Ice Cubes

Summary: Wherein Sandy realizes what a family and home means to one Jack Frost.

LiliFayre's Prompt: I'd really like a Sandy Jack story. I like Sandy and I really don't think he gets enough love. Maybe.. something with the two of them sharing a common hobby.. maybe... I have no idea really. I think anything that you write will be wonderful! So.. I like Jack and Sandy and Bunny. Surprise me?

For LiliFayre's birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I WAS ABLE TO FINISH IT! HURRAH! I hope you have a special day and may you have more birthdays to come! *hugs*And I also hope you enjoy this and I hope that Sandy is in character XD

Daydreaming Fairy tales

The first time Sandy had ever seen the winter sprite was during one cold night in December.

Jack may have been several decades old already, if the way he moved and tiptoed against the telephone wires were any indication of it. And there too, was the familiar slump of shoulders the small man had seen on many aged seasonal spirits. The telltale sign that they realized they were alone and they could do nothing about it.

Sandy sometimes wished he could help such spirits. Bring dreams to the children as they slept and solidify their existence in the process.

But he could only do so much with spirits that have no solid belief base. He could send dreams of children playing with seasonal fairies, but the kids would wake up the next morning, thinking it was only a figment of their imagination.

But still, Sandy tried.

The old spirit stretched his arms as he finished delivering dreams to the children of the town. He turned his attention to the nimble sprite jumping across the roofs with grace.

The old wishing star looked up at the night sky. There was still time before he went and did his rounds on the next town over. He better go and introduce himself to this new hooded spirit and offer him a good listening ear, first.

Only Manny knows how long it has been since this seasonal spirit was last seen and talked to.

With that in mind and a ready smile on his lips, Sandy began to follow the hooded figure, dodging telephone poles as he waved his hand enthusiastically, trying to get the other's attention.

The sandman pouted when the other didn't turn and he huffed as he willed his cloud made of dream sand to go faster and to catch up with the other.

However, the young, hooded seasonal sprite suddenly dropped in between the spaces of the houses, making Sandy bypass him, before the oldest guardian turned around, clearly startled. The old wishing star went back to the space he saw the blue hooded figure vanish and went to see if the other was alright.

To his surprise and slight awe, the young able lad was hanging upside down, legs expertly hugging onto the gutter as he peeked from the windows. The sandman chuckled to himself as he approached the other slowly, ready to extend his sands carefully to catch the other's attention.

BANG!

Sandy jumped in surprise at the loud sound as he turned rapidly, wondering if someone got shot.

But there was no one around and the sandman turned to look at Jack who was not surprised one bit by the loud sound. Still in the same position, hanging upside down with a thoughtful look on his face.

That's when Sandy heard loud footsteps coming from inside the house, and the old star concluded that the banging sound he heard was probably of a door being closed with much force.

"PIPPA! Come back here, young lady-!"

"NO!" A shout from a young girl startled Sandy again, and he floated closer to watch behind Jack, to look through the window and see the room he was peeking in on.

It was a girl's room, peach-colored and neat, stacked with stuff toys and a few books to the side.

The door to the bedroom opened and Sandy quietly gasped as he hid behind a convenient telephone pole. He did not know if the girl was a believer but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, Jack stayed in his perch, and it made Sandy's heart ache just a little bit, when he realized that the other had no hope of being seen left, that's why he was so confident that the girl wouldn't see him.

"Stupid…" Pippa muttered as she closed her door with a bang. There were shouts and scolding from below but the girl ignored them. She looked to be thirteen or twelve, her brown hair cut short as she frowned at the door as though it did her terrible wrong. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She shouted as she turned off the lights and ran to her bed. She grabbed a stuffed toy and threw it at the door.

"I have such stupid parents!" She shouted suddenly as tears ran down her eyes. "You don't care about me at all! I hate you! I wish you didn't exist!" She flopped down onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

Sandy and Jack watched the girl for a few minutes, crying heavily into her pillow and screaming now and then. Her parents came to knock on her door but she locked it and ignored them, so eventually they left.

