nervously as she stared. The Tooth Fairy – Tooth, Jack called her – was truly very beautiful. And shiny. It was a good thing she had smaller, more compact versions of herself; the Wind didn't think the woman would much appreciate the treatment Wind was giving the one called Baby Tooth (also the sight of a fully grown woman sitting on a conglomeration of shiny objects would be rather ridiculous).

In the back of her mind, Wind was aware that Jack was returning to the ground and moved her gaze over to him.

"They're coming," Jack announced with a grin.

Frostwind immediately perked up, running over to the backdoor to greet the children as they exited. The boy, Jamie's eyes immediately locked onto Wind, an expression of awe and a great deal of confusion on his face. The little girl, however, had eyes only for the Pooka.

"Bunny!" Sophie cried, hurrying over to him.

"Hey there, little anklebiter," Bunny grinned, kneeling down to her height.

"Whoa," Jamie breathed, absently stroking the excited ice dragon as he looked between Jack and the Wind. "I take it this is what you wanted all that shiny stuff for?"

"So was not just us," North noted in the background. Jack ignored him.

"Yep!" Jack beamed at the boy. "Jamie, this is the Wind. Wind, this is Jamie."

"Wait, the wind is an actual spirit?" Jamie asked, casting a nervous glance at the Wind as she kneeled down in front of him. A startled cry escaped him as he was suddenly pulled into a deep embrace. Jamie looked questioningly up at Jack, who looked equally surprised.

If the Wind could have talked, there was much she would have said to this young boy – so many things to thank him for. She knew that she alone wasn't enough to support the winter spirit she cared so deeply for; had known it for quite some time. Because while he was outwardly happy and cheerful most of the time, Wind had seen the way he'd been slowly degenerating over the years. He was lonely, and the gap in his heart wasn't something that she could completely fill. Jamie hadn't been the only one, but he specifically had played a very large and important role in helping her boy to fill that gap. If it hadn't been for him, Wind didn't know how different things would have been – for one, Jack would probably still be alone. Pitch Black, also, would likely be in power.

Wind hoped she'd get the chance to see the Boogieman face-to-face before the end of the week; she wanted to give him more than just a piece of her mind. The Moon, also, had a lecture coming to him.

Wind gently let Jamie go, but remained crouched where she was.

"Um, I think this means she likes you?" Jack managed.

Jamie looked like he didn't know how to feel about that.

"Pretty!" Sophie cooed, finally catching sight of the stranger in the yard.

Wind pivoted to face the young girl who was staring at her wide-eyed from where she had wormed her way into Bunny's lap. This was the owner of her tiara, Wind remembered. Being careful not to dislodge Baby Tooth, she reached up and removed the decoration, placing it carefully on Sophie's head with a smile. Baby Tooth chirped, ruffling her feathers.

"So, should we go find your friends?" Jack asked his favourite believer. "I promised Wind a snowball fight and I reckon you guys are the only ones who'll stand a chance against her."

"Yeah! Okay, come on!" Jamie grinned, running around the side of the house toward the street.

Jack laughed as Frostwind chased after him, pouncing and knocking him into the snow.

"C'mon, Wind," he called, shooting off into the air. "We'd better make some good snowball weather!" Pivoting in the air, he turned to address the Guardians. "We'll meet you in the park!"

Bunny grumbled something under his breath but followed the others, stopping only to shove Frostwind off his prize while Tooth helped Jamie back to his feet.

The Wind danced around Jack Frost as they soared over the streets of Burgess, bringing a flurry of snowflakes with them as they went. So much had changed in a hundred years, and yet so much was still the same. She couldn't help but wonder how different things would be in another hundred years. But there was one thing she did know; Jack Frost would never be alone again. Things would change, people would come and go, and pain would surely present itself, but Jack wouldn't have to face any of it by himself. He wasn't alone anymore. And she didn't have to worry quite so much. She still would, though.

Jack's laughter echoed through the air, travelling further on her breezes. The future could wait. Right now what mattered was the present – living in the moment. And in that moment she was at peace.

The two of them angled their bodies towards the park, racing each other much like they had earlier. The Wind would win this time, too. Just like how she planned to win the snowball fight. And every other competition Jack challenged her with. Just because she loved him, didn't mean she was going to go easy on him, after all.

Guest Review Responses:

Fandomcrazy: Good question! Frostwind is roughly the size of a table (in height. Lengthwise is a bit more if you count his tail)

oceanlights: You're very welcome ^w^ Hmm... maybe if he was subtle about it? He might confuse Bunny, but if he's careful he could probably get away with it XD

.Frost: YES! It's my favourite poem :3 and I thought it just fit so damn well :P I've heard that theory, actually - when we studied the poem at uni it was mentioned... and then we were told why it wasn't :P But I won't go into that. Thank you so much! I'm really glad you've been enjoying it. It's been fun to write, so I'm always happy to hear others have been enjoying it, too :3 Yeah, super busy these days ^^; When I get through the requests I've already got I'll reopen the requests again. I did notice your name! Very good ;) Haha quirky, huh? XD Yup, Pitch'll come up again eventually (I have a bunch of stuff I'd like to get into when the requests die down a bit)
(I'm going to reply to your review from Just for the Night here, too, if you don't mind (otherwise I don't think I'd get the opportunity to reply)): Human AUs are either amazingly good or just weird. So far most of the ones I've read have been the former. So glad you liked it!

Regality: Yes, me too! I mean, the way he talks to it makes it feel like way more than just a force of nature. It responds to him, and everything. You're so welcome! (And aren't you a clever cookie figuring it out ;))

Hi: And hello to you! Like for Fandomcrazy above (very good question), Frostwind is about table-sized in height. He's a bit longer in length because of his tail. Thank you!

Shttrd Glas: "Conquers Ancient China" omg :') Yes, be flattered and terrified XD Oh she did. Most definitely. XD XD You're welcome! It's been so much fun to write, and discussing it with you was amazing X3

Guest: Aha! Ye be unnamed! Let's see how good my naming game is today... *drum roll* Cerberguest! Haha! I hope this follow-up meets expectations!

Painapple: Can I just say I really love your name? XD Hahaha What does that day about me? lol. Yeah, grey-A (from what I read on wikipedia) described me pretty well. Idk, I'm pretty confused about it all. Thank you! I'll try :P

Holy guacamole look at all those reviews!