Author's Note: This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter. Sorry more interesting things aren't happening, but I gave you a look at most of the Spirits again. Next chapter is going to include some of the Burgess kids again since with all this crazy weather going on Jamie's just gotta start looking into things. Also, I got the plot rolling a little teeny bit as the dark spirit continues his plotting. And speaking of plot, I finally reminded myself on what I wanted to do with the plot in the first place, other than breaking the Weather Channel. (I love the reviewer who originally wrote that, btw. Cracked me up!) It's so been done before, but I am SO tempted to do it. It involves things like, "What if THIS happened instead of THIS. How would the story change?" and things.

If you have any input for further evillness that the dark spirit can kept up to, I'm open to suggestions. I also have a name for him, I just haven't had the opportunity for him to introduce himself or someone to call him by name. It'll happen eventually.

On to reviews!

I missed DOCTORSINTHETARDIS the chapter before last and he or she reviewed again, so thanks for your review. :)

Anonymous: I was referring to you, as you are currently the only guest under Anonymous. I might delve into the crossover/potential oneshot this weekend as I've been thinking about it a lot and I really want to do it. I just need to figure out what year I want them to wander into and how they could help, or maybe it'll be fluffy.. I dunno!

CrossoverJunkie, thanks for your ideas. I somewhat forgot about Mother Nature, since I was so out of touch with plot for what felt like forever. I'm trying to have everything match up, so I have been trying to remember when things happened and going back to previous chapters to look and reference things. For instance, Marin. I couldn't remember if I mentioned her eye color or anything about her so I had to look her up for the last chapter. Anyway, that was a good idea about Pitch too, since I don't think anyone really thinks about all the good things he's done and the fighting he's seen, so of course it would effect him. And I do think a Tea Time with Mother Nature is coming up soon. :P

I also want to thank the follows and faves I've gotten! Now on with the story!

Chapter Fourty-Nine: Stuck

Jack was still holding his sprites, as if in preparation on going somewhere.

"So.. there really isn't anything you can do?" Jack asked a little desperately. He did
not want to have to face a worried Pitch again.

Jasper sighed in exasperation.

"I can teleport myself to the North Pole just fine," he said as Jack's eyes lit up.

"That's great!" Jack exclaimed. "So you can take us all there!"

"But," Jasper continued pointedly, "I don't know where North's home is. We could wind up anywhere, and even if it would be in the cold, your sprites aren't up for a long journey. It might do more harm than good. I could try to go by myself to get word that everything is fine, but then I would be stuck wandering around in the cold."

Jack's face fell at that.

"So we're stuck here for now," Jack said as he looked down at his sprites.
They had looked so happy at the prospect of going to North's so soon, but now they looked a little sad again. At least they weren't transparent anymore though.

"Looks like it," Jasper said, sounding disappointed as well. "You'll have to stay in this room, since it's full of your winter magic now. I don't think I need to tell you that it would be disastrous if you made it snow anywhere else."

Jack looked a little hurt at the insinuation that he'd wreck Jasper's forest, but before he could say anything about it, Jasper had hurried out of the room.

"Looks like its just us for now," Jack said to his sprites. He carried them back over to the table and gently set them down on it.

Neve looked up at Jack and suddenly it registered where Jack wanted them to go.

Why do you want us go to the North Pole? Why not go to the Ice Castle? he asked Jack curiously.

Jack, for his part, looked completely confused.

"Ice Castle?" he asked, his tone indicating he had no clue what Neve was talking about.

It was Mistral's Ice Castle before yours. All the Winter Seasonals have used the Ice Castle at some time, Neva said to Jack.

Jack gave them both a startled look at that.

"But I don't have a castle! And I've never seen an ice castle anywhere!"

The two sprites exchanged a surprised look at that.

Didn't.. the other Seasonals tell you? Neva asked hesitantly. Or Mother Nature?

Jack gave a rather Pitch-like scowl at that.