Finally, after a few more minutes, the girl rolled from her position, dragging some blankets and pillows with her as she sniffled. Several seconds later, she fell asleep, tears running down her eyes.

Sandy frowned. It seemed like his dream sand was needed to end the girl's tantrums and sadness. Just as he was about to do that, Jack shifted in his position, catching his attention effectively.

The teenage-looking sprite let go of the gutter before he gracefully spun in midair, extending his staff to catch the end hook by the window ledge. The boy must weigh like nothing if he was able to do that with ease.

Jack placed his feet against the wall, trying to balance himself, with one hand on his staff as the other reached out to push open the window. Sandy leaned forward in interest as the sprite entered the room when the gap was wide enough.

Curious, the guardian of Dreams flew towards the window, leaning against the wall on the side of the window, so as to be out of sight. He listened to soft footfalls as Jack went to the girl's bedside.

Golden eyes peeked through the window and saw Jack kneel down by Pippa's bed, listening to the hiccups of the girl as she slept. The young spirit pulled down his hood, revealing white hair that shone in the moonlight and light blue eyes that twinkled sadly.

"That was some pretty impressive tantrum, kiddo." Jack kidded, as though the girl could hear him. He shifted to a sitting position, leaning against the girl's dresser as he looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. "You said some pretty harsh words too."

Sandy listened on silently, curious as to what jack was doing.

"Hey." The voice of Frost suddenly said in the darkness. "Why don't I tell you a story? Maybe it'd make you feel better, after fighting with your parents. Or if it doesn't, that at least you'd learn something from it." Sandy sees Jack shrug before he shifted again, but this time in an Indian position as he turned his body to the lump sleeping on the bed.

"A long time ago, nearly three hundred years in fact, there was a winter sprite, brought to life by someone called 'Man in the Moon'." There was a bitter note on the last words that Sandy knew he wasn't imagining. "He didn't know where he was, who he was. But the Moon very kindly told him his name first before he went flying towards the nearest town he found."

Jack sighed as he looked down, rubbing at his temples. "It was all fine and dandy. The sprite was having fun. He was new to the world and he could fly! How cool is that right? That is, until he stumbled into that little town to ask around. He wanted to know where he was and he wanted to see other people watching him fly and have fun."

The old winter incarnate hugged his legs to his chest as he buried his face into his knees. "But it seemed like these people couldn't see the sprite. He was walked through, like- like he was a ghost! And no one heard him at all as he shouted." There was an exhale of breath. "The sprite had to leave because it hurt. It hurt a lot to be walked through. But not being seen, somehow, hurt even more."

Sandy let out a soft exhale of hurt. This sprite, as he suspected was as lonely as the other spirits that had faded away with no belief.

"The sprite traveled around the world after that. He still had trouble flying but it was okay, it was fun, trying something new. He flew all over the world and he laughed and danced and made blizzards." There was a light tone in Jack's voice now as he looked up. "There were no rules. There was nothing to hold him back. He ate when he liked, he pranked whoever he wanted, he slept wherever he wanted to sleep and no one scolded him-"

"It sounds fun right?" Jack asked softly as he looked at the sleeping girl who had a small smile on her face. "I bet you'd like to be that sprite. Free from your parents and going wherever you liked, getting into trouble with no one to yell and scold you."

The girl continued to smile, as though she was dreaming of the life Jack described.

"But!" Jack said, his voice becoming loud dramatically as he continued. "There's a catch!"

Sandy listened intently to the next words, unconsciously leaning further to the window to hear the next quiet words.

"There was something missing in the sprite's life. What? He didn't know." Jack said his tone wistful, eyes distant. "But then one day the sprite crash landed into a park. He and Wind- his best friend- had a fight because Jack wanted to go near the equator and fall asleep there. The Wind didn't want Jack to be hurt so she refused and threw Jack into some random park."

