Hey guys I'm so sorry for the long wait! D: I promise to try to update soon but life is heavy on me right now. That and admitably I have been focusing on Gravity Falls (my newest obsession at the moment) a lot lately, and my aunt got me the newest HoO book as an early birthday present and I'm wanting and not wanting to read it. :P Anyway I won't hold you up any more, you guys are likely ready to kill me enough as it is. So enjoy Chapter 23!
"Oh this is when you mean us Jack!" Tooth says happily.
Jack and Bunny frowned softly as they remember what had happened and sent each other silent apologies.
"Whoa!" Jack's muffled cry came from the sack as it fell from the portal into North's workshop. It tumbled a bit before coming to a stop. The guardians' voices could be heard before they were hushed.
The sack was opened by two elves who after seeing Jack ran off.
"Quiet." North mutters to the others.
Jack pushed his up body out of the sack.
"Hey, there he is!' North says cheerfully. 'Jack Frost!"
Jack took in the group, Tooth was talking rapid speed to her fairies before turning to him with a warm smile. Sandy was also smiling but it was more tired, and Bunny was leaning against a pole not even looking at him.
"Wow." Jack mutters in awe. "You got to be kidding me. Hey, hey!"
Jack was lifted up but the arms by two yetis. "Put me down."
"I hope the yetis treated you well." North says conversationally.
"Oh, yea.' Jack says sarcastically, kicking his staff off the ground and into his hand. 'I love being shoved into a sack and tossed though a magic portal."
North didn't notice or care about the sarcasm as he nodded happily. "Oh good, that was my idea. You know Bunny, obviously."
"Obviously." Jack nodes.
"And The Tooth Fairy."
Tooth got right into Jack's face her purple eyes sparkling. "Hello Jack, I know all about you and your teeth."
"M-My what?" Jack asks confused.
"Open up! Are they really as white as they say?' Tooth says pushing her small fingers into Jack's mouth. 'Oh, they really do sparkle like freshly fallen snow!"
Her fairies squealed excitedly and some fainted.
"Pull your selves together. Let's not disgrace the uniform." Tooth says as she flies off to give them more orders.
"And Sandman." North says, gesturing to the sleeping golden man beside him. "Sandy? Sandy? Wake up!"
Sandy jolted awake, looking around in a daze.
"Hey, whoa!' Jack says, get all of their attention. 'Anyone mind telling me why I'm here?"
Sandy raised his hand and started making sand figures above his head at rapid speed.
"Uh, that's not really helping.' Jack stammers, confused by all the symbols. 'but thanks."
"I must have done something really bad to get you four together.' Jack says as he freezes an elf that was walking by him. 'Am I on the naughty list?"
"Ha!' North laughs before his face going serious, wagging his finger a Jack. 'On naughty list? You hold record. But no matter we over look. Now we are wiping clean the slate."
Jack looked at him suspiciously. "How come?"
"Ah, good question." Bunny says sarcastically.
"How come? I tell you how come!' North says waving his arms dramatically. 'Because now you are Guardian!"
The yetis cheered as they raised some torches and music began to play.
Elves and yetis flooded the room parading to the music.
Some fairies tried to put a necklace around Jack's neck but he pushed it away. "Hey, whoa back off."
"Yes! This is the best part!" North laughed as he stomps along to the music.
Jack backed away as the yetis spun the torches.
"Yea, North.' Jack suddenly turned to the man with a flat look. 'Bring fire near the winter spirit."
North blushed in embarrassment as the others laughed. "Sorry Jack, I guess I didn't think of that.
"It's ok." Jack snorts, he wasn't really mad about it he just loved poking fun at the big guy.
The yetis straightened him out and Jack looked down to see a elf pointing at some pointed blue shoes with the Guardian symbol on it.
A yeti handed North a thick book and North turned it to a page near the middle. He clears his throat.
Sandy raises a glass and Bunny rolls his eyes.
"What?' Jack teases the rabbit. 'Didn't want me to be a Guardian?"
Bunny frowned. "At the time, no; but you have proven you're a true Guardian, mate."
