A/N: Chapter edited 1/9/15.

Previously White Wings Part 3

This chapter was beta-ed by AGmegan101. Thanks!

Once again, Destiny is visiting from Those Forgotten, a wonderful story by Fantasy Forger.

A Little Problem Part 3

. . . Aster didn't, but closed his eyes and started telling a story – one that he hadn't told in a long, long time.

"Ya' know, when I first met North and Katherine, I wasn't exactly welcoming."

Jack's eyebrows rose in response, "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say that I wasn't exactly . . . compos mentis back then. Kinda acted like I had a stick up my butt and tried to unnerve people."

"Like you don't do that now – hey!"

Bunny flicked Jack's nose, "Oi, shut it, ya', larrikin."

The child in question glared at him and rubbed his nose, while Aster rolled his eyes and continued his story.

"Anyways, I was a bit crazy back then, had a huge obsession with eggs." The Pooka shook his head slightly, "So my sentinels over on Easter Island let me know that they were there, so I headed up to the surface. I didn't get along well with North at first, Katherine was kinda the buffer."

Bunny turned his head so he was face to face with Jack, "You've never met her - or Nightlight, come to think of it. Manny sent them on a mission with Ombric couple centuries back." He sighed a bit, "They were three of the original Guardians, but after the first war with Pitch was over, they all went into retirement, at least until they were needed for that mission. None of us know where they are now."

Jack frowned a bit, playing with the floppy ears on his stuffed rabbit.

"Well, anyways, North and I didn't get along at all, and we were both heading into battle - so it wasn't that great of a situation." Bunny smiled wryly.

The toddler next to him smirked a bit, but stayed quiet as Bunny finished his story.

"We rode my train down to the center of the earth and readied for battle. It was a little complicated after that…" Bunny trailed off for a moment, trying not to lose himself in the memory, "but in the end, we won. North was stabbed – he whined about it for ages after – but he healed up just fine, thanks to my chocolate."

"He got stabbed?" Jack sounded absolutely incredulous at that, as if he couldn't imagine the big man taking that kind of blow.

"Yeah. It was pretty bad too."

The boy hummed, taking in all the new information he was given.

"But, that's not the point. The point is that I reached outta my comfort zone. I started acting a little more human. I started making friends. The kind of friends you keep." He rolled over so that he was directly facing Jack, "I know we haven't been the best people, Frostbite, and I know we did ya' wrong all those years. But we're tryin' to make up for it." He coughed out the last part, feeling extremely awkward, but knowing it had to be spoken aloud.

Wide, blue eyes stared up at him, trying to process his words. Hands much smaller than they should have been clutched at his stuffed rabbit's ears for comfort.

Bunny sighed and felt something in him crack as he watched the teenager turned child curl in on himself and start to shake. He put a hand on Jack's back, but he turned away from him, dismissing the contact he'd craved for so long.

Usually, if he'd been his normal size, he'd have flown off by now – or at least fired back a scathing remark and started an argument to derail the conversation. But his staff had disappeared along with his size, and he couldn't speak without feeling the tears of shame well up in his eyes.

"Frostbite… Jack. I know this isn't great. But ya've got ol' Bunny here to take care of ya' until North gets his act together. And ya' know we aren't just going to leave ya' out in the cold. You're one of us now, and we're gonna get ya' back to normal soon. But ya' gotta just let us help ya'." He hesitantly put his paw out again, ruffling the white mop of hair on Jack's head.

This time the winter spirit didn't turn away but sniffled and looked back at the Pooka. Carefully, he nodded his agreement, cracking a smile at the obvious relief on Bunny's face.

"There's the Guardian of Fun I know! C'mon, let's get us some sleep and then we can talk more in the morning, how's that sound?"

Jack's voice was tiny, but strong, "Great. I'm exhausted." Plus he didn't exactly want to discuss anything right then.

The elder Guardian chuckled and made himself comfortable in the bed.

Tiny hands clenched at his stuffed animals ears as he realized Bunny wasn't going to leave him alone in the huge, dark room. He carefully relaxed and was out like a light.

Toothiana was not in a particularly good mood. Yetis moved out of her way as she practically stormed to North's quarters and banged on the wood with the ferocity of an angry mama bear.

"Nicholas Saint North! You open this door right now!"

There was no answer and her surrounding entourage of fairies twittered nervously as violet eyes hardened. The Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies knew when to use force.

"North, I know I've changed a lot in the past four hundred years, but I'm still the same fairy that will kick this door down with her bare feet and punch you in the face before you can apologize! Open up. Now."

Two beats later she heard the slight click of a lock sliding from its position. She put a hand on the doorknob and twisted, letting the door open on its own. North was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. Carefully, Tooth walked in, gesturing to her fairies to stay outside. Gently closing the door behind her, she observed her comrade's body language.

"Jack was upset you know. He thought you storming out was his fault."