The white haired boy sighed. "He saw it there. The thing that was missing all along." The young boy turned and gave the girl a soft smile. "A family."

Sandy froze and then a question mark formed on top of his head.

Family?

"There was a mother and father…" Jack started as he counted of his fingers. "A son and a daughter. A brother and a sister. The sprite learned they were called that while he watched the adults having fun with the kids." Jack rested his chin against his arms as he continued. "It was strange. The sprite thought, as he held on the front of his clothes. His heart was hurting and he didn't know why. He's eyes were burning but he didn't want to cry. The family was happy, they laughed, and played, and talked with each other. So why?"

Jack buried his face in his arms. "Why did it hurt so much to watch them?"

Sandy's eyes widened when he heard the voice break at the end, the girl in the bed shifted, her smile replaced by a sad look and tears running down her cheeks again. He had half his mind to get in through the window and comfort the stranger spirit that was a few centuries old, but Jack began speaking again and the sandman tried to hold himself back.

"The sprite had no family." Jack said, and his tone was scarily flat this time. Eyes blank and tired. "He lived in a world with no rules, filled with pranks, and always having fun. But the sprite was alone. During day time he would throw snowballs at kids that couldn't see him. He'd pretend that when they played, their eyes didn't look through him. And during night time he'd hang upside down by the windows and watch as kids went home, talking with their parents, hugging, laughing with them."

"The sprite learned to want these small things. These things you take for granted everyday, the sprite wanted them so much. He was willing to give up anything. His immortality, his powers, he would give them up with no second thoughts. He'd do anything just to have a home, to have… a-a family." The young winter spirit took a deep breath.

"That's why you shouldn't take these things for granted, Pippa." Jack spoke as he slowly stood up and approached the bed to sit on the edge. He reached out a cold hand and held his breath as he placed a cold hand on the girl's head. "Don't say you hate your parents, or that you wished they didn't exist. Not everyone can have a family and warm home like you. You might be mad now and you might think that the things you want to have make sense, but-"

The teenage sprite looked down at his feet as he swung them in distraction. "If there came a time that your family would be gone and you're left all alone. You'd realize it too. You'd understand and eventually, you'll want your family back. Don't let these important things slip through your fingers."

There was silence and Sandy watched on, wondering what the other would do now. Jack took a deep breath and hopped off the bed, stretching slightly.

"Well, that's the end of story time! Sorry you had to hear some drama-ridden stories from a sad, old sap like me." Jack said with a grin as he skillfully handled his staff. "Now, I have to go and spread more snow to the west! It's gonna be a snow week on the next town over and I wanted to catch the sandman before he leaves."

Jack turned to the window and Sandy immediately rushed to his old hiding spot. This time he was hiding rather than letting his presence known. He didn't know how Jack would react when he realized that the Sandman had been listening to him pour his heart out.

"Oh and, in case you're wondering about the sprite and what happened to him." Jack said in a conversational tone, one foot already up on the ledge, his face looking at the window and not at the child. "He's still out there, making blizzards and spreading snow. He may laugh and smile and grin when other spirits see him but-" Jack's voice quieted. "On those quiet nights, when the wind howls and the snow fall quietly to the ground, if you listen closely, you can hear him sometimes. He would yell or either cry but why? Well, that isn't a mystery anymore."

Jack pushed the windows, opening wider as he dropped to the ground below. Sandy watched him with sad golden eyes as Jack paused and looked up, towards the window.

"Ah, I forgot to tell her the sprite's name." Jack said with a sigh of exasperation. He shrugged as he yelled, knowing that he won't disturb anyone with the noise, "Jack Frost! The was all the moon ever told him, that his name was Jack Frost. And that-" Jack's voice quieted as he looked up higher, at the moon who shone down brightly. "-That was a long, long time ago."

