A/N: Microsoft Word, you will rue the day you deleted my whole chapter! I dislike you very, very strongly right now, Word.
Honestly! I had the whole chapter written and was just waiting to go over it, when I come back to find that it deleted the whole freakin' thing!
So, that's why you aren't getting the chapter I was expecting to post, hopefully this will do in a pinch. Sorry for the rushed ending… I couldn't really figure out how to do it.
December 12th
Nutcracker
It was rare when the Guardians got together.
They were separate people, with separate jobs.
That is, until Jack came along.
Flying through that portal, in that red bag.
Who'd have thought that he'd be the one who united the Guardians?
He was the prankster boy, the mischief-maker, the cold, hardened, cruel, winter spirit.
He was the boy who messed with Bunny.
He was the boy always on the Naughty list.
He was the boy with white teeth that Tooth never mustered the effort to go see.
He was the boy with the troubled dreams who would sit with Sandy when he was in the area.
He was the boy they never planned on loving.
It came slowly, of course. You couldn't rush this type of thing. But, slowly, slowly, the Guardians started to become a family. Slowly, slowly, over time, they grew close. And then they saw the other side of Jack.
The boy who loved to play.
The boy who loved kids, and was good with them.
The boy with many different talents.
The boy that loved being praised for something he did.
The boy who wanted a family.
Underneath all the sarcasm and smirks was a kindhearted child.
It took some doing, but slowly, slowly, they cracked open his protective shell he had surrounded himself with.
Tooth took the opportunity to start mothering him.
Sandy loved having someone who wouldn't ignore him.
North loved having him in the workshop and took pride when he could see the childish wonder in his eyes.
Bunny and Jack definitely had the rockiest relationship, but somehow that made them closer, just like siblings.
Jack was the glue that held the Guardians together.
When North had his idea, almost everyone was for it. Sandy and Tooth arranged for their duties to be taken care of when they were gone, North left the Pole in the capable hands of the yetis, Jack took care of any pending storms, and Bunny put his golems on duty.
After gulping down the mixture North had brewed, they headed out, using a snow globe to teleport to their destination.
Jack ran a hand through his brown hair once again. North's potion didn't taste good, but it sure did work. Glancing around at his fellow Guardians, he tried to wrap his mind around the changes they had gone through. North still had his beard and bulky figure, though he was no longer quite so tall. Tooth had turned into a beautiful brown-haired woman with green and blue streaks in her bangs. Sandy was still pretty short, but the bright blond-haired man was taller than usual. Bunny had obviously not liked the change, but had ended up his normal height (minus the ears) with bluish gray hair and muscles. Jack was an exact replica of how he used to look three hundred years ago.
They made their way to the front of the line, Jack shuffling his feet in the unfamiliar footwear. He ached to take them off, but bided his time in order not to catch Tooth's attention. An usher showed them the way to their seats, and while North was thanking him, Bunny, Jack, and Sandy made their way into the aisle.
The next hours were spent in total rapture watching dancers move across the stage. Jack himself was totally immersed in the Nutcracker, and so didn't notice the amused glances the others exchanged.
Yes, Jack was holding them together.
He was the glue.
He was their family.
They would care for him.
Until the end of time - and beyond.