North didn't lift his head, but any energy that was still in him vanished as he deflated into a motionless lump.

Now, Tooth understood, was the time to sit and listen to the Cossack. She flitted closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"North, I know you. That man I just saw was not the North I know. What's wrong?"

It seemed to take the man a huge amount of power to simply lift his head and meet Tooth's eyes. His, she noticed, were not as wide or nearly as bright as usual.

His voice, usually powerful and excited, was quiet and sad as he spoke, "This is all my fault."

Tooth's hand never left his shoulder, but she nodded her encouragement to continue on in his explanation.

North sighed as he pulled himself ungracefully to his feet and planted his hands on the table in front of him, staring out the window as though the white tundra held the answers he needed.

"I... I am not the man I used to be," He spared a glance at the twin swords resting against the wall, waiting for the next moment they could be of use, "I am not that Cossack. Neither am I that new Guardian. Time has been spent on me."

He turned now to gaze at Tooth, his eyes filled with tears, "But I am not who I want to be."

She blinked slowly, hovering in the air next to the usually jolly man.

North shook his head, his fingers clenching into fists, "I am not who I want to be," he repeated, "I am not the happy Santa Claus people see me as. I bring gifts. I make lists. I leave the Pole once a year." He left that sentence hanging in the air for a moment.

"Tooth, I am becoming who I feared." He chuckled pitilessly at himself, "I always say that I am fearless, but I am as faulty as any other," he sighed heavily and stared down at the worn wood of the table he stood in front of, "I am not perfect."

He let himself drop back into his seat when he finished that sentence.

"North," Tooth murmured, "none of us are. We can't be perfect. The reason we all were someone before we were chosen is so that we have our deficiencies. We are not like the Parthenon, we know what it is like to not be immortal."

"I know!" North exclaimed, "I know! I know we are not perfect." He took another heavy breath and put his face in his hands once again. His voice slightly muffled against his fingers, he spoke, more calmly, "It is not perfection I want. It is something even I do not understand completely."

He released the breath he'd been holding and continued, "How long has Jack been a Guardian?"

Tooth took the turn of subject in stride, knowing that North would bring back the conversation, "Nine years."

"And in that time, how often have we met?" He let himself look back up and face Tooth.

"More than ever. We're here at least twice a month now. And I know Jack drifts to everyone in between."

North leaned back in his chair, gripping the armrests, "And before that. Before Jack became a Guardian. How often did we meet?"

"We were lucky if we met every five years." Tooth trailed off.

"Exactly. Do you know how many days we spent holed up in our homes? Doing absolutely nothing except what we thought our jobs revolved around?" He pounded his fists on the table, before slumping again. His next words were quiet, "And how long was Jack alone?"

There was silence in the room at that. They both knew the answer, but neither wanted to face the truth of it.

North drew in a breath, his voice cracking like it hadn't in years, "And how did we miss him? He was there for centuries, Toothie, and we never even tried to meet him. How many times was he rejected? How many times was he walked through? How many beatings did he undergo in that time?" He let the tears fall, knowing Tooth was silently crying with him.

"How many times did we brush him off?" He swallowed, knowing he had to ask his final question, "How... How long would it have taken him to fade if we hadn't had a threat?"

The only sounds in the room were Tooth's wings and North's heavy breathing as the question hung in the air like molasses. It spread slowly but thickly, making it feel like they couldn't breath.

Tooth's hand clenched on North's shoulder as she answered tearfully and honestly, "I don't know... I don't know."

"... I only wish that I could erase the past," North admitted finally, his voice deep and exhausted, "seeing him like that -like a child. It only increases the unfairness of it all."

His next words hung near the tip of his tongue as he tried to convey how very wrong it all was.

"There was no one there to protect him. And now he is stuck as a child." Blue eyes met violet as he spoke the condemning words, "We failed, Tooth. In our oath. Jack is but a child. An old child, but a child. And for three hundred years we failed him. And I failed him today. I was not поддержку. I was not there for him when he needed me."

He whispered his next words, as though they were the admission that would send him to the hanging tree, "And I was worried about toy production before I was worried about Jack."

"Oh, North." Tooth couldn't bring herself to express anything else, but brought herself closer to the man and gave him the best hug she could muster.

For minutes they stood there, watching as a light snowfall started outside the window. The Guardian of Wonder finally broke the silence.

"It is not perfection I want. It is the ability to travel back and fix things, heal Jack." He sat down once more, staring at the barren tundra but not taking in the sight.

"Toys I can fix. I am used to doing it. Prototypes can be remade. Paint can be cleaned up. But people? They are not so easy to fix." He breathed in, "Jack is not so easy to fix."

