A/N : I AM SO SORRY for letting you guys wait for so long! I really wanted to finish this asap but got a horrible writer's block which lasted quite a while. BUT this chapter turned out to have twice as many pages as originally intended, so I hope you're happy with it. Although I gotta confess something at the end of the story...
Oh, and YAY for 100 chapters! Never expected to come this far! 8D *pulls you all into a group hug*
This was strange. Jack felt different and couldn't pinpoint why. The change happened gradually, so he hadn't even noticed it at first. But now, with every passing hour, something deep inside of him seemed...not healed, but supported? Stabilized? Calmed down? He couldn't find the perfect word to describe it. The agony in his body was still present, and yet something appeared to restrain it. Upon further pondering he considered the best comparison to be a plastered in broken limb. While the bone still had to grow back together on its own, the cast helped it doing so by keeping it in place. Whatever was actually going on, Jack was relieved about this slow but welcome improvement.
"You are feeling better, are you not?" Man in Moon stated the obvious.
"Yeah, I- wait, how do you know that?" the frost teen stared at him in surprise before he mentally slapped himself.
"Oh, right, all-knowing deity, I forgot." he replied to himself and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Can we try the power control training again? Maybe it works now with the pain not being that intense anymore."
The moon, who was well aware of what North and Bunnymund had been working on in the meanwhile, dampened the winter spirit's enthusiasm for his own good. After another day his condition would have further improved and then he would also be able to pass the most strength-consuming lesson.
"Patience, my boy. Give your body a little more time for its recovery. There is no need to hurry."
Even though he would have prefered to get going immediately Jack realized that Man in Moon was right. For some reason he assumed that his friends had something to do with it, but he guessed he would find out soon enough.
"Alright."
"Good. What I am going to tell you now is of great importance, so please listen carefully."
This had definitely caught Jack's attention and he affirmed his approval with a nod.
"I will teach you how to break the connection between you and your staff. The procedure is plain in its simplicity and yet hard to achieve. Basically, it is about summoning your magic back from wherever you spread it."
"I...have no idea how I'm supposed to do that." the young immortal confessed ashamed.
He should have found that out by now. Heck, 300 years had passed and he had never seriously thought about it. Now and then he had wished he could have undone a blizzard or too heavy snowfall, but that was more a strong feeling of regret than a will to figure out how to achieve it.
"Do not worry. Let us start with something small." the moon suggested with an encouraging voice.
"You see that tree over there on which you created the frost pattern earlier?"
Jack looked at that particular pine tree not far away from him and nodded before he intuitively walked towards it.
"Yes."
"Put your hand on its trunk and close your eyes. Feel the rough bark under your fingers and the thin layer of ice covering it. It is a part of you. You were the one who created it. And now it is you who will remove it again. Among the frost there are countless particles of your magic, too tiny to be visible, but they are there. Imagine them being blended with the ice. Imagine your bright blue magic shining in them. Let it connect with you, let it flow towards your hand. When you feel it, use your willpower to pull it out of the tree and back into your body."
Easier said than done. Jack followed the moon's commands, but when he had spotted his magic in the rough bark he tried in vain to break the spell. He did his best to concentrate and focus on nothing but the connection between the frost and himself, and yet nothing happened. The young man groaned in annoyance and frustration directed at himself and tried again, more eager than before. Only the gentleness of the moon's voice managed to provide reassurance and break the tense athmosphere.
"It is perfectly alright when it does not work at the first try. Like I mentioned it is quite difficult to achieve so there is no reason to pressure yourself."
"I just don't want to fail again..." the Guardian of Fun mumbled downheartedly.
"There is nothing bad about failure. We only learn from our mistakes. It does not matter if you succeed now or if it takes hours or days. With every try you will improve, you will get a better feeling of your powers, you will get to know more about yourself. Self-doubts, anger and impatience are your opponents. Remember what you already achieved. You are the master of your powers and you are in control of them. Now take a few deep breaths, clear your mind and relax. When you think you are ready, continue."
