Author's Note: I had worked out how I wanted to start the chapter in advance, but when it came to writing it, I just felt blaaah and not up to thinking about plot much. So I was going to do an Interlude involving Jasper, but then it kinda roundabout went into a chapter anyway, since Pitch turned up. Anyway, I realized that Jasper hasn't been getting too much in the way of background info, so I decided to show his return home and where he lived. I think if he got to know Jack better, that he and Jack would actually be good friends. Since Jasper loves painting, I could see him and Bunny getting along well too, at some point.

Now, for reviews!

Crossover Junkie thought it would be cool if Jasper could help out a little, which led me to decide to include him in the story more, which led me to wanting to do an Interlude with him, which ultimately led to the very beginning of this chapter! SO. Thanks for the idea! I have to admit, at first I was going to have Jasper be just another spirit who hated Jack Frost with a passion and also didn't like Lillian either, but he's grown on me. August.. not so much, but he's actually designed to be pretty unlikeable and self-centered, so.. yeah. But we'll probably see more of Mr. Sun God later, since he's a Seasonal too, and I want them more involved.

I think I'm killing poor Brenne there with all this suspense, but I can't help it! Mother Nature will turn up in the next chapter, as we discover what's going on with Jack and Lillian. I'm afraid that Jasper stole the show in this one. :P

Crossover Junkie also suggested some comedy relief with Bunny, and the Guardians will be showing back up. It's just that right now they're so oblivious to what's going on and Pitch isn't helping matters by running off by himself.

The Skeleton Girl is wondering if Leif's disappearance will have a major effect on plot and I'm guessing.. yes. Yes it will. And it will be glorious!

Spiritfire was wondering if Pitch should ask Jasper and August for help.. Well, you know. Pitch isn't one to ask for help so much, so.. You'll see what happens in this chapter!

I also want to say I'm sorry if you were looking forward to Mother Nature in this chapter, but I promise you guys will find out soon what's going on with that. Really.

Chapter Fourty-One: Jasper's Plight

Jasper hadn't given much thought to Lillian and Jack's meeting with Mother Nature. He had returned to his own home, in a swirl of Fall leaves. His place was doused in a lot of Fall magic, to keep the temperature and season the same, surrounding his home.

He lived in the middle of a small forest that was far from any civilization. His home was actually a nice tree house, built from the wood of fallen trees. It was the sort of house that elves would be proud to live in, since it had more than one building, and they were connected through walkways. Jasper had long since perfected his method of traveling, so it was with little fanfare that he appeared in a swirl of leaves on a walkway in his house.

The Fall wind ruffed his hair affectionately, and he grinned at it. He couldn't use his connection with this wind to fly like Jack Frost could, but like Jack, he had the ability to understand what it was saying to him. All Seasonals had the ability, but few could actually master it. It was Jasper's patient and kind nature that helped him, so very long ago.

"Have you seen any trouble? Mother thinks that something is causing trouble for us Seasonals." he said to the wind.

A passing sprite chittered in alarm. She was actually pretty cute and looked like a fairy of sorts, since she had wings on her back. They were more like butterfly wings, but they looked like leaves. Her outfit contained a lot of brown and reddish orange, and she blended in almost perfectly with the colorful leaves on the tree that Japser's home was in.

Jasper noticed the poor sprite, whose eyes had gone wide and she stared at him as if something was going to eat her up. He chuckled and lifted his palm under her. She was fairy-sized, and could fit perfectly in the palm of his hand.

"Don't worry, we'll be alright. There's still a number of you left and I need you to help me spread Fall when it's our turn. You'll be safe as long as you stay in our forest, alright?" Jasper told her.

The sprite nodded, apparently calming at Jasper's words. She said something unintelligible, but it seemed that Jasper could understand her.

"There's a new Spring Spirit," Jasper said to the sprite after a pause. "Mother doesn't know what happened to Leif," he continued with a sad sigh. "August isn't a bad friend, you know, he just.. likes to talk about himself a lot. I miss Leif.. he was the only one who understood why I liked painting leaves so much. He spent just as much time crafting and cultivating his spring flowers. It was more than just spreading flowers to him.. It was spreading the joy of the season. Spring gave people hope."

The sprite nodded solemnly at Jasper's words. Jasper's sprites tended to mirror his thoughts on things, as they were easily influenced by their leader, and they were all very fond of Leif.

Jasper carried the sprite off to his art room, where he practiced his painting. He set her down on his shoulder, so she could see what he was painting. He never knew why, but this particular sprite loved watching him paint. He often indulged her by letting her sit on his shoulder.

The sprites and minor Fall spirits were always good listeners, but it wasn't quite the same as having a friend outside of your seasonal helpers. Everyone always assumed the Seasonals were either friends or indifferent to one another. For instance, no one liked Jack Frost so it was assumed the other Seasonals all hated him too. Spring brought an end to Winter, so it was assumed that the Spring Spirit and Winter Spirit would never get along.

