Hello everyone! :D
Now I have news so PLEASE READ THIS: My mom went through surgery, and it will take about a month for her to recover. Since I will be having to help out a lot updates might be slow. I'm not sure. So I have decided that for every 5 or 6 reviews I get I'll update.
Sound fair? 0.0 Anyway enjoy Chapter 3! :D
Silence was tight in the air around the Guardians. The Big Four was staring with mixed looks between each other, Thomas and finally their Jack.
Jack just watched as his younger memory self slowly faded away. His face was like stone, but his eyes were a different matter. His eyes held a strong sadness and anger, but also longing.
"All I had wanted was to have them love me.' He starts softly, eyes turning to the ground. 'I tried everything I could think of to make them smile at me. Manners, pranks, joking, cleaning, washing; nothing got them to ever smile. If something went wrong, even when I wasn't around at the time, they would blame me. Call me 'a disgrace to them'. That day they left me in the forest was the first time they smiled."
Tooth and Sandy were crying, much like Jack was. North and Bunny looked angry.
Bunny stepped up next to Jack and for the first time since they met, Bunny hugged him.
Jack froze. Despite the pats on the shoulders or brushes of shoulders or arms, the only other times he had been hugged was when Jamie and Tooth had hugged when he first became a Guardian.
"I may not say it or show it, Jack, but I do care about you. We all care about you." Bunny mumbles in his ear.
Jack felt his eyes get misty, he hadn't heard someone say that in a long time. He couldn't help but curl into Bunny's furry chest and cry. Cry about what had happened to him as a human, the 300 years alone and isolated, and finally hearing what he had wanted to heard for decades.
Bunny didn't say anything as he held him closer. Tooth and the others had moved forward and where giving Jack sad looks. When Bunny and the others locked gazes an understanding was pasted between them.
From now on they would make sure their little frost spirit would know they cared for him, no matter what.
After a few minutes of comforting the crying boy Jack finally wiped his tears away and gave them a weak smile. "Thanks, guys."
Tooth laid a small hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You're welcome, Jack. We are here for you anytime."
North and Sandy nodded in agreement.
"Mates,' Bunny says looking off to the side. 'The next memory is coming."
The others turned and continued to watch Jack's life.
Thomas was sitting in front of a tree looking at a village about a mile away. He looked about six now, and was very malnourished. His frame and face had thinned out even more and his clothes seemed to hang more loosely on him then they should have. His hands and feet were calloused and his eyes were tired.
"You look so thin." Tooth says sadly, holding her hands to her chest again.
"Well that is what happens when you can't get much to eat living in the forest." Jack replies, rubbing the arm of his hoodie.
"You lived in the forest?" Bunny asked in bewilderment.
Jack shrugged, a look of uneasy on his face. "I couldn't really live anywhere else."
His stomach suddenly rumbled, making him grimace. Standing up he readjusted the big elbow-length cloak on his shoulder.
"I guess I must." He mutters to him self as he starts jogging toward the village.
The memory spend up till he was just outside the village.
Walking up slowly Thomas watched everyone warily. He was about to move towards the bakery when a group of five boys around the age of 8 or 9 crowded around him.
"I have bad feeling in my belly." North frowns. He didn't like the looks the older kids were giving Thomas/Jack.
"I can honestly agree with ya this time mate." Bunny say.
Sandy nodded as well, he could tell something bad was about to happen.
Thomas grunted slightly as one of the boys pushed him against the wall of one of the houses.
"Hello squirt." The obvious leader grinned. He was an inch taller then the rest with dark green eyes, shaggy red hair and crooked teeth .
The other boys grinned.
"What do you want." Thomas frowns.
"We want whatever money you have." One of the boys say slowly, like he was dumb.
Thomas grid his teeth, but he must have looked more funny then angry because they started laughing. "I have no money."
The leader frowned in thought before stepping forward. "Well then I guess I'll just take your cloak. It looks good, maybe I can get some money for it."
Thomas grabbed the cloak on his shoulders in a tight grip. He had found it just outside another village and it had been the only thing keeping him warm at night. When Boy #1 tried to grab it he reacted without thinking and bit him.
"Gahhh!" The boy cried as he stepped back. He rubbed his hand and sent Thomas a murderous look. "Get him!"
Thomas tried to run but one of the other boys grabbed him by the color of the cloak, almost choking him.
Thomas was pushed to the ground and kicked in the stomach. He gasped as the breath left him, and cried out when one of the boys punched him. His face snapped to the side and he could feel the bruise blooming on his cheek.
Tooth gasped, Sandy had sand coming out of his ears and Bunn and North looked like they were ready to hurt the kids them selves.
Jack rubbed his cheek where he felt a phantom pain of bruise. They watched as the boys all took turns hitting Thomas/Jack anywhere they could reach with their fists and feet. That is till a shadow appeared and a rock hit the back of the leader boy's head.
The others gave a shocked laugh at the boy's expression, but Jack just had a sad smile on his face.