Those few simple sentences had put Jack's mind at ease and he let out a sigh of relief before he did as he was told. The moon was right, he had to be calm and collected to pass this lesson. He was going to accomplish it, it was only a question of time. And judging by his current comatose state he had plenty of it. He literally wasn't going anywhere.
After one last deep intake of air the white haired teen placed his right hand on the rough surface of the tree once more and repeated the instructions from the moon. Several fruitless attempts followed but with each one he managed to detect his magic faster and more exactly. He could feel invisible icy particles melting into his skin. Just a few, but it was a start.
Time turned out to be an abstract idea in this world inside of his mind. If minutes, hours or days had passed by in reality, he had no idea. And then, eventually, the whole layer of frost he had created manifested as an electric blue shining pattern behind his closed eyes and as he focused on it and then at his hand he noticed a tingly sensation reaching said bodypart and dissolving while it travelled up his arm. Hesitantly as well as curiously he opened his eyes and stared at the tree in front of him in amazement. The bark was void of any kind of frost. Jack couldn't believe that, for the first time in his life he had summoned his powers back!
"I did it!" he cheered and grinned widely at the moon.
"Good job, my boy. You have come a big step closer to be in absolute control of your powers. If you want you can take a short break and then practice more. You have to master this skill."
"I'd rather continue right away." the immortal teen declared vigorously.
"Very well. Then freeze another tree, but this time try to remove the ice without touching it."
Instead of questioning the difficulty of the exercise Jack created a layer of frost on the nearest pine tree without hesitation. By now he had realized that the moon had a better knowledge of his powers than himself. This challenge wasn't going to be easy but he would accomplish it no matter what. With determination he took a step away from the tree and closed his eyes as he stood in front of it. Concentrate, focus, feel the magic, call it back. He knew how it was supposed to work. He had succeeded once, he would succeed again.
Man in Moon watched the young guardian with sympathy and pride. The boy was going to learn everything he had to and would come out of this unfortunate event stronger than ever before.
Was her time to visit Jack already over? Confused Baby Tooth glanced at the wall clock and back at the Tooth Fairy who had just flown into the infirmary. The Guardian of Memories seemed to be surprised about the lack of her comrades, except for the comatose winter spirit lying in his bed and one of the medical yetis checking a list in the corner of the room.
"Where are the others?" Tooth asked while glancing around.
The tiny hummingbird let out several high-pitched yet calm squeaks and explained what had happened during the past few hours. Bunny had suddenly left, shortly later North had shown up and taken the broken staff and told them that he had a plan. Several hours later Sandy excused himself and Baby Tooth hoped she had gotten the right translation of his sand symbols. He had to return to the task of spreading his dreamsand and would inform the other two guardians before he departed. That had been only a few minutes ago, actually.
Tooth took the seat next to Jack's bed and let her fingers run through the strands of his silvery white hair. She wasn't sure if she just imagined it, but his forehead felt a little cooler than before.
"Uhm, excuse me..." she addressed the medical yeti who was sitting at the far end of the room and checking a pile of notes.
As he looked up at her she continued.
"Has Jack's temperature dropped a bit?"
The furry creature nodded, stood up and walked towards her to show her a sheet of paper with a chart that listed the progression of the winter spirit's fever. In the last few hours it had decreased by almost 2 degrees. While his temperature was still too high it was definitely an improvement and a sign he was on the way to recovery.
Both of the fairies as well as the yeti glanced at the door as it opened and Bunnymund stepped in. His puzzled expression indicated that he hadn't expected to meet the Guardian of Memories just yet.
"Oh, hey there, Tooth. Not that I'm complainin', but didn't ya say ya would visit later?"
"Yes, but I just couldn't get Jack out of my head and was constantly worried about how he was doing..." the hummingbird-hybrid explained with a faint blush and guilt feelings in the back of her mind.
Of course she knew that her duties should have held the highest priority, but this was easier said than done. Baby Tooth voiced her discontent about the current change of plan since she feared she had to leave back to the Tooth Palace several hours earlier than arranged.
"It's alright, you can stay here for the time being. I made preparations and the other fairies should get along fine with collecting teeth for the rest of the day."