It was assumed that since Summer and Spring were somewhat similar, that those Seasonals would be best friends.

Jasper brushed his brown hair out of his eyes as he stood in front of an easel. It had a blank canvas on it, and he had several paints nearby, all of them natural or fall colors.

"It isn't fair, you know," he said softly to the sprite. "The other spirits always assume they know us Seasonals, or think we're too good to associate with them."

Even though Jasper was a workaholic and seemed like a loner, the truth of the matter was that he had a problem similar to Jack Frost: most of the other spirits ignored him. Leif had been his one true friend, and now with Leif lost, Jasper felt rather lonely.

He had tried to throw himself into his work more than usual, but it was made difficult by Lillian running around, causing him problems. Jasper thought of the little Spring Spirit as he finally picked up his paints and began to paint. Like so many of his paintings, this one featured his forest.

As his thoughts were drifting to his fellow Seasonals, he decided to change up his usual painting. As he painted, he wondered if Mother was being hard on her. Mother Nature wasn't always predictable, and while she loved her Seasonals she could also be demanding and hard on them. While it was Lillian's first Seasonal Meeting, she wasn't exactly brand new as a spirit, since she was over fourty years old.

A frown marred his face as he thought about the strange weather in Burgess again. If August wasn't the cause, then why was it so hot there? The Spring Spirit herself admitted that she wasn't the cause, and as she was irritated by the temperature, he knew that she had probably tried to use her powers to lower it.

Mother had told them to be cautious, as whatever was stealing away the sprites and spirits was obviously dangerous to them, if Leif's disappearance was any indication. His thoughts whirling, Jasper finally looked at what he was painting.

He had been intending to do a painting that featured all the Seasonals and their seasons, but with his thoughts in a whirl, he hadn't been paying attention to what his paint brush was doing.

With a pang, he realized he had painted Leif looking over his forest. Jasper looked down, his mop of brown hair covering his eyes. He didn't realize it, but he looked more like Jack than anything, since Jack had the tendency to do the same thing when he was upset.

The sprite on Jasper's shoulder patted his head in a comforting manner.

"I can't sit here and hide while the Seasons are a mess and everything is so wrong," Jasper said softly to his sprite. "Do you think Mother would be angry if I had a look around?"

The sprite nodded vigorously, since if Jasper disappeared too, she knew that Mother Nature would be upset.

Not able to see the sprite, Jasper heard her silence. He assumed that she was probably afraid to go along, so he gently picked her up and placed her down on a small table near the easel, where he kept his paints.

"Stay here and don't let the others play in here, alright? I have to at least try to figure out what's going on." He gave her a half-hearted smile. "It's what Leif would've done."

Before the sprite could say anything, Jasper disappeared in a whirl of leaves. The Fall wind blew in gently from the open window, whispering worriedly to the sprite.

The sprite cocked her head cutely at it, but it was obvious that she couldn't understand what it was saying. With a shrug, the sprite stood up and straightened her back. She had a mission: Protect Jasper's paints at all costs.

With a determined look on her face, she marched back and forth on the table, keeping an eye out for her fellow sprites, who loved to cause mischief.


Jasper appeared in Burgess, looking a little tired. His magical forest was a long ways away from Burgess. He looked around to see that he was in another forest, near a pretty lake.

He smiled at the scene and looked around, determined to paint this later on. His smile slipped however, when he could feel how hot and humid the air was. The wind ruffled his hair, but Jasper couldn't understand what this one was saying. This was either the Spring or Summer wind.

He scanned the lake again, and frowned. He could also swear even though it was so humid out, that he could feel a little Winter magic in the air. He walked over to the water and knelt down by it, dipping his fingers below the surface.

He pulled his hand out with a gasp. The water should've been heated by the all the heat, but it was still pretty cold. Had Frost been here? He looked around, but couldn't see the Winter spirit anywhere. He should've been done with the meeting with Mother Nature. Or perhaps he had been here just before the meeting?

He frowned at the lake as he stood. This place was practically a sauna. In fact, Jasper was feeling rather warm as he stood there and he knew that even he couldn't hang around Burgess for too long, or else he'd succumb to the heat.

He was about to turn and head towards the town, when he heard a roar of what sounded like frustration. He looked apprehensively over at it. Was that what was causing the disappearances?

Jasper realized suddenly how unprepared he was, and how defenseless he also was. Even though he was an old spirit who looked to be in his mid-twenties, it didn't mean he knew how to fight. Sure, he was friends with his Wind and could control the Fall temperatures, but that didn't really translate into any fighting skills.

He tucked his hands into the pocket of his brown hoodie and looked in the direction that the roar had come from. With a soft sigh, he started to walk towards it. He didn't come all this way for nothing.


Pitch stared at the Nightmare. He clearly remembered locking them all up with the Dream Pirates and now here one was in his home.

