Nineth chapter
Jack sat and watched as Seraphina stopped crying. Her breath was still shaking and she sobbed a few times. North came in with a plate, filled with delicious treats Jack had never seen before, and a cup for everyone present, plus three more.
"Here Seraphina, take this" he said and gave her one of the cups. Night and Day sat beside their mother and looked up at North. They got a cup too and Night seemed to warm herself on the cup, while Day just sipped the hot drink right away. North reached out a cup to Jack, but he signaled no thanks. North sat down on a wooden couch in front of Seraphina.
"I called the others. Tooth should be here soon" he said and Seraphina nodded.
"It's been a long time since I saw the others… about three hundred years I think…" she said and sighed "I can't wait to see Tooth" she sipped the drink and it looked like it got sucked into her skin from the inside "you're probably wondering about why Pitch would even want something to do with her… right Jack?" she said and looked at him.
"A bit… I have a feeling it's got something to do with that globe, right?"
"Might be… but I have a feeling it lies deeper than that…" she took another sip and Jack looked confused.
"What're you talking about?" he asked and she looked into the cup.
"Last year… after you had defeated him… he came here… asking me to help him create fear… I almost gave in"
"Why would he come here? And why would you help him?!"
"I thought… I thought he was back" she said and tears started streaming down her cheeks "I thought that… finally after so long… I had him back…"
"Had Pitch back? What're you talking about?!"
"I thought that… that…"
"Sera!" they all turned around and looked at who came in.
"Tooth!" Seraphina said happily and stood up from the bush she had been sitting in "oh Tooth! It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too Sera. What happened?" she asked and Seraphina looked into the ground "I see…"
"Did you bring them?"
"I did, but you didn't say which set of teeth you wanted" Tooth said and her fairies came flying in with three boxes of teeth "so I just took them all with me"
"All three?" Jack asked and looked at the boxes "Tempe thinks that Pitch has one…"
"He doesn't… we got them all back last year" Tooth said and looked at the boxes "I must say… it's weird to think that someone has three tooth boxes. That's a lot of memories to keep track of"
"I know… which is why she's even doing this… Pitch said he would give her the tooth box from her first life, and then she could use that to remember her life from back then"
"Why'd she even wanna do that?" Jack asked and looked at the tooth boxes faces. Two of them looked like Tempe, but one of them looked completely off.
"She's been haunted by this one face you see… you know this, right?" Seraphina asked and Jack nodded "well good, then you know she only remember very little from her first life. But that face haunts her, because of the feelings he brings up when she remembers it"
"She's in love with a face?" Jack asked and Seraphina nodded.
"Not just the face. But since it's the only thing she remembers, she holds onto it like her life depended on it, but after 300 years and two more lives of meeting new faces, even that one started to fade in her memory. When she found out she could no longer remember his face clearly, she became so frustrated that she accidently created the hurricane that destroyed Hog Island"
"That gave her in first place on Naughty list" North said and Seraphina gave a weak chuckle.
"Yeah, she wasn't happy about that coal piece she got… but she accepted her punishment anyway"
"But why would it bother her so much that she can't remember some guy's face?" Jack asked, still not getting the problem.
"Well… you see Jack, Tempora can still feel everything she felt for him back then. All that love she held for him still remains. But when she tries to think of his face, she says that only a blurry picture comes up, and she can't put her love into it like she wants to. It's like she can't combine the two, and it doesn't help that she forgot his name after a hundred years" she sat back on the bush and Tooth flew beside her "and even as a human, she was very controlled by her feelings. If she feels something is right, she won't give up on it easily. It's going to take a lot of proof against what she's doing before she'll realize it"
"Like what? You know, in this particular situation?" Jack asked and looked around. Bunny had arrived and stood and looked at Seraphina, not looking like he wanted too much of a scene. The Sandman had also arrived, but also kept silent in the back.
"Pitch promised her that she would get the tooth box if she spread fear, right? Then all we have to do is show that Pitch is lying… that should help her realize he's a bad guy… or at least make her remember it" she sighed and looked into the ceiling.