"What?!" The leader cried as he rubbed the back of his head. "Who did that?!"
The other boys were either trying not to laugh or in shock. Thomas was laying on the ground groaning. Bruises covered his arms, legs and face. He looked up to see a dirty blond haired 9 year old boy walk up. His eyes were a rich blue with a spark of mischief in them, his skin had a nice tan to it. He wear clothes much like Thomas and the other boys, except he had no shoes. He had a few small rocks in his hands and a dangerous smile on his face.
"I wonder who that could be." North muses.
The others but Jack nodded, wondering who the boy who saved their winter member from being beaten.
Jack just looked at the boy with longing and whispered. "Felix…"
"Mind telling me what you were doing with this young boy, James?" The blonde asks the leader, who gulped and backed away slightly.
"Nu-Nothing, Felix. Honest." The leader, James, stutters. "Just playing was all, right guys?"
The other boys nodded like a bunch of bobble-heads.
"Well it doesn't look like that,' The blonde, Felix, muses. 'Now I suggest you get out of here before I tell your parents about this."
Without a word the boys ran as fast as they could.
"I like this one!" Bunny laughs, watching as one of the boys had tripped and had fallen into mud.
"Yea he was amazing." Jack says softly.
"You knew him, Jack?" Tooth asks.
"Like a brother." Jack says.
The others threw him question looks but he ignored them.
Felix snorted at the running boys before walking up slowly to the groaning Thomas. "Hey are you ok, kid?"
Thomas groaned, liking him a look of 'does it look like I am?', and curled up slightly. "Yes, it's normal for my insides to want to be outside. What do you think?"
"Did you really have to be that mean, mate?' Bunny scoffs. 'I mean he just saved your bloody behind after all."
"I was a bit upset and hurting at the moment." Jack replies dryly.
Felix laughed. "You got spunk kid, I'll give you that. So why did they start beating you?"
Thomas blushed slightly. "Well they wanted money from me, but I don't have any and when he tried to take my cloak….I might have bit him."
Felix stared at him in shock for a moment before bursting back into laughter. "Wow! Really?! Haha, man I wish I could have seen his face after you did that!"
Thomas blushed more as Felix helped him up.
"You're alright kid, I'll help you home." Felix says smiling.
Tooth screeched, making the others wince.
"HIS TEETH ARE PERFECT!" She cries as she moves closer to the memory to get a better look. "Straight, a clean white, no cavities! This is amazing, they are almost as good as Jack's!"
Jack blushed, he didn't want to tell her just yet it was Felix who had gotten him to keep his teeth clean as much as possible.
Thomas winced. "No that's ok. You helped me enough, I'll just go."
Felix pouted. "Why not? Come on it's ok I don't have to home for a bit so I can do it."
"No really it's fine." Thomas almost pleads. No matter how much he wanted to stay and try to get food he wanted to leave.
"Come on surely your home isn't that far. Plus your ma and pa might wonder how you got those shiners on you." Felix says.
"I don't have a home!" Thomas finally cries. Bring up his parents had been a bad move and now he felt like he would cry any minute,
Felix stood in a shocked silence for a moment before moving forward and hugging Thomas, a boy he had just met!
Thomas was shocked but quickly returned the hug as a tear slipped down his cheek.
Felix cleared his throat and pulled away a small smile on his lips. "I may have just met you, kid, but I have a good feel about you. Come home with me so we can get you fixed up."
Thomas looked shocked once again but quickly pulled the older boy back into a hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome kid. Hey I never got your name." Felix says as an after thought.
Thomas grimaced. He honestly hated his name, it was the one the parent who let hive gave him. It had no worth to him, so could he pick his own? With a excited grin coming to his face he looked up at Felix. "My names Jack!"
Felix laughs. "Well Jack, I'm Felix. Felix Colburn."
The memory ended and the others looked to Jack who was smiling softly.
He seemed to have wondered of into a different world by the distant look in his eyes so they chose not to say anything.
When the newly named Jack and Felix returned to Felix's home, which was a small wood shack, he where already laughing.
"I beat you here and you know it!" Jack shouts, grinning wildly. His clothes and hair were messed up, showing they had ran all the way.
"Nope, I won." Felix laughs, sticking his tongue out at Jack before opening the door. "Ma! I'm home, and I have a friend!"
"Felix Colburn what have I told you about leaving without your shoes!" A woman walks out of a different room, a scolding look on her face. She was short and petty, with long dirty blond hair to her back. She had a rosy complexion with light blue eyes that had a motherly spark to them.
Her scolding look turned to worry when she saw the bruises on Jack. She rushed forward and held his chin up softly. "Oh my! Felix what happened to this poor little boy?1"
Felix frowned. "James and his little followers cornered him near Mrs. Catherine's and was beating him up for his cloak. I scattered him and told Jack to come home with me so we could clean him up."
Felix's 'ma' sighed. "Someday those boys will take it too far. I'm June dear, call me 'Ma' if you'd like. Now come with me so I can wash your face of all that dirt and blood."