With a growl, he formed his black scythe and sliced through the Nightmare viciously. He didn't have time for this!

More Nightmares appeared, attracted by Pitch's overwhelming fear that Lillian and Jack were actually lost or in danger. A small part of him knew that they were probably with his Emily Jane, but he didn't know where her palace was. Not a lot was known about Mother Nature's whereabouts, as that information was kept pretty secret amongst the Seasonals.

Pitch slashed methodically through the Nightmares, causing them to burst into black sand, which scattered to the floor.

As yet another Nightmare showed up, Pitch's patience snapped.

"ENOUGH!" he roared in frustration.

He raced toward the Nightmares and viciously tore through them with his black scythe. He ran to Lillian's room first, finding it empty. Next he went to Jack's room, only to find that empty too.

He should've known that they wouldn't be there. He looked at the remains of more Nightmares near Lillian's room and realized that he hadn't been the one to dispose of these ones.

His eyes flashed as he realized that someone had been in his home. Darting toward the nearest shadow, he appeared outside the entrance to his lair.

The snap of a twig nearby alerted Pitch to another presence and he reacted purely on instinct as he swung his scythe around. When he spotted a mop of hair and a boy in a hoodie, he suddenly halted the attack.

"J-Jack?" Pitch gasped in shock, then paused. His eyes darkened as he realized this wasn't his Jack, but someone who looked similar, with brown hair.

Jasper's eyes had gone impossibly wide as the scythe was mere millimeters from decapitating him.

"N-no..!" he squeaked, his voice several octaves higher than it normally was. "I'm.. I'm J-Japser..!"

Pitch withdrew his scythe a few inches and studied the spirit. Pitch could sense the power the boy had, and realized that while this Jasper looked like his Jack, Jasper was obviously a young man, whereas Jack was still a child.

Pitch narrowed his golden eyes.

"What are you doing here? You're that blasted Fall Spirit, aren't you?"

Jasper nodded, then stopped mid-nod as he almost took his own head off.

"M-Mother Nature said that there was an imbalance of the Seasons and the Sp-Spring Spirit was complaining about the warm temperatures here, so I came to investigate," he explained to Pitch.

Pitch's eyes widened a bit and then he glared at Jasper.

"Where is she?!" he demanded, not caring that he wasn't making any sense and not caring that he was threatening one of Jack and Lillian's fellow Seasonal Spirits.

"Please don't kill me!" Jasper cried out suddenly, unable to take the deadly look in Pitch's eyes and the threats with the scythe. "I haven't done anything!"

"Where. Is. The. Child. Of. Spring." Pitch snarled, his voice dangerous. This Pitch made the old Pitch Black look like child's play. This Pitch was out to destroy anyone who stood in his way of getting to Jack and Lillian. This Pitch was about a thread away from completely snapping, and anyone caught in his breakdown would certainly pay.

Confusion entered Jasper's eyes, replacing some of the sheer terror. Why would Pitch Black care about the new Spring Spirit?


Author's Note: Ok, is it bad if I want this Pitch vs. angry Mother Nature? I feel bad for poor Jasper. He's not a fighter at all, and now he's suddenly in Pitch's warpath. I was going to have Pitch seek out some sprites and threaten them to get to either August or Jasper, but Jasper had to take matters into his own hands. I'm also guessing that news of Pitch's recovery hasn't really gotten out yet, so most of the spirit population probably thinks that Pitch is still very evil.

The next chapter will definitely feature what happened to Jack and Lillian, Mother Nature and more irate Pitch. Don't worry though, Pitch wouldn't actually kill Jasper. And instead of asking for help, Pitch is going to threaten Jasper's life if he doesn't help Pitch out. I figure Pitch was more likely to do that than actually ask for help. In fact, I'm thinking the Guardians are going to have to start figuring things out for themselves if they don't want to be left behind in this little plot. So expect a snippet with them too!

If you guys have any more ideas or things you want to see in the story, feel free to let me know. Oh, and to the Guest who requested their Spring Sprite OC to be in the story: I'm gearing up towards that! You actually inspired all the sprites that have been turning up lately. Right now I'm thinking the sprites are just a bit on the nameless side and rather anonymous, but each with their own personality. (Maybe something kinda like the mini Tooth fairies?) But since the Spring Sprites/Spirits are currently MIA, we'll still have awhile before they turn up.

OH and I have to tell you, I'm SUPER EXCITED since I used a Nook Gift Cert to buy the first two Guardians books! All the books and the kids' storybooks are actually available on my Nook, so I'm gonna get them. I'm not sure how this will effect the story, but I'm thinking more tidbits (and characters, perhaps?) will start to turn up in the fic as I read the books. I can't wait!

Edit: Fixed a typo. I know I have more in the story, and I'll eventually go back and edit them out, but.. but.. 40 chapters. I should've tackled this about 35 chapters agoo.. Ugh.