Tooth understood immediately what he meant. She'd seen first hand how startled Jack was when people talked to him – or heaven forbid – touch him. Establishing a connection beyond basic human needs with him took a long time and a whole bunch of work. Along with that all, the boy hid behind mask after mask. His emotions were carefully hidden (or so he thought), and his actions were less than self-preserving.

Only the Guardian of Hope seemed to connect with Jack on that deep personal level, though they were both reluctant to admit it.

Sandy got along well with the young Guardian, but their relationship was only on the silent level. A kind of quiet trust between the two existed.

While Tooth did her best to establish that link between her and the boy, she found that it was only in his sleepy moments that he actually conversed emotionally (and truthfully) with her. Their family relationship was only skin deep except for in times of stress. She absolutely loathed not being able to do more, but until Jack found something within him to push him toward making that bond, there wasn't much she could do. She mothered the boy, worrying over him and his antics, listening to him when he came to her, and giving him a place to stay when he dropped by. The rest was all up to Jack.

But him and North? They seemed to get along best, and Jack hung out at the Pole more than anywhere else. Their arguments were few and in between. If there was anyone who could help Jack mend himself, it would be North.

Tooth spoke that last part out loud and the Cossack looked at her with an odd emotion on his face; a mix between incredulity and hope.

"I... I can only wish that it were true, Tooth." He shook his head, "Bunny has more of a chance of that than I do."

The Guardian of Memories caught a slight inflection at the end of that sentence and was surprised. North was jealous of Bunny's and Jack's closeness?

She thought carefully about her words before she voiced them, "Bunny... and Jack. They are like brothers," She smiled softly, "and I think Jack would say the same about Sandy. But you?" She let that hang in the air for a second before continuing, "North, he sees you as his father." Only abruptness would send the message to the man, "And while brothers are perfect for tussling and listening and so many other things..." she tilted her head and looked directly into North's eyes, "Only a dad can truly give the support he needs to build himself up and..." she searched for the perfect words, "let himself be... free."

North snorted at that, trying to hide how much the words hit him, "He is already free, Toothie. He goes wherever and does whatever he thinks. He is independent."

Tooth sighed, though not in a rude manner, "Not that type of free... The type of freedom where he isn't held back by his past."

Carefully, the Cossack rose to his feet once again. He nodded at Tooth's words, but she could tell that he didn't quite believe them yet. She understood though, thoughts weren't changed overnight.

"I had better contact Bunny. Would not do to leave him with Jack for entire time. And I will have yetis research his condition."

He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. Tooth flew after him and before he headed off he tilted his head at her once more.

"Thank you."

She smiled, "You're welcome."

Sanderson Mansnoozie was having a hard time focusing on his job. He floated on his cloud, distributing dreams as usual, but his heart just wasn't in it. The golden sand glided through the air, bringing smiles to the faces of sleeping children. The bringer of the dreams himself was frowning as he thought long and hard about what to do about Jack's situation.

It was more of a tingle on the back of his neck than anything. He finished delivering his most recent dream and turned, cocking an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned, looking directly at Destiny.

She was casually sitting on the edge of his cloud, her feet swinging over the edge. Blank, brown eyes turned to stare at the golden man by her. She smiled, but there was no real emotion behind it.

"Why wouldn't I be here, Sanderson?"

The Guardian of Dreams wasn't very surprised to find her sitting there. Destiny always popped up whenever she felt like it, and though he couldn't admit they were friends, they weren't enemies either.

He settled himself down beside the woman, waiting for her to speak.

"There is not much that surprises me these days ." She ran a finger over her nails casually, "But Jack Frost? He is not exactly normal. It is my job to guide people to their destinies... and yet he continually defies me." She gave a little snort of derision. "The last time someone tried to do that... well," she looked at her current company, "you know what happened."

Sandman nodded, preferring not to remember that incident.

"It's odd," Destiny continued, "... Jack Frost's destiny is not set in stone as so many of ours are." She paused, as if debating whether or not to speak her next words, "You've heard the humans and their sayings about how only they can control their destinies and such drivel." She shook her head, "Only those strong enough can actually do so. And Jack Frost is one of those - an outlier. An exception to the rules."

Sandy frowned a bit, but gestured for her to continue.

"But, as Guardians, you need to learn about children. How to handle them. How to react to them. Things like that. It'll be important in the future." She looked back at Sandy, "And only Jack Frost is ready for that day. So by turning him into a child and giving him the emotions of one… it gives you experience." She gazed at the clouds, having turned away from the Guardian. "Jack Frost will regain his natural form once each of the Guardians has learned how to interact with children."

A question mark formed over Sandy's head.

"Why am I telling you this?" Destiny smirked, "Because otherwise you wouldn't be fulfilling your destiny, and I wouldn't be doing my job." She gave a slight nod in his direction and vanished.

The Guardian of Dreams stayed there for a moment, debating whether or not he should return to the Pole and share his newly acquired information. He thought about North's reaction and decided to give it a few more hours.