The two shared a smile, while the other's looked at each other silently, happy the others were getting closer and closer.
North looked up in surprised as Jack lifted his staff and brought it down with a harsh thud. A wind swept though the area as frost covered the ground around Jack.
Jack looked at the others with a deep frown. "What makes you think I want to be a Guardian?"
The others were silent before North laughed. He gave Jack a 'duh!' look. "Of course you do. Music!"
The elves started to play.
"No music!" Jack says sternly.
The elf threw the trumpet down, pushing another elf down as it stormed away.
"This is all very flattering, but, uh…you don't want me.' Jack says shaking his head as he hopped onto one of the tables. 'You're all 'hard work' and 'dead lines' and I'm…snowballs and fun times. I'm not a Guardian."
"Yeah. That's exactly what I said!' Bunny cuts in.
"I don't think you know exactly what we do, Jack.' Tooth tries to purify, flying past Jack to gesture at the globe. 'Each of those lights is a child."
"A child who believes.' North joins in walking up to Jack. 'And good or bad, naughty or nice, we protect them."
"Ah! Ah!" Jack says.
North rolls his eyes. "Fingers out of mouth Tooth."
"Oh sorry, they're beautiful." Tooth says in embarrassment.
"Ok. No more wishy-washy. Pitch is out there doing who knows what!" North says in frustration.
"Wait, you mean…the boogieman?" Jack asks in confusion.
"Yes! And if he threatens us, he threatens them as well!" North say gesturing to the globe.
"All the more reason to pick someone more qualified!" Jack says, turning to look for a way out of the workshop.
"Pick? You think we pick?' North asks. 'No, you were chosen! Like we were all chosen…by Man in Moon."
Jack froze. (Pun intended!) "What?"
He turned to look at them, looking for any lies in their eyes.
"Last night Jack, you were chosen." Tooth says softly.
"Maybe." Bunny frowns.
"Man in Moon…he talks to you?" Jack asks quietly, looking at them cautiously.
"You see, you cannot say no. It is destiny." North says.
"But why wouldn't he tell me that him self?' Jack stared at the moon, before turning away and running his hand though his hair. He sighs. "After 300 years this is his answer? To spend eternity like you guys, cooped up in some hideout thing of new ways to bribe kids?"
He laughed dryly. "No, no. That's not for me! No offense."
He glares at the moon before looking back at the others.
"How is that not offensive?' Bunny replies angerly, walking closer to Jack. "You know what I think? I think we dodged a bullet. I mean what does this clown know about bring joy to children anyway?"
Jack stiffened as Bunny said this, and a mask seemed to slide over his face as he turned back around with a cocky smirk.
Bunny winced. He knew that was the mask Jack wore when he was hurt and didn't want anyone to know. It hurt know he was one of the ones to make Jack wear it. "I'm sorry, mate, none of what I had said it true."
Jack nodded in acceptance, smirk twitching his lips. "It's ok Kangaroo."
Bunny huffed but let the name slide.
"Uh, you ever hear of a snow day?' Jack says, voice dripping with cockiness. 'I know it's no hard boiled egg, but kids like what I do."
Bunny stood from where he had been scratching him self behind the ear and frowned at Jack.
"But none of them believe in you, do they? You see. You're invisible, mate. It's like you don't even exist." Bunny says with a smug look as he and Jack got almost into each other's faces.
Jack's eyes darkened a bit more, smiling bitterly as he seemed to nod his head in agreement.
Tooth took this time to break it up, scolding Bunny. "Bunny! Enough."
Jack, not able to hold his tongue, waved casually. "No the Kangaroo's right."
"What?' Bunny sputters, Tooth putting a hand over her mouth as she backed off. 'What did you call me? I am not a kangaroo, mate."
Jack played innocent. "Oh and this whole time I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, what are you?"
"I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me." Bunny says harshly.
That hit a nerve in Jack. His mask almost broke and bit of tears entered his eyes, luck for him his mask was saved when Sandy tapped North and he decided that was enough.
"Jack,' North says, seriousness overcoming his features. 'walk with me."