Silence.

And just like that, Jack was off, running speedily with the help off the wind. He jumped and allowed the wind to carry him to the next town, spreading more snow as he went.

Sandy remained in his hiding spot for a few minutes, staring at where he saw the boy vanish. He was only shaken out of his reverie when he heard the girl, called Pippa wake up, shouting for her parents as she opened the door to her room.

Her mom and dad came immediately of course, thinking she was hurt or had a nightmare. But then Pippa tackled the two into a hug, crying as she apologized. She blubbered on about some sad dream she had that made her realize she was wrong. Sandy smiled a sad smile as he directed a few sands into the direction of the house before turning to leave.

That night, the kids on the next town over somehow had similar dreams. A young winter sprite playing and having a snowball fight with them as they all played in the snow together.

In their dreams, the sprite was happy as he spread snow and fun for the little kids.

The next day, the dreams would be dismissed as something made up by a tired mind but no one could argue that it wasn't a good dream given by the sandman.

The best one at that.

Present…

"Okay, so can you tell me again, where you learned how to knit?" Jack asked laughingly as Sandy taught him how to make a scarf via knitting.

Sandy had a proud look on his face as he made various figures with his dream sand.

"Around, huh?" Jack said with a suspicious tone in his voice. "There isn't some embarrassing background story about it is there? I mean, you know I'm a good listener when it comes to those!"

Sandy laughed a quiet laugh as Jack chuckled and continued knitting. As Jack focused on his work, Sandy turned and saw North leaning against the doorway talking quietly with Tooth. Bunny was asleep by the fireplace, snoring lightly as his dreams of carrots floated on top of his head.

The sandman excused himself from Jack who nodded absently, since he was too focused in what he was doing.

"Ah, Sandy. Finished teaching Jack how to knit?" North asked when he saw the little man approached. Sandy nodded before he tilted his head and pointed at North and Tooth as he formed a question mark.

Tooth looked guilty as she said, "It's just- we were talking about Jack."

North and Tooth exchanged looks before the fairy looked at Sandy who was waiting patiently for an explanation. "And well, we thought Jack would be more mad or angry at us. I mean, we heard the whole story about how he got his memory container back… And Pitch even asked him to join his side- and even after we treated him like that…" Tooth sighed in depression. "He still came back, saved those kids, and saved us."

Sandy urged them on. And?

"And…" North sighed as well. "We are just wondering why…? For three hundred years we have not seek the boy out and we thought it would be harder to persuade him to join us because of it. But here he is!" North made an exaggerated gesture. "He is here with us! Accepting our invitation immediately! As though- as though we have not hurt him with our actions and words… And look! He is even making a scarf now! And for Bunny too! It confuses us old friend, it confuses us greatly…"

"Why?" Tooth asked in a quiet voice filled with shame. "Why isn't he angry? Why doesn't he hate us? I haven't even heard a single insult or a single complaint of how we treated him… Why?" And Tooth looked at the boy who was ruffling his hair as he tried his best to make a scarf with his limited knowledge in knitting.

Sandy looked at Jack as well, remembering a night not that long ago, and the old guardian smiled as he turned to his friend, signing in his sand.

Tooth and North turned to him as he made sand figures to convey his thoughts.

It's because… Sandy's sand figures relayed, although they were not in words. Jack has yearned for a family for a long time. He does not linger on past mistakes… Instead he values the present time.

And it's because… Sandy's sand formed gentle figures with his sand. The five of them together, side by side and Jack's sand figure turning to hug all of the guardians' sand figure. Jack knows the value of family.

Often, Sandy signed too fast, or he made figures none of the guardians could understand. Often, since the guardian of dreams chooses not to talk, there are misinterpreted conversations between him and the others that results in misunderstandings or to put it plainly, no one can simply understand his messages.

But when North and Tooth's eyes widened after his message and their expressions morphed to soft smiles, Sandy knew…

That this time, they understood it too.

