Jagged words flew around him, cutting him deep enough to draw blood from his frozen veins and screamed syllables sliced his porcelain skin. Each word and every simple letter left him clinging to the formerly imposing shadows as though the once suffocating darkness could breathe a new breath of life into his long frozen corpse.
Why were they so angry?
What was the cause of it?
What hidden line had he unknowingly crossed this time?
Long unseen tears ran amok down his frosted cheeks, which were overlooked by those who he thought that cared him about the most. That only made them run faster and heaver. Despite the fact that they felt the need to protect and comfort him in the only ways they knew, they had nothing to say in his defence.
Sandy glanced towards the darkened corner, his curiosity growing at what stood between his old friend and his new one and how it was that his friend turned enemy seemed to know the child better than they did. Fighting to grab the attention of the jolly giant as he argued away, to do so he raised a petite golden hand to pull on his heavy clothing.
"Not now, Sandman!"
As he brushed his friend off, much like many had the tendency to do so, frustrated streams of sand shot from his ears. Realising that nothing would come from his endeavours, he retreated to stand near their youngest member, where he could watch and comfort at the same time.
Only moments after he had stilled beside the teen, did all eyes fall upon the distressed teen as a response to the shout: "Let's see if Jack agrees with that, shall we?"
The already small child shrunk with a sob into the shade's protective embrace while the nightmare king's piecing gaze sliced deeper in response to the fear flowing from the frost spirit. More than anything he wanted to stand up for the one he had once loved and lost, yet even when he couldn't remember him for an impossibly long period of time, a part of him still love him. His heart was currently singing at the fact that he had miraculously gotten him back.
Despite the fact that he wished to speak up in his defence, fear paralysed his vocal cords and tears streamed down his face, chocking him. His reluctance to speak displeased those who he could one day possibly be called friends –if they accepted him.
"Jack?" The Tooth Fairy asked while hovering closer to him, her resolve wavering at the youth's obvious confusion and fear.
Clear crystals moved over to his lost lover, as though searching him for the answers to all his questions.
"Don't Jackson- Jack." The shade scolded benevolently, manoeuvring the smaller form in his arms, so he could look him in the eyes and whip away the tears. He was scared that if he let go of him then he would vanish from his life once more. "You've done nothing wrong, so don't you dare think that way. It's physically impossible for you to do any wrong, no matter how much and how often you convince yourself otherwise."
An unsecure, shaky smile formed across frozen lips before said lips followed an intangible path to those of the nightmare's, kissing his gently once more, the unwavering love that had only grown through his unknown heartache were painfully apparent in that one simple action.
"Jackson?" Eyes snapped to the fluttering fairy once more, "Why did he call you Jackson?" She questioned, blatantly ignoring the dark being.
"Because it's my name." At her blank look, he elaborated, "Back before I was Jack Frost, that was my name. Jackson Overland. Abet I was only ever called Jackson when I was in trouble, but regardless of that he would always refuse to call me anything else." His wide, hopeful, loving eyes turned once more towards the enemy once more as his usual smirk took root on his face, which helped to relax the other three guardians. "Though it seems as though he has finally stopped that."
"So he was terrorizing you even back then?"
Confusion flew across the spirit's face as the full degree of the hatred she held for Pitch was finally made visible for all. "No!" He denied loudly, making some of the other jump. "He saved me. He showed me that fear is needed, it helps children to grow while keeping them out of harm's way. I really needed that at the time I met him, otherwise things would be a whole lot different now. Fear is needed and that is how it should be welded: to help and not harm. Yeah, it did take him a long time to realise his calling, but wouldn't you find it hard when your only companions are the voices of the nightmares that were screaming for revenge and were corrupting you?" He cast his now determined eyes around his amazed spectators, as he had captured their attention completely. "Regardless of that, he still found his place, his centre. Like we all did. Even if it all be crushed him when I-"
The words fell away lost in a choke as he appeared to be crawling inside himself, hiding away from the hardships that were his life. Pitch stood in front of him, attempting to completely encase the teen in his arms, protecting him and reassuring him as much as possible in the same action, his heart breaking for him.
"What happened?" The rough, yet curious Russian voice asked, sounding more reserved than anyone had heard in many long years.
Twisting them around so that he was hidden by Pitch as the biting stares trained on his back because too much for him to bare, he gradually found refuge in the comforting arms that were whispered impossible claims of what laid before him. His crystal eyes turned up to face the imposing figure, pleading with him to take the question out of his hands. A second passed before Pitch turned once more so his golden eyes could fearlessly rise to the challenge.
"When he died." He finished bluntly; the silence only broken by a single soft whimper. "I lost him. I lost everything… When I saw him like he is now," Tenderly he coaxed Jack into standing by his side, so he could comb though feather light locks in an absentminded manner. "Somehow I didn't recognise him and ironically when I did I was afraid. I was so afraid of allowing myself to hope. I couldn't believe that Manny would be so cruel to bring him back without him knowing who I was. Because of that I persuaded myself that it couldn't be him to save myself the pain. Now I can't believe how lucky I am that he's back and that he actually remembers me." He finished with a tenderness that none but Jack had seen before.
"He hasn't mentioned you before," Tooth responded harshly.
"I only remembered him last night –it came back to me in my dreams. Yeah, I opened my memory box at Easter, but it seems that by doing that it only opened a door for my memories and the rest have been falling through since then"
"And now you're what? Dating?"
"We already were."
"We just took an unplanned three hundred year break."
"And now the blokes are finishing each other's sentences."
"Put a sock in it, Kangaroo!"
The thinnest slither of laughter echoed around the enclosed room, vanquishing the tension for just the slightest moment. At least until Tooth began to talk once more. "He was the reason you fainted though!"
"What?!" The outraged exclamation shattered the room as he held his younger lover at arm's length in front of him, raking his eyes across the lithe form, searching desperately for any imperfections or any abnormality on his well-covered form. "What happened?"
Love shone deeply in the icy orbs as a single hand raised to adoringly stroke the grey skin. "It's not your fault, I promise. It was mine. I should have slept properly, just I was neglecting it again, you remember how I used to do that? My body was just trying to fix that."
Nobody would have expected the hostility that quickly met the perfectly acceptable, innocent answer. "And I wonder just who it was that made it impossible for you to sleep."
"Tooth, stop!" Winter incarnate commanded, his voice strong as he turned to face the bitter Guardian. His emotions were sending out a rush of bitter cold to accompany his angered cry, causing the occupants of the room to step back out of shock.
Surprise and self-hatred fluttered across his face at the chaos and fear caused by his own lifeless hands. Hushed apologies sung their pleas through iced lips, resonating long after the fearful teen fled from the frozen room.
A/N: Guys, I got an update up! Sure it's just before midnight, but it's up on time. Yay for me! Now I need sleep. Or another hour of reading…
Warning though, this is unbated (How do you spell that?) and hasn't really be proofread, so if you notice any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope you have all enjoyed this update, and thank you for all of you who have read and reviewed, I really appreciate it more that you would know.
This chapter's trivia question: What is the last line of the film?
Until next time, my wonderful readers.
~Ingradera