The tiny fairy heaved a sigh of relief and cuddled against the frost teen's cheek again while Bunny informed his female comrade about what North and him had been fiddling around with the entire afternoon. Hope shone in both of their faces when Tooth told him about the slightly dropped fever.
"So it's actually workin'..." the Australian rabbit mumbled to himself and smiled softly as he stared at the unconscious form on the bed.
"We gotta wait until the glue has completely dried by tomorrow and then we're gonna apply the protective coat. Keep yer fingers crossed it'll help Jack enough ta wake up."
Over the course of the next days the guardians' patience and positive mindset was put to the test once more. Despite the superficially fixed staff and the medicine Jack's health had stopped improving. Although his temperature was steady and had lowered a few degrees it was still too high. He hadn't shown any sign of waking up anytime soon and the medical yetis as well as the guardians were at their wit's end. They had done everything in their might to help the youth, but now it was up to him to fight his way back out of the coma.
After another week and the constant lack of any kind of reaction whatsoever, no matter how often they talked to his still form, everyone who cared for him had serious trouble with maintaining optimism. If they liked to admit it or not, they slowly realized that they had to accept the possibility of their beloved winter spirit staying unconscious much longer than they had hoped for.
Christmas was fastly approaching, so North had to focus on the final spurt, as difficult as it proved to be. Tooth had to direct her fairies to collect teeth and Sandy had to spread dreams all over the world. While each of them showed up for a short visit once a day to check how the Guardian of Fun was doing, Bunnymund constantly remained at his side. He had brought his sketchbook and drawing equipment with him so he could work on some new designs. It didn't make a difference whether he drew in the Warren or in the infirmary. Although he had to admit he prefered the warm temperatures in his home to the icy breeze constantly blowing through the open windows. But it didn't matter. Even though he had considered going back to Australia and dropping by regularly, the mere thought had evoked guilt feelings he couldn't describe. It felt as if he would abandon Jack or something like that. He couldn't stand the possibility of him waking up to realize no one was there and probably thinking they had left him alone because they didn't care anymore. So Bunny stayed, drawing and waiting, ready for the winter spirit to finally open his eyes.
Jack had no clue how much time had gone by. But eventually he had managed to control his powers and summon them back whenever he wanted and completely without the help of his staff. He was eager to take the next step but Man in Moon had inisted on him taking a break instead. Despite being stuck in coma he had used a lot of energy for practicing and his body and mind needed to relax before proceeding with the big task to fight his way back to consciousness. Even though he would have prefered to go on with that rimmediately he knew that the moon was right and that he had to gather all of his strength to achieve it. After he was told to rest for a while he took the opportunity to ponder the plan and started wondering. With furrowed brows he gazed up at the moon questioningly.
"Excuse me, but you said I gotta fix my staff and then remove my magic from it afterwards. Won't it break again when I do that?"
"Do not worry about that. Every fibre of the wood will be merged together and fully intact once your magic flows into it."
Jack heaved a sigh of relief as the last bit of concern had been washed away. Well, at least at first.
"Uhm…how shall I do this all when I'm not able to grab my staff? I won't be able to fix it when it's across the room, will I?"
For a moment he swore he could hear a slight chuckle coming from the moon.
"I told you once and will say it again. Trust in your friends and me, we will not let you down."
The deity's warm and convincing words evoked such a comforting sensation in the Guardian of Fun that he couldn't hold back a smile and nodded in understanding, even though he had no idea why. What he was sure of was that he had never felt so calm before. He was at total ease and confident about his powers and who exactly he was. No matter how many questions he had, Man in Moon showed nothing but patience and explained everything he wanted to know. The two immortal beings talked for hours, days, weeks. It was hard to determine in this state of mind. Time really didn't seem to matter here.
A whole week had passed since they had superficially fixed Jack's ancient shepherd's crook and he still hadn't woken up. By now they had to involuntarily consider that he probably wasn't going to come back to them anymore. The thought was painful to accept, but his physical condition didn't give them any hope to assume something else.
