Well, with that kind of reaction, what a horrible person I would be to leave you hanging! So thank you, thank you, That Girl in the TARDIS, LuffyxRuby, ParrotCrazy, iMusicMonstrosity, Lady Minuialwen, and Anon-e-mouse SO much for your (very enthusiastic) responses. It is because of you lovely people that I am getting this out there, thank you!
I'm just going to shut up because something tells me you want to know what happens!
Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights
Chapter Nine: I Care About You Too Much
"Son of a bitch," Claire murmured as she squinted into the blizzard at Jack and Pitch in the distance, "Did he just say—"
"Done," Jack replied to Pitch's command before he burst into action, speeding at Claire as fast as a bullet.
"Christ-!" Claire reacted purely on instinct and jumped out of his way into a pile of snow next to the pavement; Jack stopped easily and slid on the ice, coming to a stop in front of her.
"Think you can stop me?" Jack said with a warped crooked grin, red eyes leering at her through the snow.
Claire's mind worked furiously as she hurriedly gathered some snow to herself. "I've got to try!" she exclaimed as she threw a snowball at his face. Caught off guard, it took Jack a second or two to regain his senses before he saw her take off down the sidewalk, stumbling slightly as she tried not to fall on the ever-growing ice.
"How the hell am I going to get out of this," she said to herself in a panic. Jack's grin widened as he took to the air, chasing her down again. Claire ignored the sob that worked into her throat as she looked over her shoulder, seeing Jack chasing her again.
He was supposed to protect me, she thought bitterly as he gained on her. "That's it!" She exclaimed, "I'm an idiot." She didn't have much time to celebrate her mental triumph as Jack flew overhead, pushing her head down so she would lose her balance. Claire stumbled and fell onto the pavement hard, popping her shoulder out of place. She cried out in pain, and Jack landed before her, unaffected.
"You're going to pay for that," Jack said harshly, pointing his staff downward at her.
Claire bit her lip to stave off another cry of pain. "Come on, Jack," she stalled as she tried to get up, "where's your sense of fun and adventure?" Jack raised an eyebrow but let her struggle to her feet.
"This is fun," he pointed out, hovering slightly above the pavement to enhance his aim. He shot out a jet of ice at her, and Claire dove under him, using the frozen pavement to propel her down the sidewalk away from him.
"Dammit," Claire said aloud, "Guardians!" She tried to hastily execute her plan, but Jack, had already turned to hunt her down again, was giving her no time to think. "Santa, The Easter Bunny! Uuuhhh," Claire stood up quickly again, looking for other avenues to pursue that would stop Jack from freezing her to death as she tried to remember the other guardians. "Anyone! Jack's gone crazy! Help!" she cried as she was forced to dive into another snow drift to dodge a wall of icicles. Claire stood up again, breathing hard.
"You're a slippery one, aren't you," Jack said, landing in front of her. His gaze turned sinister. "I can remedy that," he said, and pointed his staff at her once more.
Claire felt the tears freeze on her cheeks as they fell. "Jack," she said brokenly, "Don't do this."
Jack only grinned wider as she fell to her knees in front of him. Pitch took this moment to appear next to Jack, all smiles.
"You finally give up?" he gloated, "Good." He patted Jack on the shoulder as encouragement. "Finish her."
Claire closed her eyes as Jack summoned a jet of ice to the tip of his staff. In the next instant, Claire felt something very big, warm, and fuzzy push her shoulders and roll with her out of the stream of ice. Claire opened her eyes, and the Easter Bunny now stood before her in a protective stance.
"What are you crazy mate?" Bunny exclaimed, glaring at Jack. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he noticed Jack's eyes.
"Finally!" Pitch said relieved as he saw Bunny and North appear soon after. "The real battle can begin!" Pitch let out a battle cry as he summoned his scythe, engaging North and his twin swords in a duel.
"He can't hear you," Claire said softly as she stood up behind Bunny, gripping her shoulder. "Thanks, by the way."
Bunny turned to look at Claire briefly before resuming his stare-down with the red-eyed Jack. "What's wrong with him?"
