Chapter 13

Bunny stared at what was left of his home, and the sad reality was that there wasn't anything left untouched. Everywhere he looked there was fire and more fire. While Bunnymund wasn't usually overly emotional, this was tugging at him. His entire home, his realm, had been destroyed while they had been out looking for Frostbite.

"It's his fault," he was able to hiss out while trying to keep control the sadness welling up inside his body. "If we hadn't been looking for him…" His words faded off.

"You don't mean that," Tooth said fluttering down next to Bunny; she almost missed her step. Her powers were fading, but not too terribly quick since Ember hadn't completely burnt down the palace.

"We fix this," North said gruffly coming up behind the other two. He made a face at the sight of destruction, but he had to keep positive for the other Guardians. "All we need to do is put new plants in the ground and…" He waved his hands around. "It be back to normal."

Bunny snorted at that and just sat on the ground staring at one of the destroyed eggs; even his statues looked fried. Nothing looked remotely like what it should have, and every time Bunny's eyes landed on another dead plant or destroyed object, he just felt himself sinking a bit more into despair. What probably crushed him the most was the fact the rivers he used to color the eggs was completely dried up. There wasn't a drop of water left. Since he was sitting next to one of the dried beds, he couldn't help but run his paw against the parched soil.

"Not ev'n Pitch went this far," Bunny said staring at the broken eggshells in his paw. He closed his hand around it and crunched it more. "Why?"

Tooth touched Bunny's shoulder before opening her hand and showing the two teeth she was able to save from Ember's rage. "We could find out?" She looked up at North to see what he wanted to do, and he took a seat next to the other two Guardians.

"Let's," he said. "Then we find Jack."

While it wasn't supposed to be easy for Tooth to activate the memories for others to see without the child present, she focused and brought the memories forefront and center. The Guardians looked up to see a scene unfold in front of them.

…

"How could I do that?" Jack said, his eyes wide as Ember moved his hand from her face back to the wall. The sand reformed a shackle, but the winter spirit barely noticed. He was trying to process this new information.

"Because," she hissed grasping his face in her hand. "Because Jack Frost you never think before you act." She threw his head back against the wall which make a resounding crack. "You think your powers cause all fun and games… but you never think about what else they can do." She was glaring at Frost now, her body glowing with her anger and the fire sprouting off of her. Jack tried to sink into the wall to get away from the heat, but he was thoroughly stuck.

"I give children fun," he argued. "Your powers are the destructive ones."

The look she gave him was the look a parent would give a child after they did or said something incredibly stupid- it was the 'aww you're such an adorable idiot'. "You do realize while you can't appreciate it, fire can be used to keep someone warm when they're freezing to death," she pointed out walking her fingers up his chest. Jack turned to his head the closer she got to the burn on his neck.

"Better yet don't you know what extreme cold can do to power lines or say pipes?" she continued snatching his face. "Look at me," she hissed. "You want to know why, fine, but you will look at me when I tell you why." He didn't look away again. "There's a reason Pitch doesn't scare me like he seems to scare the rest of you."

"He doesn't scare me," Jack started to protest but she pressed her finger against his lips. When she moved back, he had to lick his lips to try and cool them back off.

"No but the things he can do to you does," she said with a grin. "Leaving you with no sight, no speech, no hearing… that does scare you." Finally, Ember got off Jack's lap basically and crossed the room to sit next to the door. She sat with her legs stretched out and crossed. "Now as I was saying, Pitch doesn't scare me because he can't. " This got Jack's attention. "It's difficult to be afraid of a dream when your real life is far worse."

Amber sat next to Melanie reading her a story about the Easter Bunny; the six year old was enraptured. She looked up to her big sister, she was her hero. Melanie fidgeted on her small cot as the story continued, but she didn't want to miss the good part where the Easter bunny delivered all the eggs to the children all around the world. She loved that part, and she loved the fact he was a bunny. To Melanie, bunnies were the most fuzzy and adorable creatures ever.

From the room, both sisters heard the door slam. Amber's head snapped at the sound and she was shoving the book under the mattress and picking her sister up in one smooth move. With practiced ease, Amber placed Melanie in the closet and gave her younger sister a comforting smile.

"Stay here Mel," she said handing the little girl her stuffed bunny. "Let me just go and see if he's okay." Amber was good to keep the tremor from her voice.

"Promise you come back?" Melanie whispered. "The closet scares me."

"Of course I'll come back," Amber answered pressing a kiss to the young girl's forehead. "And you know I keep the monsters away." Melanie nodded quickly as the older sister stood and shut the door making sure it was secure before heading into the living room.

Amber was thirteen years older than Melanie, and they were technically only half sisters; different Fathers, same Mother, but it didn't matter to Amber. Her little sister was her world, and she'd do anything for her. Even this. Even facing the real monster. She crossed her fingers as she stepped towards the kitchen hoping Father wasn't drunk as he usually was.