North called them together for a meeting in the infirmary to discuss the situation. Even Bunny couldn't give any reason for keeping up hope despite wishing for Jack to stay strong and fight his way out of the coma. Just when everyone had reached rock bottom mentally the moon's light shone brightly into the room, catching their attention as it hit their eyes.
"What the…" Bunny let out as he blinked.
Everyone adjusted their vision as the beam of light traveled to the corner of the room and engulfed the staff which was leaning against the wall. Then it wandered to the unconscious winter spirit and illuminated his hands. Sandy was the first one to react and hurried to bring Jack's conduit of power back to its owner. He lay it on his stomach and gently put both of his hands onto it so he held it in a loose grasp.
"How should he-" Tooth hesitantly began to voice her doubt but North made a gesture to be quiet and pointed at the teen.
"Look!"
Even though the pale fingers hadn't moved an inch, electric blue light sparked out of them, hesitantly and weakly at first but growing in intensity by the moment.
"You are doing fine, my boy, continue exactly like this." Man in Moon reassured Jack after he had told him that the time had come to focus all of his energy and imagine he was holding his staff in his hands.
The young immortal did his best and summoned every bit of his powers to fix his ancient shepherd's crook.
Bright blue magic illuminated his hands and appeared to flow straightly through the rough bark, despite the protective layer North and Bunny had applied. Ice seemed to pervade the wood in thin blue lines, the process taking quite a while, testing the endurance of everyone present. They held their breath until the light ceased all of a sudden.
"I-I can't hold on anymore…!" Jack forced out through clenched teeth as he felt his strenght fading away.
As expected fixing his staff took longer and far more effort than the previous times. Minutes of directing his complete extent of powers at it proved to be both exhausting and unnerving. He knew very well that if he gave up now it would take days or weeks or even longer until he was in the condition for another try. No, he wouldn't, he couldn't give up!
"You can do it, you have the strength, it is all inside of you." the moon encouraged him.
"Believe in yourself."
The guardians had to close their eyes when bright blue light emanated from Jack's hands and filled the room in what seemed like an explosion of powers. When they opened them again everything was back to normal. The staff lay in his loose grasp, looking exactly the way it did before, just like its master. Whatever had just happened, it hadn't worked. Nothing had changed. Everyone looked down sorrow-stricken as Sandy was the one to take action once more. Gracefully he sent a wave of dreamsand to the youth and within less than a few seconds the group of spirits smiled in delight with their mouths open and eyes shining almost as brightly as the frost teen's magic had just done.
The sparkling golden sand had taken the form of children having a snowball fight. Jack wasn't stuck in coma anymore. He was sleeping and dreaming.
Tooth held her hands in front of her mouth to muffle the sobs of relief and lunged herself at the person closest to her, which happened to be Sandy. Smiling warmly the golden guardian hugged her and patted her back reassuringly. Baby Tooth exclaimed her joy by letting out high pitched squeals as she stared at the sparkling dreamsand. Bunny and North exchanged relieved looks and almost simultaneously let out deep sighs. A load which had weighed a ton had been taken off their minds. It had been a devastating time and Bunny had to admit he had almost given up hope in the end, but now everything was going to be alright again. Once more Jack had proven to be a fighter, someone who should never be underestimated. Suddenly a beefy hand on his shoulder drew his attention away from his thoughts, causing the furry guardian to glance at the Russian next to him. But instead of saying something the big man merely smiled at him and then continued to eye the peaceful form of the sleeping teenager. It would be a matter of hours, maybe days until he woke up. After all that energy he had mustered to fix his staff, despite the coma and despite his injuries, he would need a while to recover. They still had no idea how he had managed to do all this, but he was surely going to tell them later on.
Two days later Jack finally, after what had seemed like forever, opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, all he could make out were very rough shapes, mainly a big dark grey one on his right side and a tiny greenish one floating above him. Excited squeaks reached his ears followed by a much lower sound.
„Hey, mate. Welcome back."
