By the afternoon, Jack still hadn't shown up. It was starting to worry Skyla but she knew he was okay. The bracelet or the Guardians would have let her know otherwise. Even if some of them still didn't trust her completely, they knew she was there to help. That she was meant to help. MiM had known it before any of them had a clue. That part still set Sky on edge.
'Does he know everything? Or was it just a guess? Couldn't he tell them who did this to Jack and help fix him?!' Skyla sat down heavily at the kitchen table, 'I really hope I can help. I know they think I already am, but I don't feel like I've done anything. How can falling in love save someone?' She sighed.
"Good afternoon, miss Skyla" Lauren sat down beside her, "How did things go yesterday? You kicked me out before I could watch. Also I'm really curious about what's happened the past few days. WIth Jack? Or anything?"
'Oh, right. There's that. Lauren hasn't been caught up on anything.' Looking over at the red-head, Skyla decided to keep it simple. Counting on her fingers, she recounted, "Nephilim closed, Brandon left me, met the Guardians, Jack and I are together... I think?"
"I knew it! You chose him!" she yelled excitedly.
"...Lau, were you listening? Even if I would have chosen Jack, and I probably would have, Brandon left me. He walked out the door and told me he'd be there when I realize Jack and I can't be together. He also said... I'm not his Angel anymore..." Her head dropped against the table.
"Oh... Well... You don't want to be, right? Because it's better to be with Jack, isn't it? You don't need Demon. Especially if he's going to be such a jerk."
Skyla stood up, "You're caught up now, right? I'm out a job, dumped, dating an icicle, and trying to keep everything under control. Jack was supposed to be here this morning and without that distraction I have no idea what to do!" she stressed, and pressed her palm against her forehead, "Ah, hell. Now I have a headache. I'm going to go upstairs to wait for him. If you cook anything, bring me some."
"I will, Sky." Lauren told her softly before Skyla left the room.
Back upstairs, Sky put her earbuds in and put her feet against the pillows. Resting her head back, she closed her eyes. 'If a witch did hurt Jack, I'm not going to go easy on the water. I'll grab a fire hose or something.' the thought made her smile, thinking of how they dealt with the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz.
'What could I do to pass the time? Internet doesn't interest me right now, and I have no books to finish. I'll start the job search tomorrow. I haven't sang anything since... Anyway, I just don't feel like it. There's no point anymore.'
Her bedroom door opened, and she turned off her music, pulling out the earbuds. Lauren took one step in, still holding onto the door. "Hey, Sky? I forgot to tell you something."
"Is it important? I'm busy being emotional."
"Yeah, I'd say it's important. Really important. I don't know how to tell you..." her brown eyes searched the room, not looking straight at Sky. "I guess the easiest way is to just say it. Thing is? You have to find somewhere else to live. And- I know this is just a bunch more stress you have to deal with... But my parents want me to move with them into Europe."
"Europe? I thought they left you the house to let you stay?" Sky propped herself up on her elbows. "What about the house?"
"They're going to sell it. And, sorry, but I don't think you could afford it. I'll help you look for a place to stay! And a new job! And a sexy outfit to wear when Jack visits! What do you think about lace?"
"Lauren. One issue at a time. Lace is really not my thing, anyway. Sexy doesn't suit me, anyway."
"Sexy suits everyone." Lauren stated, pulling the door back and forth, "Or you can come to Europe with me? Be warned; my parents won't like you. Ever. You could save my mothers entire jewelry collection and they would still not like you. You should probably just live with Jack in Burgess."
"I'll think about it. Thanks for the heads up... I think?" The news wasn't as upsetting as it should have been. Skyla had been expecting it. Preparing for it ever since she was first asked to move in. "I guess you'll be leaving sometime soon?"
"Yeah. Well, sort of. Depends on what you do," Lauren smiled. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to your emotional trauma. Might order a pizza later, if you're in?"
Skyla nodded, "I'm in." Lauren walked back out and closed the door.
'One more thing to add to the pile.' she put her music back on and decided finding a place to live was low priority. 'If I need to, I'll call Daniel and ask to stay with him for a while. When Lauren knows she's leaving, she likes to leave as soon as possible. Long goodbyes are not her thing. Best to let her go.'
'Maybe I can live at the North Pole? Going to Burgess is an interesting idea... But... What about Brandon?' she breathed out a sigh.
'What about him?' she chided herself, 'He's done with me. Leaving would be a good thing. I think? Dammit. I need to sort out priorities. First is Jack Frost. Where is he? Working, probably. Or at the Pole. Maybe they figured something out and called him there.'
She fidgeted with the bracelet around her wrist. It was pretty obvious she was getting used to the cold. She barely shivered around Jack, and even her adventure at the North Pole hadn't set her teeth chattering. The bracelet still caught her attention when its temperature dropped. She was aware of it most of the time. Keeping her focus on it like it was her most valuable possession. In many ways, it was.