"Pitch brainwashed him," Claire explained, "I don't know how; he used the sand somehow. He only listens to him," she spat out in the direction of Pitch, who had tried to use his shadowy abilities to sneak up on North; he was thwarted when North turned abruptly to block Pitch's would-be-fatal blow.
"If you're finished," Jack cut in, stalking closer. "I have my orders and a girl to take care of."
Bunny crouched into a ready stance in front of her. "You don't want to do that mate."
"Oh, but I do," Jack said with an evil sneer before taking off into the wind. Bunny leapt up in front of him before he could reach Claire, intercepting his attack. He spun quickly, using Jack's momentum to hurl him in the opposite direction.
"This is bad," Bunny said in the brief second before Jack returned. He threw a boomerang, which Jack easily dodged. Bunny then ducked and leapt over Jack's jets of ice in such a way that Jack was right in the boomerang's returning path; it clipped Jack in the back of the head as it returned to its master. Jack's eyes seemed to only get darker as he glared at the bunny.
Bunny landed in front of Claire again, continuing what he was going to say before. "We've got to get him under control before he gets worse," he said, watching Jack shake the slight dizziness the boomerang gave him. "He's breaking his oath as a guardian, brainwashed or not." He looked up into the stormy sky as if he could see the moon beyond the clouds. "The Man in the Moon won't like it, and if he stays like this long enough he'll take away Jack's powers as a precaution." Bunny's explanation was cut off abruptly as Jack made a flying leap at Bunny, who absorbed the blow and kicked Jack off of himself high into the air. As if the Man in the Moon heard their conversation, Jack's ability to fly sputtered, and he lost control of the wind briefly. However, he quickly righted himself and flew back down to attack Bunny.
Claire watched in horror as the two continued to fight. "Lose his powers…?" she repeated softly, furiously trying to think of a way to stop him. She watched paralyzed as Jack gained the upper hand, pushing Bunny to the ground.
He'll never forgive himself, Claire thought, watching the action play out in slow motion. She reached out for the two who were about five feet down the path as if there was something she could do. She pulled back her hands, relieved to see Bunny get to his feet, fighting back. Her relief was short-lived, however; Jack easily pushed the winded guardian back into a pile of snow. He aimed his staff for a finishing blow.
"No!" Claire screeched into the wind, instinctively reaching out for the two again. Suddenly, a strong gust of winter air shot out of her hands, blowing Jack out of range to eliminate Bunny. Claire looked down at her hands in disbelief. What…?
"Foolish girl," Jack spat, taking to the air to fly at her. However, he seemed to stumble mid-flight and was unable to fly very high; he settled for skating across the ice towards her.
Claire could think of no plausible explanation for what just happened. She did know that she needed it to happen again, quickly, before Jack lost all power or killed her. She held her hands out at the approaching guardian, dismayed that no wind came out.
"Shit," she said before Jack shot a stream of ice at her. She wasn't quick enough to dodge, and her right leg became encased in painful ice. She bit back a scream, trying to stamp her foot into the ground to break the ice.
"Got you," Jack said as he moved to fire again. At that instant, he was tackled by Bunny; however, Jack was ready this time and continued the roll so Bunny was the one that ended up on the ground.
Claire held her hands out in front of her, willing something to happen. "Please," she said with a sob, "I care about you too much to let it end this way!" She renewed her determination, and focused all of her being into her hands.
Jack stifled a snort. "Speak for yourself," he said, and sent a fatal stream of ice at her.
"Jack!" Claire cried out, feeling a powerful explosion of air burst from her fingertips. She felt something cold fly through her as she watched Jack's back collide harshly with a streetlight. Claire saw his red eyes close and felt a tear run down her cheek as she fell back onto the pavement, feeling cold in every pore and nerve.
Please be alive, was her last thought before she gave in to the darkness.
-((To Be Continued!))-
I said I wouldn't leave you hanging from yesterday, but I never said how I'd end this one XD Man, story climaxes are just full of cliffhangers, aren't they?
Please let me know what you think!
~freaky-hanyou