Was that...Bunny? He couldn't remember if the Australian had ever spoken with such a soft and warm voice. Jack blinked a few more times until his eyes began to work properly and stared wearily at the anthropomorphic rabbit, who was standing next to the bed and looking at him with an equally tired yet relieved expression. The much smaller shape, which had turned out to be Baby Tooth, landed on his pillow and cuddled against his cheek happily. Slowly Jack forced his sore body into a more upright position and met the gaze of his friends as he leaned against the backrest of the bed.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something coughs emitted rather than the words he had intended to. Only now did he notice how dry and raspy his throat was. Before Bunny could react a medical yeti already brought a glass of water to his patient. He handed it over to the winter spirit, who took a careful sip before swallowing it all in one go as he realized how thirsty he was. While doing so he briefly wondered if the yeti had been in the room all along and how he could have missed such a huge furry creature. However, he blamed it on his still groggy state.
After he had emptied the glass the yeti took it back and smiled, obviously at ease that the boy had finally woken up. They had gotten rid of the infusion but left the tubes on his chest to monitor his vital signs, just to be on the safe side. Judging by the white haired guardian's confusion as he looked down at himself North's helper decided the surveillance wasn't necessary anymore and gently removed the tubes from his pale skin.
„Thanks." Jack eventually managed to mutter hoarsely.
„Ya gave us quite a scare, mate." Bunnymund sighed with relief and sat down on the edge of the bed.
„Sorry...I promise I won't do it again." the winter spirit swore, since he definitely never wanted to go through so much pain once more.
„I surely hope so!" the rabbit exclaimed and let out a chuckle.
„Ya know, my nerves won't be able ta handle this another time."
„That bad?" the frost teen asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Baby Tooth nodded heavily next to him while the light-hearted look in Bunny's eyes vanished and changed into a more serious expression. His voice was calm and yet held so many emotions that Jack immediately felt guilty for his question.
„We thought we had lost ya."
Only now did the Guardian of Fun realize how close to dying he had been. He hadn't witnessed anything that had taken place in the infirmary, wouldn't even have known about his friends glueing his staff back together if Man in Moon hadn't told him. He had no idea what they had been going through while he was stuck in coma.
„I'm sorry..." he whispered lamely, unable to find the right words.
„Crikey, why are ya apologizin'? Ya saved us all and almost got yerself killed by doin' so! If someone should be sorry then it's us. Sorry for not bein' able ta protect ya. I swear I wouldn't have forgiven myself if ya..." Bunnymund stopped because he couldn't say it out loud.
There was an awkward silence hanging in the room before Jack saw it as his duty to lighten the mood. His friends had gone through enough negative feelings lately.
„You should have known that you don't get rid of me that easily." the boy smiled at his furry comrade.
„You're going to miss the days I was comatose when I'll annoy the crap out of you again."
The 6'1 rabbit snorted and couldn't suppress a smile himself.
„Glad you're back, mate."
In the meantime Baby Tooth had made herself comfortable on Jack's head and sat there contently in the white strands of his hair. Suddenly the yeti, which they had almost forgotten since he had retreated to the corner of the room to organize various bottles of medicine, approached them again and started talking to Bunnymund, despite being well aware of the fact that none of the attendants could understand him. Questioning stares were exchanged as the furry creature left the room and gently shut the door behind him.
„What did he say?" Jack asked in confusion.
„I dunno. But I'll have a guess and say he's gonna inform North that ye're finally back among the livin'. So expect him and the others ta burst in here in let's say three minutes."
„Yeah, wouldn't be surprised about it. Before everyone shows up, uh, do you know where my hoodie is? I feel a little naked right now." the winter spirit admitted blushing faintly.
„Sure." Bunny spoke and stood up to get the blue piece of clothing, which was neatly folded on a chair at the other side of the room.
„Thanks." Jack smiled as it was handed over to him and he quickly put it on.
„By the way, where are Tooth and Sandy? Busy with their jobs I assume?"
„Yeah, but they said they would stay nearby just in case, whatever that means. They'll probably keep watchin' for the Northern lights in case ya-"
„JACK!"
Winter spirit, Easter Bunny as well as the small tooth fairy almost had a collective heart attack as the door burst open and a certain Russian joyfully stomped towards the bed. Before Jack could comprehend what was happening North had pulled him into a bear hug and almost squeezed the living daylights out of him.