'Jacks gift to himself. Why is knowing how I'm feeling so important anyway? Why does he need to know everything? Some things are better left alone.'
A while later, she was completely zoned out in her thoughts. A furry paw gripped her shoulders and pulled her off the bed. She swallowed down her panic seeing it was just Bunnymund "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"North told me to grab ya"
Seeing as her feet weren't even touching the ground, she rolled her eyes, "Well that's done. Can you put me down now?" The rabbit smirked at her and tapped a foot against the floor. Skyla panicked, "Bunny- No! It's so cold there just let me-" He hopped down the tunnel, taking her with him. The tunnel twisted and turned and she tried to stop herself from going further. "Bunnyyy" she yelled, gripping her mp3 tightly to her chest. The earbuds whipped around wildly, but she couldn't catch them.
They came out in the Workshop and Bunnymund set her down in front of the fireplace. "Wait there. The others will be here soon."
Standing as close to the fireplace as she could without getting burnt, Skyla glared at him, "Couldn't have let me grab a coat? I'm wearing shorts, Bunny! And a tank top! What were you thinking?!"
"Calm down!" he turned away from her and spoke to one of the yetis. Looking back at Sky, he told her, "There. You'll have a coat in no time."
"It would have been easier if you let me grab something before kidnapping me..." she mumbled. "Hey, come here for a sec."
Bunnymund moved to stand next to her, "What?"
Sky leaned against him, "You have fur. Fur is warm. It's your own fault I'm cold, you know." Surprisingly, he put his arms around her. It was a lot warmer. "Fur is also soft. Thanks, Bunny."
"Only once. After this, I go back to not trusting you. Understood?"
"Understood." She thought for a while how the pooka really wasn't so bad. Finally she asked, "When you say the others; do you mean Jack, too?"
He let go of her, and she shivered from the sudden cold. Turning around, she saw a yeti there holding out a long red coat that had swirly golden trimming. The yeti said something and handed the coat over.
"Thank you" she smiled, putting it on quickly. The yeti said something else then walked away. Bunnymund had taken the opportunity to put some distance between them. Sky frowned at him, "Well? Is Jack around or not?"
"No, he ain't." the rabbit admitted, "Why? He didn't spend the night?" he mocked.
"...no. He didn't stay long after we got back. He told me he was going to check in on Burgess, and would be back in the morning. He didn't show up, so I thought maybe he was here...?"
Bunnymund folded his arms across his chest, "If Jack went to Burgess, he's probably just spending some time there. Don't worry about it."
Something in his expression made her unsure. "If you think so..." She hugged the coat tighter against her and tried to focus on the bracelet. 'No reactions should be a good thing, right? It means he's okay, doesn't it?'
"Skyla!" a loud Russian voice called. She turned towards it and smiled. "Welcome back! I see you have a new coat!"
"Yeah, thanks. I was a bit cold" she glanced at Bunnymund, who shrugged at her.
Sandy floated up ahead of North and stopped in front of Sky. A string of images formed above his head, and she did her best to follow them. 'What's the trick to this? Learn to play charades?'
"Umm, Sandy? Sorry, that's too much information to follow. Can you simplify?" slower this time, the Sandman created images above his head. Eventually she guessed; "MiM said something about me?" A thumbs up appeared and he grinned triumphantly at her.
"Yes" North confirmed, "Manny tells us you need a place to live."
"...Oh?" she asked, eyeing them all curiously as they formed a half circle around her. "Yeah, I guess I do?"
Bunnymund spoke up first, "We think it would be best for you to stay here. At least while we're still working on how to help Jack."
Skyla's eyes widened slightly, "Stay here? At the North Pole?" A thumbs up from Sandy.
"You're welcome to stay here, Skyla" North told her, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's safe and you will be close in case we need you. Jack will stay too, of course."
"In a separate room!" Bunnymund added, causing her to glare at him.
"Yes, yes." North took his hands back "He won't have time to rest, anyway. We have work to do, and on his spare time he will probably play around with the elves."
Skyla nodded, "If you think it's best... But..." she looked over to the over-sized rabbit.
"Jack's fine." he told her, "Don't be so clingy"
"What about Jack?" North asked. He shushed Bunnymund and waited for Skyla to answer.
"He... Well, he left after bringing me home. Told me he'd come back in the morning; that he was going to Burgess. I haven't seen him or anything all day, so..."
"And I'm telling you," Bunny told them, "there's nothing to worry about. Give him a break!"
"If Jack made a promise to her, he would have kept it" North replied. "Don't argue, it won't help to start a fight."
"Does this mean I can be worried now?" Skyla asked, looking between them. North nodded.