"They don't tell me anything," Jack said. "Jasper only let me come here because he found you guys. Otherwise we'd probably be on our own right now trying to figure out how to get you somewhere cold."

Neva looked deeply disappointed at that. She was sitting on the table and brought her knees up to her chest, while Neve wrapped a protective arm around her, looking a little worried as if she might start fading again.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, noticing that they were looking rather gloomy again.

Neve was the one who spoke up, his voice soft, yet clear.

Before Mistral came along, the Seasonals all used to be good friends, Neve explained. They were more than Spirits doing their job, they were like family. But ever since Mistral, they had grown distrustful of the Winter Spirit and grew to despise the season.

"Yeah," Jack said gloomily. "Jasper and August seem friendly to each other, but I know they don't like me and Lillian much. I doubt the Seasonals will ever be close like that. And Lillian and I aren't really on speaking terms with Mother Nature at the moment."

Neve shook his head at the information, but then remembered the topic at hand.

Anyway, he continued, all the Seasonals have a magical place they call their own. Jasper has his forest, while August has somewhere near Greece, I think.

I think it's a small island, Neva piped up. The Spring Sprites kept talking about their home to us, when we were captured. There's a secret entrance in a hillside somewhere and it leads to a magical place filled with Spring. I guess it has a lot of spring flowers. They miss it very dearly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jack said, his eyes going wide. "I.. I have a home?! And there's SPRING sprites too?!"

..All the Seasonals have their own Sprites. Neve said, rather deadpan. Someone should have informed you and the Spring Spirit of them. And of your homes. Where have you been living all this time? Neve asked in disbelief. The North Pole?

"Ah.." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "That's sort of a long story.."

Since we need to recuperate, we have the time. Neve said seriously.

"Well, it all started this one spring day in '68.." Jack said, going back to the beginning of the story, to tell his Sprites. They deserved to know the whole truth about everything.


The dark spirit paced back and forth as he considered how to lure that pesky Spring Child out of her safe little cocoon. The only problem was that she was probably tucked away somewhere where it would be difficult for news to reach her. He studied the mirror, but it only ever showed her in a bed!

He grew very irritated, since from that picture alone, he couldn't figure out where she was. Every once in awhile that blasted Easter Bunny would show up to check in on her, but he hadn't seen much at all.

If he wanted some tidbit of news.. just something that would draw her attention to the outside, it would have to be big. Really big.

While he loved being able to mess with the climate like he had been, he wanted more. So much more.

As he paced back and forth, his boot heels clicked on the floor of his lair. He was actually not particularly tall for a spirit, but what he lacked in height he more than made up in strength. His style of dress tended to mirror Pitch's somewhat, as he wore all black and seemed to be stuck in an age where cloaks were all the rage and men wore boots and big belt buckles.

He swept his dark hair away from his face. If it wasn't for the immense anger and insanity lurking in the dark depths of his eyes, he might be considered rather handsome. He paused in his pacing to look at the mirror again and then threw the Spring Sprites a look as if it were all their fault that he couldn't get at their Seasonal.

He muttered to himself as he resumed his pacing. Then he paused to stare back at the remaining Spring Sprites and Spirits.

An evil grin began to form as an idea came to him and he walked over to the cages where the Spring Spirits and Sprites were held.

"My dear Sprites," he said in a voice dripping with sweetness that hid the venom underneath, "I believe I do have a use for you after all."

The poor Sprites cowered at the back of their cages as they stared up at the dark spirit in terror. Good things did not happen when he sent his captured Sprites out. And with the weather so crazy and unpredictable, it would be very dangerous for the Spring Sprites especially, since they needed the delicateness of Spring to thrive, and while it was still technically their season, the temperatures did not indicate that at all.

The Summer and Fall Sprites had been sent out hand in hand to mess with the temperatures, and so if it wasn't too hot somewhere, then it was far too cold.

No, they cried. No..