„So good to see you're back with us again! How are you feeling?"
The young guardian took a moment to catch his breath after he was let go and smiled at the big man.
„Okay, I guess. A little tired and sore but otherwise I'm fine."
„That's great to hear! I already alerted Tooth and Sandy, they should be here any mo-"
„Jack!""
A flash of green, blue and yellow feathers dashed through the open window, followed by a slower golden form. For a second time in less than a minute the white haired boy was trapped in a tight embrace and wished that his desire for breathing was actually considered by someone. When the Tooth Fairy eventually released her grip on him purple watery eyes stared right into his.
„We were so worried about you..." she whispered with a trembling voice.
Sandy, who had joined their side, nodded his head in agreement and gave his friend a warm smile. Relief and overwhelming emotions were evident in everyone's faces. Without a doubt a huge weight had been taken off their shoulders the moment the Guardian of Fun opened his eyes.
„I'm sorry, I-„ Jack started but got interrupted by Bunny clearing his throat.
„We discussed that already, there's nothin' ta apologize for." the Australian declared sternly.
The other guardians had no clue what this was about but decided it didn't matter at the moment.
„Yes, that's true. It's just..." Tooth began and did her best to regain her composure. „It felt like an eternity."
Jack raised an eyebrow at the statement and already had a bad feeling when he waited for an answer to the pending question.
„How long have I been out?"
A short silence followed with everyone waiting for someone else to reply until North spilled the beans.
„Over two weeks."
„WHAT!?" Jack screeched louder than he had intended to.
„It's december and I haven't spread snowfall for weeks, it's most likely all melted by now. I have to get going, children want a white Christmas and-„
„Woa, woa, hold yer horses!" Bunnymund held his hands up and stopped his young friend from continuing with his slightly hysterical attack.
„Your health is most important now, forget about the weather."
„Bunny is right." North agreed.
„Take all the time you need to recover."
„I don't need any more time, I'm fine, really!" Jack insisted stubbornly and attempted to climb out of the bed.
„I don't think this is a good idea." Tooth voiced her concern as the teenager was already sitting on the edge and about to stand up.
„See? All fin-„ he reassured them hastily but the moment his feet had touched the ground he felt his legs giving in as if they were made of rubber, unable to carry his weight.
He collapsed forwards and would have hit the floor if he hadn't been caught by two furry arms. Even though he didn't face him he could sense the reproachful look in Bunny's eyes.
„Yeah, totally fine."
Jack merely groaned in disapproval but allowed the anthropomprohic rabbit to guide him back to his bed.
„You have been lying down for weeks, your muscles must get used to working again. And I assume you are still drained from fixing staff." North explained matter-of-factly.
„Speaking of which, where is it?" the winter spirit wanted to know.
„Right behind ya." Bunny pointed at the wooden shepherd's crook which was leaning against the wall between the two windows behind Jack's bed.
„I know what to do. Just hand it over to me and I'll be as good as new."
The guardians exchanged uncertain looks with each other. On the one hand they trusted the youth, after all he had somehow managed to get out of the coma on his own. But on the other hand they were all worried he was going to overstrain himself right away. Concerning he had more or less escaped death it appeared dangerous to them to jump back to his duty of spreading winter that quickly. And yet it was clear to all of them that they couldn't keep him locked in forever, even though they prefered him to be somewhere safe. They worry about his well-being was still deeply anchored in their minds. Once more North was the one to speak up first.
„Let's make compromise. You stay here for 24 hours, get some rest and when you feel alright tomorrow you can do whatever you want. Agreed?"
Everyone eyed their youngest comrade expectantly, hoping dearly he would accept it. Jack let out an audible sigh. As much as he longed to feel the wind's embrace and fly around the globe again he was also well aware of his friends' honest concern. He could only imagine the worry they had been going through during the last weeks.
„Well, I guess one more day won't hurt." he admitted with a crooked smile to ease the mood.
„Great! Then you have plenty time to tell us what happened during your coma. I have feeling that Manny was involved." the Russian Santa exclaimed curiously.