"You have that bracelet?" Bunnymund asked.
"Yeah. Am I waiting here or back at Lauren's?" The Guardians looked at each other having a silent conversation. It was easier for Sandy.
"Let's go" the rabbit opened a tunnel and she quickly jumped through it.
"Oh, no" back in her room, she twirled around, holding the ends of the coat out, "I forgot to give it back!"
"Priorities, Skyla. Call Jack."
"Why not ask MiM?" taking off the coat, she placed it on the bed.
"He's asked us to give him a break for a few days. We don't like having to bother him so much, anyway. If he even knows where Jack is..."
"Okay, okay. I don't know how well this will work." Sitting on the bed, she let her worry out, hoping it would reach the Winter Spirit. "It's not like he's really in trouble, right?"
"That's right. He's a tough guy. And he's not an idiot. Jack just... gets caught up in having fun." Bunnymund stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed, "You'll have to get used to him not always being around. And trust that he'll always come back."
"Just not when he says he will?"
"...It's not the first time, Skyla. When we were up against Pitch we lost Easter because he didn't come back when he said he would." Skyla could hear the disappointment in his voice.
Her head dropped slightly and she stared at the bracelet. "That's why North told you not to argue. So you wouldn't bring that up."
"Yeah. Well, he's not so bad. That one thing doesn't affect my opinion of him anymore, but it still reminds me of how things can be."
"Bunny-"
"Never mind. That's not how I meant it. Just keep calling for him."
Skyla nodded then pointed to the chair in the corner, "If you're staying, you might as well relax."
He nodded and pulled the chair closer to the window. Sitting down, he took to staring out the window. When he sighed, Skyla decided not to be quiet for a while.
A while later, Lauren called up to Sky, "Pizza's here!"
Skyla looked over at Bunnymund and saw him watching her, "Go eat." he told her, "You need your energy." she nodded and walked down the stairs.
Lauren had the pizza out and drinks already poured, "Hey. I guess Jack didn't show up?"
"No, not yet. He went to Burgess, so he's probably just catching up on what's been going on there."
"You don't sound like you believe it."
Skyla shrugged, sitting down and grabbing a slice, "He's either fine or he's unconscious somewhere. Either way, I have nothing to do but wait and worry. Oh, and don't worry about waiting for me to find a place. I think I'm moving to North's Workshop."
Lauren nearly choked on her drink, "What?! When did that happen?!"
"Bunnymund kidnapped me. North offered. Sandy approved. I have no idea where Tooth was... Probably could have asked"
"Why do I miss all the good stuff?" the red-head slumped back against the couch.
"Bunnymund is up in my room, if you want to say hello."
"Really?!" Jumping up, she ran out of the room. Deciding not to follow, Skyla took a bite of her pizza.
A few minutes later, Bunnymund walked into the living room, Lauren trailing closely behind him, "You told her, I see." he sat down in an arm-chair, making Lauren frown.
Skyla scooted over to give her friend the spot closer to him. "Why not?"
"...She's staring at me"
"She's a fan. It's a compliment." Skyla didn't mention that it was fun making him uncomfortable.
The three hung out in the living room for most of the evening. Bunnymund eventually accepted that Lauren wasn't going to leave him alone and actually started to have fun.
Skyla kept fidgeting with the bracelet. Her worry turned to concern and she started hoping that maybe the connection simply wasn't working. That he was fine and just couldn't tell how she was feeling.
'Or maybe there's a range limit on it? Would that make sense? What about any of this makes sense? He said he would be here... What the hell, where is he?!'
"Skyla, you should go up to bed" Bunnymund spoke up. He looked like he was trying his best not to look concerned. 'Would it be concern for me, or for Jack?'
She nodded and said goodnight. Lauren was still going on a sugar high, and Skyla almost felt bad for leaving him with her. Almost.
After she was all ready for bed, she checked the window. The chair was right in front of it, and she moved it off to the side. Opening the window, she peeked out at the Moon, "What is happening?" She waited a few minutes even though she didn't expect any answer.
Climbing into bed, Skyla's exhaustion finally hit her. Her head ungracefully flopped against the pillow and she lay there, willing herself to finally sleep.
She was almost asleep when the bracelet started acting up. Groaning, she pulled her arm up closer to her face. 'Maybe I should call for Bunnymund?'
The thought barely passed through her mind when the bracelet shot frost up her arm, causing ripples of pain across her skin. "What the hell?!" She tried pulling the bracelet off, and only succeeded in making more frost explode from it.
Then it was more than frost. It was Jack. It was his pain, and it was his fear. Her heart felt like it both lit on fire and froze at the same time, her vision going fuzzy and her head pounding. 'Jack!' her mind yelled weakly, 'Jack!'
She screamed.
NOTES:
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