Lillian stared down at her notebook, which was filled with ideas for her book but not a lot of information. She had already given up on leaving out her own information at the moment and had pretty much worked out how the Spring chapter was going to look. She wanted to work on Winter, but she was kind of hoping to have more information about August and Jasper that might tie into Jack's chapter, so she had been putting his off for the moment.

With a sigh, she tossed her notebook and lap desk aside and fell back against her pillows with a flump. She didn't know why, but ever since Pitch had put her back to bed and Jack had run off to go save his Sprites, she kept getting this weird feeling like she was being watched.

She also felt.. wrong.

It wasn't her cold or sneezing, she was used to that, unfortunately. But deep down, where that ball of Spring magic was, she felt that something was off.

She squirmed around on the bed as she tried to ignore it, but it was like having an itch you couldn't scratch and she didn't know how to take her mind off of it.

She had tried explaining to Bunny about it, the last time he checked on her, but Bunny had brushed aside her concerns with a distracted air and told her to make sure she was resting properly and everything would be fine.

And what was really driving her crazy, was that no matter who visited her, they all kept telling her to not worry about Jack and that he'd be back soon, but that had been forever ago, and now she was getting really worried about him too.

She stared up at the ceiling and then glanced over at her right wrist, which was still missing her bracelet. She discovered she could still use her powers without it, but it was so hard. She couldn't even summon her Giant Flower of Doom to travel.

I wish I knew if Jack was alright, Lillian thought to herself. And I wish someone would listen to me.. Jack always listened to me. He'd believe me that something was wrong.


Sandy was out and about on the other side of the world busy delivering dreams when Lillian's wish hit him. He frowned as he wondered where in the world Jack was. The last thing he knew was that everyone was at the North Pole.

His worry only grew when the Northern Lights lit up the sky. Sending off the last of his dreams, he formed his sand plane and took off for the Pole.


"Jack Frost is missing," North said to all the Guardians as they had gathered. "August Bay came to Pole to tell him that his missing Winter Sprites are in trouble, and he left for Jasper's forest and has not returned. It has been long time, he should have come back by now."

The Guardians, as one, all looked over at Pitch Black, who was over by the globe practically wearing a hole in the floor.

Golden sand formed above Sandy's head as a picture of North throwing a snow globe formed.

"Sandy's right," Tooth spoke up. "We could use a snow globe to check it out."

"Ah," North said uneasily. "But we do not interfere in Seasonal affairs. We Guardians have never been to a Seasonal home (beside Jack Frost's lake). Is up to Mother Nature to look after such things."

"..But.." Tooth said hesitantly.

Pitch grumbled darkly at the mention of Mother Nature. It would certainly be a long time before he got over that fiasco.

A golden image of Pitch formed over Sandy's head and he gestured at Pitch emphatically, indicating his view on the subject of Mother Nature.

"Maybe you could talk to her," Tooth said suddenly to Sandy, brightening.

Sandy looked thoughtful at this. He really thought that Pitch should be the one to go, so that he could sort things out, but..

He glanced over at Pitch, who seemed to be pretending he couldn't hear their little Guardian meeting nor that he was a part of it whatsoever.

Then Sandy nodded to himself. He gave the Guardians all a thumbs up and walked over to Pitch.

Golden images formed over his head as he proposed his idea to Pitch.

Pitch didn't look at all amused at Sandy's idea.

"Surely you can't be serious," he snapped.


Author's Note: Ok, I admit it. I have a dilemma. Should Jasper come up with something, or should Mother Nature peek in and see what's going on with Jack? I'm not sure she'd even want to at this point, since I'm sure she thinks Jack wouldn't want anything do with her. If you guys have thoughts on this, I'd like to know!

As for this chapter, I know it's not terribly action packed but it does get the ball rolling a little. I promise the next one will be more interesting and longer. I'll be working on it this weekend and probably throughout the week. I won't say what day I hope to post it, since that never works out for me. After the next Child of Spring chapter, I might come out with a Jamie chapter for the UFO/Ghost Hunting fic. Or I migth sneak one in before Child of Spring. Depends on what I'm up to. :P