„Only if you tell me how you glued my staff back together." Jack winked.
„Haha, deal!"
Over the next few hours the guardians heard the entire story about Man in Moon finally contacting the Guardian of Fun, answering his questions and even teaching him how to use his powers to his full potential. Everyone listened intently as Jack explained how he was able to fix his staff while being stuck in coma and what he still had to do as soon as they decided he had relaxed enough.
„Crikey, that was...intense." was all Bunny could say when the winter spirit had finished his story.
„The moon has never talked to any of us for such a long time. You really seem to be very special to him." Tooth commented with a loving smile.
It didn't surprise her that the deity had taken Jack under his wing, after all he was the youngest spirit of all and could seriously need some guidance. What she didn't understand however, just like the rest of the guardians, was that he had waited for over 300 years until his protégé had almost been killed to help him and give him a crash course of his powers. Whatever the reason, it was far from being grasped by logical thinking.
„Glad that Manny was there to help!" North spoke cheerfully.
Sandy nodded and mentally thanked his old friend, because who knew how this would have ended if he hadn't assisted the boy. He didn't dare to ponder over what could have happened. But fortunately everything had turned out fine and he already sensed that the winter spirit had come out of this horrible event even stronger than before.
Afterwards Jack was told how North and Bunny superficially fixed his staff and that it should be a lot harder, if not impossible, to break it now. The white haired teen was immensely grateful since it would have been a much more difficult undertaking to merge his shepherd's crook had it still been torn into pieces. Man in Moon was right. He should have known he could always rely on his friends to be there for him.
„Alright, enough for today!" Father Christmas bellowed all of a sudden, catching everyone off-guard.
„Jack needs rest to gather strength. Let us give him some privacy and meet here again tomorrow."
„Is it...okay if we leave you alone?" the Tooth Fairy inquired hesitantly, not being fully convinced that she liked this idea.
„Yeah, sure. I won't run away, I promise." Jack reassured her with a smile.
„I'd rather make sure of that, mate." Bunnymund chuckled and grabbed the chair next to the bed.
„Gonna stay with ya."
„Oh, Bunny, take a break. You've been by Jack's side nonstop since we brought him here." North revealed.
The frost teen stared at his furry friend dumbfoundedly as his mind processed the information. He had been with him for over two weeks? It was no secret that the Easter spirit's priority was his profession of painting eggs and keeping the hope of children up. And now he had wasted precious time to sit in the infirmary and wait for him to wake up? As if the prankster he used to hate and had grown to tolerate and eventually even liked was more important than his job. Jack had never openly admitted it, but he had started to see Bunny as an older brother, someone he loved to tease and yet looked up to. Of course he knew that the Aussie cared about him but this obvious proof how much indeed meant more to him than he could ever describe.
„That's up ta me ta decide." the 6'1 rabbit spoke in a calm yet firm tone.
„It's really alright when you go back to the Warren. You've done so much for me and I bet you have a lot of work to catch up on. You guys will see me again tomorrow anyway." Jack tried to convince his friend, who still refused to leave.
„I haven't done nearly enough as I should, so ya gotta deal with me until I'm sure ye're right as rain again."
While the youngest guardian strongly disagreed he was also well aware of Bunnymund's resoluteness and knew that any further arguments were pointless. If it calmed the pooka down to stay in the infirmary where he could keep an eye on him then so be it.
„Okay." Jack shrugged, causing Bunny to be visibly surprised by the lack of backtalk.
„It would be too boring here alone anyway."
„Yeah, and I know what happens when ye're bored." the Australian smirked.
„Excuse me for having to leave, but Christmas is in few days and I need to check the final stages. See you all tomorrow. And Bunny, you take care of Jack!" North exclaimed as he made his way towards the door.
„Will do, mate."
„Hey, I'm not a toddler, you know?" the teen grumbled with slight annoyance, although he couldn't suppress a smile about his friends' overprotectiveness.
„Of course you are not." the Russian laughed joyfully and winked at him warm-heartedly before he exited the room.
