Summary: Slightly AU, set somewhat if in the middle of the movie, it took a different turn. Mentions of Dark!Jack. And a much more evil Pitch.

In order to once again claim the world, Pitch had to trick a winter sprite. The Guardians had been too focused on themselves and not in stopping Pitch until it was too late, and are now paying the price. The remaining Guardians must now hold on to the one called "Shadow Creeper" until they can find Nightlight, the one The Man In The Moon has told them to temporarily recruit. But little do they know she is a target for Mischief.

Now hell-bent on capturing the "Shadow Creeper," Jack Frost must bring it back to Pitch, to fulfill their hold on the world by plunging it into another Age of Darkness. But what exactly does this Shadow Creeper have that will help to aid Pitch's dominance?

*Jack/OC
Tooth/Jack
Maybe Tooth/Bunny

T for language and mentions of death. May be rated M later for future mature content and maybe graphic writing.

A/N: I feel like this is a little sloppy... Sorry for whatever crapiness in here. This takes place several years after chapter 2.

Listen to: "ghost in the machine" by Ghost Town

Ch4:Appraise

ˈəˈprāz | (verb) 1.assess the value or quality of.

Windows rattled and clattered in the wake of his passing air. The streets below were frigid and paved with ice. He snickered at the sound of the far away traffic, listening, waiting in anticipation for a lone—unfortunate—vehicle to roll across the "gift" that he left.

Jack smiled, finally hearing the sudden screeching of tires across a particular patch of black ice.

He sat atop the ledge of a building, observing his handiwork below. He swung his legs slightly like a child in excitement, letting out a laugh at the sound of shouting and shattering glass.

It's been a century since Jack Frost first heard the rumor of the Shadow Creeper, and ever since, he has become hell-bent on finding him. He knew this spirit could be an important piece to their plans for another Dark Age, and he wasn't about to let some shadow get away from him.

The city below was quiet, except for the frantic honking from the building up of traffic—the noise of a loud crash shattered the night as a truck skid uncontrollably into a nearby store, trapping another car with it. He gave a sound of shock at the sheer volume of the accident.

In the years of his pursuit, he's seen a war, many deaths, a nuclear plant meltdown back in Ukraine; and the disasters he's caused, too numerous to count.

"Ah, sweet chaos." He leaned a little off the ledge for a closer look, noticing the passenger in the truck responsible was moving, and a dark wet mess dripped down the driver's face.

'Oh, no,' he tisked. This couldn't happen.

The driver wasn't going to move again, that he could tell. But his wife... His poor, wounded, pitiful wife was literally dying to wedge the cold door open.

'Well... We couldn't have that, could we? There was no way her husband's corpse had burned into her memory just yet...'

Jack stood up, ready to float down to freeze the passenger door closed, but stopped sensing another presence nearby. Staff already in hand, he whirled around, ready to pierce icicles thru his intruder.

He had to squint to make out the figure atop the next rooftop thru the darkness.

Silence passed, mainly him trying to formulate a plan of what to do if the person was a mortal. A question, or rather a comment, broke the quiet instead.

"Looks like one heck of a crash..."

Jack noticed his intruder had a rather high voice for a male.

"...Eh, Frost...?"

He looked in shock. Since Erik's death, he had become so used to only Pitch being able to see him. He pulled his hood further over his head.

'They can see me...'

"Who the hell are you."

The figure strolled towards him, and he realized it was a female. She ignored his rudeness. "Quite frank aren't we," she cooed rather darkly.

His grip tightened around his staff watching her bound across their short distance to stand at the opposite end of the rooftop.

"How do you know me?"

She snickered. "Who wouldn't; who hasn't heard of fucking Jack Frost?! You're a goddamn legend. I'm jealous."

His face scrunched up in confusion. Did she just praised then insulted him in one sentence, he thought to himself.

"I asked you a question: now who the hell are you...!"

She turned to the scene below. The bright lights of the paramedics bounced off the buildings, illuminating the night in bright reds and blues. The screams of a woman wedged in her car barely reached their ears.

"You did all that...?" She ignored him.

Jack threatened between gritted teeth, "I swear I'll freeze off all your damn limbs if—-"

"Or what," she cut him off. She was in his face one instant then the next behind him. Jack's face was whipped to the side by a sudden force as she passed—she hit him.

Jack felt his face burn at the start of a bruise. He growled.

"If you wanted to kill me, wouldn't you have done it a century ago?" She breathed in his ear.

When he turned around, aiming to shoot, she was already several feet away out of arms' reach. She watched his head shake almost spazz-like, then his lips pulled back in a snarl as he was about to make another threat.

"Ever heard of the Enredadera de las Sombras? That's from Hispanic origin, if you didn't possibly know that," she didn't allow him to speak. "The Ombre Rampant, or the Tin Kar'yeryst-ulesnyk? Or maybe a name you might understand better—Shadow Creeper."

'Wait, what?'

This is it!? After all these friggin' years, he thought he was looking for a man or ghostly body. Never would he have thought that it was some midget who had made countless people of all ages break out in cold sweats and wet themselves at night. Much less a girl.

"Oh, so you're Shadow Creeper..." This put one of his lopsided smiles on his face.

"Ghost, banshee, shadow people, whatever you wanna call it—even though they are all highly incorrect." She tried to get a good look at him the best she could thru the shadows of his jacket, but failed. "What, you got a beef with me?"