Jack hadn't noticed before but he had a few small cuts that were oozing blood. He let 'Ma' walk him into a small wash room. She took a small cloth and am put it in the water above a small fire.
Felix walked in and whispered something to his Ma before walking back out. Ma looked confused before looking back at Jack. "Excuse me dear, Felix needs something."
Jack nodded and watched the flames under the small pot of water.
He could hear muffled talking but choose to ignore it. They had been kind to him this far and didn't want to have them kick him out.
After a few minutes Ma came back and began to clean his face, arms, and legs. Jack however noticed the distracted look on her face, and after she finished asked her about it.
She smiles weakly before sighing. "Jack, I do not want to be too straight forward but…do you have no home or parents?"
Jack froze for a moment. Should he tell her? He had already told Felix everything, maybe he had told her and that was why she was asking? Jack sighed and nodded hesitantly.
She seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before a small smile graced her lips. "Jack…would you like to have a home with me and Felix? We have plenty of food and you can share a room with Felix."
Felix suddenly came in with a wide smile. "Plus fall and winter are coming soon! So you need somewhere to stay! Come on Jack, what do you say? Want to be the little brother I never had?"
Felix had wrapped Jack in a one-armed hug and was looking at him hopefully.
Jack looked in amazement between Ma and Felix. "You…You really want m-me?"
"From what I heard of what you told Felix you don't know what a real family is.' Ma says softly putting a hand on his thigh. 'Would you like to stay with me and Felix and have a real family?"
Jack sat there for a moment before a wide grin took over his face. Tears misted his eyes as he leapt forward and wrapped each arm around both their necks.
"Thank you! Th-Thank you! Thank you!" Jack chants over and over.
June smiles tenderly and Felix laughs before hugging Jack back full force.
The Guardians were smiling.
"That was sweet of them." Tooth says.
"At least you have a home now, isn't that good Frostbite?" Bunny asks, smelling something he couldn't name coming from him.
"Yea it was amazing." Jack says.
The others nodded, but something about the past tense didn't sound right to Bunny. Maybe he was just upset about leaving to become a spirit?
Bunny nodded to him self, that must be it.
There were smaller, quicker memories like; Jack learning how to prank from Felix, bonding moments between Jack and Felix. Some moments where June was scolding them, then laughing with them afterwards. Easter, lost teeth, and Christmas. Summer turned to fall and then winter before the Guardians eyes in just a few minutes. They finally slowed down till they were watching Jack and Felix sitting in their shared room. Jack had a pallet of hay with blankets on it, and Felix had a small wood framed bed a few feet from Jack's pallet.
Jack was staring at the ceiling for a while before suddenly turning to Felix who was reading a small book. "Felix?"
Felix didn't look up. "Yea, Jack?"
Jack seemed to think of what he wanted to say. "Where is your…dad?"
Felix looked down at Jack questioningly. "What do you mean Jack?"
"Well...' The now 7 year old Jack starts awkwardly. 'I haven't heard anything about him and well I've never seen him…"
Felix seemed to understand what he was getting at because his mouth made a small 'o'. "No my dad is very much alive."
"Then where-?" Jack questioned before cutting him self off. After all he didn't want to offend his brother.
Felix just smiled. "He is back in England. He and Ma broke up before she and I moved here. He still sends messages with money every once and a while to support us. Not that we need it that much since Ma is a maid and gets lots of money but it is good to have extra for the tougher times."
Jack was fascinated at the thought of a caring father. "What was he like? Did he smile at you often?"
Felix gave him a small sad look. He knew about how hard Jack had tried to make his first family love him. He felt his hands tighten slight around his book, those people didn't deserve his little brother. Jack was a part of his and Ma's family now, and he couldn't be more happy.
"Yea. When he had free time from work he would take me and Ma out to the park. He was nice; I don't remember much since I was about 5 when they separated. But from what Ma told me they didn't get along because he was very business like. Ma says he sometimes cared more about his job then us so… they broke up." Felix shrugs. "I don't mind that much since I still have Ma."
"Oh.' Jack says.
Felix looks at Jack for a moment before looking out the window of their small room. See the full moon out seemed to give him an idea. "Hey Jack, come here."
Jack stood up from his bed and walked over to the window with Felix. "Yea?"
Felix points up at the moon. "Look at the moon. What do you see?"
Jack scrunched up his nose as he looked at the moon. All he saw was shadows…shadows that looked a lot like… "A face!"
Felix laughed at Jack's amazed look. "That's the Man in the Moon."
"The Man in the Moon." Jack says dreamily. "Who is the Man in the Moon?"
"Well to tell you that I have to tell you the whole of the Guardians, and I don't know if I should it is late-" Felix starts to say before Jack pushes him to the bed and sits down next to him.
"Tell me! Tell me, tell me! Please! Pretty Please!" Jack pleads.
Felix grins. "Well it all started a long time ago…"
Hope you enjoyed! R&R plz! Ta.
GWDG