She cringed when she saw him sloshing over the kitchen counter, and she took a deep breath stepping towards the man. He was drinking a beer and didn't seem to notice his step daughter's presence. Amber thought about going back to her little sister's room and just locking them in as she would do some nights, but Mom wasn't home yet. If she didn't check on him now, and Mom came home, she would be risking her Mother taking his brunt.

"Dad?" she whispered once she was close enough, and he spun at the sound, his beer spilling all over the floor.

"Syou don't get to call me that slut," he slurred. Amber kept herself calm, he had called her worse things over the years. "You're so lucky you get to live in MY house and eat MY food, you good for nothing…"

Amber didn't even dodge the first hit; it blinded her across her face. It was another bruise she would have to cover in the morning. At least again her little sister would never feel this brunt. The next hit put her to the ground; she didn't even bother pleading as she knew it would only anger him and make it worse for her. The last time she had begged for him to stop, her head had gone into a mirror, and at the emergency room, she had to make up an excuse about how she 'tripped' and fell.

More than anything, the elder sister wanted to get her Mom and Melanie out of this situation, but they had tried that once. He had just found them, and he had almost killed Mom. Amber almost cried at that thought which Father took to think she was crying about being punished, so he slammed his foot into her ribs. Just a few more months… just a few more, and Amber was sure she could get the three of them to disappear for good.

As another kick descended, she couldn't help but wonder if she would make it another three months…

Ember stared at Jack judging his reaction to her story thus far. She hadn't shared this with anyone ever, and these were the memories she had always wanted to keep secret. Just thinking about them now, she had to lower her head to hide the pain in her eyes. She had been so weak then; if she had only been stronger, she could have gotten them all out sooner. They wouldn't have died… She blamed Jack Frost for their deaths, but she also knew part of the blame was on her head. Yet she lived everyday with that guilt and that anger; she was being punished for it. It was only fair that he knew his part and get to suffer with her.

"I can't tell you how many nights I took the beatings so my sister wouldn't have to," she whispered rubbing her face with one of her hands. "I'd keep her in that closet until he passed out from a drunken stupor."

"I can't imagine," Jack whispered not sure how to take in this information. He could think she was lying, but somehow staring at her now, he had a feeling this was the barest truth.

"So many other nights," Ember continued, "I'd sit with my sister and rock her to sleep. She said the monster under the bed scared her… I don't think she ever realized the monster outside her door was far more real and far worse."

"You lived a nightmare," the winter spirit said shaking his head sadly. "You protected her."

"I would have died for her," she countered. "And instead, I died with her."

"I create fun," he protested. "How did I…"

"Let me finish snow cone," she growled meeting his gaze. "After a particularly bad night, I decided enough was enough. I found a job at a bar across town. It wasn't perfect, but I could avoid a small loft, and one day while he was out, I got them both out of there and left no trace… I was too optimistic."

"I've got to go to work Mom," Amber said pulling on the short black skirt and tying up her halter top. "We need the money."

"I know honey," she sighed. "I just wish you didn't work there."

"Tips are good," the elder sister shrugged. "And no one will ever recognize me in a club like that." With that, she moved over to Melanie who was sitting on the floor playing with a toy."Be good."

"What if the boogeyman comes while you're gone?" the younger sister asked innocently enough.

"Just remember he can't get by me," Amber said with a wink. "I'll fight him off with my bare hands if I must." Melanie giggled at the sight of her older sister gesturing wildly. "I'll see you guys in a few hours."

Running outside, Amber pulled her jacket tighter to her body and tried not shiver as she walked through the blizzard. It was a nasty one today, and she idly hoped they wouldn't lose power again tonight. The flat had become unbearably cold last time, and it wasn't good for a growing girl like Melanie to be subjugated to such temperatures. As she walked, she glanced up to see the power lines and telephone lines frozen basically solid. It was going to be a long night.

And Amber was quite correct in that assumption. She spent most of her night serving drinks to men who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, but at least, she was never struck at her job. That was always a plus, and the tips were very good as long as she could keep her head and not threaten to cut off a patron's arm… again.

Exhausted, Amber basically slept walked into her flat without even realizing the door had been unlocked which should have been odd. Forcing herself to her bed, she hit it face first and was immediately out. However, she didn't dream well; she didn't dream at all. Amber got to experience usually what only her sister did- night terrors. Amber remembered well that for almost a year previous how Melanie couldn't sleep a wink without waking up screaming. Finally, the elder sister moved into the room with her to try and calm her dreams, and it seemed to work. Yet tonight, Amber was the one who needed help to try and quiet her dreams. Over and over, she dreamt of her family dying, of the screams, of a warehouse, of fire, and of her step Father's death… the last thing she dreamt was a voice telling her in her dream that she had to get up, get up NOW.