Jack and North got on an elevator and were soon surrounded by working yeti.
"It's nothing personal, North.' Jack tries to explain. 'What you all do…it's just not my thing."
"Man in Moon says it is your thing." North says as he signs a paper a random yeti brought up to him.
"Slow down, would you?' Jack asks as he eyes move around the area wildly, trying to take everything in. 'I've been trying to bust in here for years!"
North turned to look at Jack. "What do you mean 'bust in'?"
"Oh don't worry, I never got past the yetis.' Jack says carelessly, bumping into a gray/brown yeti. It looked at Jack and pounded it's fist into its hand. 'Oh hey Phil."
North began walking again. "Keep up, Jack. Keep up!"
Jack dodged a yeti holding a red doll house. Seeing yetis building castles and princess dolls, playing guitars and flying toy air planes. He was completely awed at the place around him. It was so full of life and color, something he wasn't use to being a loner spirit.
"I always thought the elves made the toys." Jack comments, ducking under what looked like a flying duck. (Pun intended!)
Jack caught up with North, who whispered to him. "We just let them believe that."
Jack watched as a elf who was covered in lights was electrocuted, lights glowing as he spun in a circle.
"Very good! Keep up the good work." North says encouragingly.
Jack and North pasted a yeti who was carefully painting a robot blue. "I don't like it! Paint it red!"
The yeti looked at the dozen or so he had already painted and groaned, slamming his face onto the table.
North lead Jack into his office, ice models and toy covering every inch of it.
A elf walked up with a fruitcake bigger then its body, falling over when North took it from him. "Fruitcake?"
"Uh, no thanks." Jack denies.
North shrugs and tosses it away in a random direction, cracking his knuckles. "Now we get down to tacks of bass."
"Tacks of bass?" Jack mutters, head snapping back with the door slammed shut and locked behind him.
Turning back around Jack had to back up as North got right in front of him, pressing him to the door. "Who are you, Jack Frost?"
"What is your center?" North says, pointing at Jack's chest.
"My center?" Jack asked, still on guard and now confused.
"If Man in Moon choose you to be Guardian, you must have something very special inside." North says stroking his beard. "Hmm."
"And you do Jack.' North smiles, patting said boy. 'is very special, indeed."
The others nodded while Jack blushed, the complements warming his heart. "Thanks guys."
North looked to the side and seemed to get an idea. He grabbed a Russian doll off the shelf and handed it to Jack. "Here. This is how you see me, no? Big, intimidating, but if you get to know me a little….well, go on."
Jack cautiously set his staff to the side and opened the doll. Another North, this time with a big smile and rosy cheeks, appeared.
"You are down-right jolly?" Jack guesses, smiling slightly.
"But not just jolly!" North says, motioning for Jack to open it again.
"I am also mysterious,' a North with its coat covering half the face. 'and fearless' a North with a face painted mid battle cry. 'and careing!' A North with a tear on it eye while holding a deer. 'and at my center?"
Jack looked at the small doll in North's hand rubbing his face. "There's a tiny wooden baby?"
"Look closer.' North urges. 'What do you see?"
Jack takes a wild guess. "You have big eyes."
"Yes!' North cheers. "Big eyes, very big eyes…because they are full of wonder! That is my center."
Jack looked intrigued now, watching North as he motioned to the entire room.
The toys came to life as they moved around the room. "Eyes that can see the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees and magic in the air. This wonder is what I put into the world! And what I protect in children."
North and Jack walked out to see all the flying toys and Jack actually saw it in a new light.
"It is what makes me a Guardian.' North says softly, looking at Jack. 'It is my center, what is yours?"
Jack lowered his eyes, unsure. "I don't know."
North looked at him in understanding, wrapping Jack's hand around the small Russian doll. Jack gave him a small smile before he turned his head to the sound of wings flapping. He could see Tooth's shape disappear outside the window.
At that moment Bunny came hopping up, worry clear on his face. "We have a problem, mate. Trouble at the Tooth Palace."
Hope you liked! :D R&R plz, Ta.
GWDG