Author's notes: The Pippa here is Jamie's friend Pippa ;D She used to live in a different town and moved to Burgess the year after this happened. This was why she was angry with her parents because they were gonna move away from where Pippa grew up. The town that received dreams about Jack was the Burgess town.

I know I promise Frosted Perfection 2, but birthdays come first! :D So here's a Sandy & Jack story which I hope you enjoy from the bottom of my heart! We are nearly to six hundred reviews guys!

Also, sorry if it's a bit draggy. I mean, Sandy can't speak so yeah XD

And so, my tumblr address is in my profile now, there are rules if you have request and I'll only ever post any request fic on tumblr and uploading it to fanfiction will come last XD

So as I said, this is a birthday fic for LilyFayre! Happy birthday again! As you can see, I just inserted the hobby thing at the end and Bunny somehow got in there as well XD I hope this is okay!

So guys, don't forget to greet the birthday girl :D

So to Review Replies (chapter 19)

Emeraldbuttercup: I will try to get with that request as soon as I can, and yes someday I will upload the fanfics from my tumblr here too. The jackrabbit ones meanwhile, well maybe they can stay in tumblr? I'm not confident with them XD

silverheartlugia2000: Yeah, I hope Bunny has a camera too. I mean, what's he going to do with the painting since the googies are perishables. O. O

IWillNeverStopFangirling: Thank you so much for the compliment and for always reviewing and well, you're amazing ;D THANKS SO MUCH

Book girl fan: Yes, for three hundred years it won't be a shock that Jack has learned a lot of things in this span ;D

Yuurei no Chu: What does your name mean? XD Anyway, thank you so much :D I was sad while I was typing out Pippa's part because I was like: What am I doing? Why am I hurting Jack- this

RizReviewer: Uhm,I'm sorry for stomping on your heart and tearing it to pieces? XD

JuneGilbertVivianRaeven: Of course I would gladly keep writing! And I see your picture is a gaian! You have a gaia too, I take it?

dizappearingirl: I did say it five times and I didn't get tongue tied yey! XD Thank you very much for saying that you're okay with whatever I post! You bring tears to my eyes! :D

JustPlainOldMe: Thank you very much for saying so! You're wonderful review made me smile and it would seem more likely that Jack is better at the arts since well its Jack, the creator of amazing fern patterns like you said!

JayaEmera: So what do you think? Should I post the song fic up? I mean it might be awkward and I'm not confident with it too XD

Review Replies (Chapter 20)

Katyuana, Dreamcreator, cuteknight101: Well, I may try to make an extended scene with the Bunny thing, but we'll see.

Ihearthorses6000: Hearing that from you makes my heart grow warmer. Thank you for always supporting this fic!

JayaEmera: Frosted Perfection XD But thank you very much :D I hope you enjoy this although it's not Frosted Perfection 2

Book girl fan: Yes it would. By the way your gift fic is next XD I still havem't decided if it would be an independent fic or an updated but I'll contact you when it's up!

Sleepery: Welcome back! I noticed I haven't gotten reviews from you lately and I was worried! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Dragowolf: *hugs* THANK YOU! No one has ever said such kind words to me! I'm fine now! But my classes start on the fourth so I'm going to go all out today! I hope you enjoy this one too!

Lovepuppy316: Eh? Was it really cute? If so, then I'm happy! I was sorta unsatisfied with it, you see! And to hear that it was sweet, well THANK YOU.

alight: F-Flawless? *is flustered* It's not flawless at all! But thank you so much for the compliment!

I. F. T. S. Thank you for reviewing every chapter so far! I'm sorry I've only replied now, but I'd just like to say that seeing you review brings happiness to me and lights my soul :D (man, I'm corny XD)

RizReviewer: Haha, I don't know if I'd be good at doing a Romeo and Juliet ROTG fic. But we'll see, it depends on the inspiration. XD