After Tooth and Sandy bid goodbyes as well, the female a little more reluctant than her comrade, she had to come back a few seconds later because Baby Tooth hadn't come with her and hoped her mother wouldn't notice. But she did, so the smaller hummingbird-hybrid had to tear herself away from her beloved winter spirit with a disappointed groan. Jack gently patted her tiny head before both fairies fluttered out through the open window and quickly vanished in the white wasteland.
When everyone had departed there was an awkward silence, but only until Jack used the opportunity to break the ice and resume teasing his best friend.
„So...you watched me sleep for two weeks? That's kinda creepy." he grinned at Australian, who glared at him in protest.
„Oh, shut up, Frostbite!"
On the next day, like they had promised, the guardians gathered in the infirmary for what they hoped was the last time. Thanks to Bunny Jack had quickly 'learned' to carry his own weight and walk again and was now standing in the middle of the group. Staff firmly held with both hands, the teen inhaled deeply and was about to show what he was capable of when he felt a slight discomfort caused by four pairs of eyes being focused on him. They were also a little too close for his liking, cornering him like some sort of animal.
„Uhm, guys, sorry, but I need some space." he explained sheepishly, stepped out of the circle and placed himself in front of the open windows, his gaze directed at the snowy landscape outside and his back turned at them.
He hoped they wouldn't consider this as rude, it was simply easier for him to concentrate on the task at hand when he had some personal space. A cool breeze blew around him as if the wind welcomed his master back by gently ruffling his hair.
Once again he took a deep breath, clenched the ancient shepherd's crook and closed his eyes. Under his fingers he could feel the rough bark pressing against his skin, every fibre containing the saved magical energy of the past three centuries. Only now he realized how much of his powers had bottled-up inside of it. The sheer amount was almost overwhelming.
„Alright, now or never." Jack thought and made use of what Man in Moon had taught him.
Electric blue light started flickering among the ordinary brown of the wooden surface. At first all of it was illuminated but gradually the sparkling magic wandered towards the winter spirit's hands where it traveled all the way up to his arms, head, chest and then down until his entire body was glowing in a mesmerizing ice blue.
To the guardians, who had taken a few steps to the side so they could get a better view of the spectacle, it looked like the boy was actually absorbing the released power. The sight was unusual, to say the least. He didn't seem to be in any sort of pain, what they had feared he would be again since they had no idea about the procedure. On the contrary, he appeared to be extraordinarly calm and focused. But it made sense, because now he actually got magic back instead of having to expend it.
With every passing second Jack felt stronger and stronger. It was incredible how much energy had accumulated in that fragile piece of wood. Now it didn't surprise him anymore that a dangerous bond between him and his artifact had developed. The staff itself held nearly as much power as himself. That was also the reason it took quite a while until every bit of it had been removed and returned back to its master where it belonged.
Eventually the shining light around Jack slowly faded and he took a moment to snap out of his trance. When he slowly opened his eyes again he was faced with his friends standing next to him and gazing at him as if he had just grown an extra head.
„Is...everything alright?" Tooth asked a little uneasily.
Smiling brightly the Guardian of Fun clearly showed them that there wasn't anything to worry about.
„Actually I've never felt better."
It was true, he could suddenly sense an unknown amount of power inside of him that seemed to tell him that he was capable of doing anything. He had no clue what 'anything' meant, but he knew for sure what he was going to do first of all.
„Is it okay when I leave now? There hasn't been any snow for over two weeks so I really gotta resume my winter duties." he asked out of politeness and in regard to their concern about his well-being, even though none of them would be able to stop him.
Instead of further arguing with him, North stepped forward and put a heavy hand on his shoulder.
„Of course, Jack. Have fun!" he laughed, happy about they boy being back to his old self.
„Great! See ya later, guys!" the frost teen grinned brightly and waved at them before jumping out of the window with his staff in hand.
The last thing they heard was a deliriously happy whoop of joy echoing through the mountains of snow outside. Finally the Spirit of Winter was back in his element.
A/N : My confession...yet another chapter will follow, an epilogue. I still gotta explain a few things, but this chapter was already huge and I didn't want to leave you waiting any longer. ^^"