Jack lowered his staff. "No...just slightly surprised. ...And I was just kinda wondering..."

She didn't like the way he was looking at her, or rather felt the way he stared at her. A little thought ran across her mind that told her to run. "Wondering what? Spill it."

If anyone knew Jack Frost, they should knew that he was always up for a good time, a laugh or joke. He represented 'fun' after all.

But this wasn't Jack.

Not anymore.

"That if you'd wouldn't mind..." he scratched his chin putting on the appearance as if he was actually nervous, "maybe...coming with me..?" P She raised an eyebrow.

'Damn it, how can she still be skeptical?! She obviously liked my show...'

"There's this new restaurant that opened a week ago. Five stars. And I was hoping to not raid it alone, so..."

She crossed her arms and took a few steps closer, but kept one foot in the dark. He saw she wore a pair of shorts and a pull over hoodie, much like he did, but that was too big for her.

"And where exactly is this so-called restaurant?"

'Yes! She actually fell for it,' Jack thought a little too triumphantly. His smile would have darkened if it were visible. 'I'll have this bitch in the bag in no time!'

" Paris, France. Dim lights. Fancy chairs. Desserts, appetizers, wines, cheeses—the works." He held out his hand.

She looked at him—it was almost too inviting.

"So whadaya say, will ya?"

Jack and the Shadow Creeper had actually had a sort of run-in several decades back, even if he didn't remember or had known. He had been chasing after a group of kids, threatening them of ice and black fingers. She had been annoyed at the moment and had caused him to trip on a large overhanging branch as he flew. One thing led to another (of several curses and name-calling from him, all met by her silence) and she had eventually led him inside a house—into the bathroom—where she planned to lock him in and make images dance around in his head, wiping that damn grin off of his mouth.

He had never actually seen her before. But she did give him a fright back in the bathroom—all he had seen was the dark shadow of her back. Then he had practically jumped out of his skin seeing her silhouette turn around so fast and pressed her front and hands against the hazy shower door. She knew it had to have looked like a scene from a horror movie; she couldn't stop laughing at how fast he had flown out of the house.

But this situation was not of fun and games. Never had she seen his face, and to now hear him ask—out of the blue—to come with him, did not add up.

She had been told things about Jack Frost by Sandy , and the more she stared at him, the more she was convinced to just walk away.

A part of Jack didn't seem like it should add up... Something about him just appeared so...dark. And not because of the shadows and how little lighting there was outside.

His hands looked hard and cold. She knew he could freeze a person to death with a single touch. He could kill you slowly and painfully, freeze you from the inside out until your lips were a dark purple and it hurt to breathe. And how'd she know all this?

She'd seen him do it.

But yet it didn't frighten her.

A loud explosion disrupted to night. She felt her skin prickle from the sudden heat from the blast below. Looking over the side of the building, the truck, car and entire front of the store had gone up in raging flames that were rapidly eating the remains of the building.

It was chaos.

The asphalt below was more of a Slip-'n-Slide as many time the firemen fell, hard.

When she wasn't paying attention, Jack tapped the end of his staff on the ground, watching the ice make a faint line down the side of the building and across the asphalt to trap the fire hydrant in a covering of ice. He stuck his tongue in his cheek to hold in his smile, watching the firepeople whack helplessly at the frozen hydrant.

Noticing Jack then take a step closer is what made her turn back around.

She shook her head, ready to reject his offer when a sudden boom sounded above them. What a surprise they got to see a giant sleigh appear in the sky pulled by reindeer; she watched it with little surprise. Jack's stare of rage was unmistakable.

"NO! !"

She flinched at his scream.

He aimed his staff at the sleigh, shouting as ice shot from its crook in random directions. She barely moved out of his line of fire in time.

She watched the fight as Jack pushed her to the ground, taking a step closer as the giant sleigh charged at full speed toward them, and watched it graze the top of his head. He whirled around, ice already firing crazily, but was cut off as a multicolored cloud exploded in his face before he could fully turn.

"What the..."

A winged creature charged like a torpedo towards the hooded winter sprite. He stumbled, but was unsuccessful not knocked off the building and he briefly turned his attention to it before firing back at the sleigh.

Jack turned back to her and seized her wrist, causing her to stumble then fall to a knee. She looked up and noticed a golden glow around them.

Jack yanked her closer, her head jerked as she was forced to stare in the dark shadows of his face.

"You are coming with me." His voice deepened as his threat dragged out each word. Jack watched as her eyes blinked, wide in shock.

Objects dropped around them like bombs. And the more she wondered, the more the bombs seemed to look like tiny people.

And for the first time, she could almost make out his face. She could swear she did.

She was too focused trying to look passed his shadows to see the tiny, dark creature slither up her arm, like a wet snake.

He growled; just his touch alone burned. She tried to pull away but his grip held firm.

His lips were pulled back in a snarl, his eyes narrowed in anger... But that's all she saw before a force yanked her into the air.

A screamed escaped her lips as she was ripped away from Jack and something tossed over her eyes. It was far too late to fight when she realized she was being shoved into a bag. And just as quickly she was blinded, a heavy drowsiness put her to sleep.

But as she was carried off into the portal, the Guardians took a last glance at the now-corrupted winter sprite. He was glaring at them, anger as clear as day. And right when they escaped through the portal, one last shrill, dreadful scream echoed in the night.