"But what if it's not enough?" Tooth asked and looked at Seraphina "what if we need to do more than that?"
"Then I'll take care of it…" Seraphina said and a bunch of vines shot up from the ground "if she won't listen by her own free will, then we'll just have to make listen" she said and then vines snapped like a whip, then snuck back into the ground.
"You'd send those things, after ya own daughter?" Bunny asked and they all looked at him, except Seraphina.
"I would" she said calmly and looked into her cup "it would be best for her… and I don't think anyone of you can hold her back with her current power level" she said and closed her eyes "even though it hurts me, I'll have to do it… for Earth…"
"Ya don't have to do it, I can take care of it" Bunny walked a bit closer Seraphina and she gave a small smile.
"A few egg bombs won't help Bunny… but thanks" she said and sipped her cup again.
"Listen here Sera, what if we could get under her skin?" North asked and looked like he had an idea.
"What are you talking about?" she asked and Jack looked at North.
"If we could get under Tempora's skin, and into her head, we would not need to harm her. All we need is someone to talk to her"
"That sounds really simple, too simple to work" she complained and North held up his hand.
"No, not done explaining. You don't want to hurt her, no? then let someone talk to her as a distraction! Then Sandy knocks her out with dream sand and we make something to hold her, no harm done, and we still have captured her!" he said proudly and Seraphina looked at him.
"Now that… might actually work…" Seraphina said with hope in her voice "and I know who should talk to her"
"Us! Right mother?" Night and Day in unison getting up from the ground looking at her with excitement.
"Sorry but no… you would be way too eager, and try to talk her into coming back right away… no, we need someone who's curious about what's going on, like Jack!" she said.
"Huh?" Jack said and she stood up, pulling him up from his seating spot.
"Think about it Jack. You get your answers, and you get to help returning her to normal"
"But why me? There's something you're not telling me" he said and Seraphina sighed.
"Jack, you don't understand… some things are best left to be discovered, not told. Please, just talk to her. For some reason, she enjoys talking to you; she even showed you the garden on your very first visit here"
"He got to see the garden the first he was 'ere? You're lucky mate" Bunny said and Jack looked slightly more confused.
"Listen, the garden represents how Tempora is feeling. That's why it's so dark now, please Jack" she said and held his hand in both of hers "please?" she begged and Jack sighed.
"I'll do it… but I expect answers at the end of it, got it?"
"don't worry Jack, I'll tell you the answers to what you don't know after you've gotten Tempe back here, but not a second before, got it?" Seraphina said with a serious mine and Jack nodded.
"Got it, so where is she anyway? Anybody holding that particular piece of information?" he asked and Night giggled along with Day.
"We do!" they said happily and grabbed one of Jack's arms each "we'll show you"
"I wanna see this" Bunny said and followed "you better come too Sandy" he said and Sandy nodded.
"Come on!" Night yelled and a loud thump could be heard "whoops… sorry Jack!" she giggled and Bunny entered the room.
"Next time, keep a better grip" Jack said and heard Bunny chuckle. He just sighed and looked around "what's this room?" he asked.
"It's our observation room, we use it to look at the world, and control the sun and the moon" Day explained and smiled at Jack.
"So we can just think of whoever or whatever we want to see!" Night chirped and looked into the middle of the room "ready for some magic?" she asked and the three spectators nodded "good!" she said and Day walked in front of her a few feet away. They closed their eyes and a big transparent globe appeared between them. Then a spot on it started glowing in a bright blue light. They opened their eyes and looked at she's.
"Uh" Day said in a worried tone.
"Guys…" Night said with the same tone.
"She's in Burgess…" they said and Jack clenched his staff.
"She did mention her boyfriend's dad… I think we should hurry and get her" He said and Bunny nodded.
"I can get us there fast with my tunnels" Bunny said and stomped his foot, a hole appearing in the ground.
"Hurry" Night and Day said and they all jumped into the hole.
End of Chapter
A lot of explaining in this chapter, but even more explanation to come in the next one.