Amber's eyes snapped open, and she glanced around the room wondering why a dream would wake her so severely. She rarely had nightmares since she lived a real life terror usually. And that was when she noticed the smoke billowing under her door. Her eyes snapped open, and she bolted for her bedroom door slamming her body against it when she realized it was stuck.

"Melanie!" she screamed. "Melanie!"

The voice that came next ran her blood cold. "If I can't have her, no one will," her step father said through the door.

"Don't you dare!" Amber yelled. "No don't!" She banged on the door harder trying to break it down while choking on the smoke coming under the door.

Finally, the door gave as the chair blocking it smashed. Amber ran out into the living room to see a massive blaze in the middle of the apartment. On the other side of the fire stood her step Father and Melanie, who was crying.

"It's going to be okay Melanie," Amber said looking for a way through the fire. "I'm going to come get you." It was then she saw her bow, the one treat she had gotten herself three years ago when she was sixteen. She wasn't a perfect shot, but she figured any weapon was better than none. "I'm going to come get you, okay?"

Her step Father didn't move from the window, but he kept a hand on Melanie's shoulder. Slowly, Amber picked up her bow then the phone to which she heard nothing. No dial tone, no static. The power was out, but that shouldn't have affected a phone in the wall.

"Telephone lines are down due to the blizzard," her Father said gruffly tightening his hold on Melanie as she cried harder.

"Just let her go," Amber begged. "Please let her go." Notching an arrow, the elder sister aimed for his heart; she just needed one good shot. The fire was going hotter; her lips were cracked from the heat and sweat was pouring down her face. Her eyes shifted to the kitchen for the briefest moments to see a knife sticking from the back of her Mom's neck. Amber choked up on the sight, but she had to focus. She had to save Melanie.

"Don't do this," Amber tried one more time. "Please don't or I'll shoot."

"If I can't have her, no one will," he repeated before turning towards the elder sibling. As he did so, he dropped a lighter he had in his hand. Amber couldn't see it when he was facing the window, but now, she could only watch in horror as more fire erupted underneath her Father and Melanie.

"No!" Amber screamed reaching through the blaze. She smelt something burning, heard the sizzling and cracking, and it took her a moment to realize it was her own flesh cooking. She ignored the agony and tried to reach for her sister, but she couldn't. The fire was too hot, she was too far. Melanie thankfully had moved far enough away from her Father, so that she wasn't on fire yet…

"I'll be right back," Amber promised. "I'm going to go get help real quick!"

Melanie screamed for her to stay, for her to come to her, but Amber knew when she needed help. Ignoring the pain of her wounds, she ran as quickly as she could into the cold. She needed to get help; she had to save her sister. She had barely made it two steps outside when she slipped on the ice by the door and smashed into the ground.

The next time she woke there were fire fighters all around, and she was on a stretcher. Half of her body was covered in bandages. She felt weak, and she could still see the fire blazing in her apartment, but no one was doing anything.

"Please my sister," Amber whispered, her throat felt constricted and tight.

A fire fighter noticed her and stepped over to the stretcher. He took her good hand. "I'm sorry… the fire…"

"Do something!" she tried to shout but it came out as a croak.

"I'm sorry," he said squeezing her hand. "The pipes in the city are frozen from the blizzard. There is nothing we can do. The fire is just too hot and too dangerous."

With a wail, Amber broke down and threw her head back against the pillow. A few others looked over at her, but not that it mattered much. She knew she was dying; she could feel her body shutting down on itself. It was fine with her too; she had failed her sister, she deserved for her body to do this to her. She deserved far worse…

"Your storm," Ember hissed. "Your fucking storm!" She was on her feet, and before Jack could even say anything, she had kicked him across the face forcing his head to snap to the side. "My sister burnt to death because you not only caused power lines and telephone lines to freeze but the pipes. The water pipes needed to stop the fire!" She fell to her knees next to Jack. "Oh yes, it's my fault too that she's dead but…" Ember wrapped her hands around his throat just as the black sand returned to gag him. "But her death is also on your head… Because you didn't think. Your snow days aren't all fun and games. Your actions have consequences." The fire exploded from her hands and ran across Jack's body. He convulsed trying to get away, shaking and shuddering form the pain. He screamed into the gag.

"This is how my sister felt as she died," Ember hissed. "Alone, scared, unable to scream as the smoke choked her, and in agony."

Chapter 14: Jack doesn't know what to think, and Ember is far from fine. She's been through more than anyone could deal with for a few years, but she's been immortalized with these memories. The Guardians don't know what to think about what they saw, but they know now they have to help Jack before Ember snaps more than she already has.

OOC: All right let me say thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are so amazing; the compliments about Ember really keep me going. It makes me smile knowing that you guys like her and think she's original.
Now, back to the story, there is still a fight to be had.

Review as I want to know what you guys thought about Ember's back story. I didn't want her to be ruthless for no reason, but she's had 3 decades to think about the pain her sister was in, so she isn't what you call stable.