Chapter 1*
Nothing.
Nothing else, in the world was quite like flying through a sky lit with stars.
Nothing, also happened to be the amount of action Tony Stark famous playboy; superhero, billionaire, philanthropist & societal wastrel, was getting tonight! Needless to say on multiple levels.
Which was a fact that was putting the Iron Man in a pretty poor mood as he flew yet another round of patrol over New York City.
"Hey Jarvis? Are you sure you scanned the City's west side already?" asked Tony sullenly.
It had been about six months since the 'Crazed Moose' as Tony liked to call, the wannaebe god, Loki; had attacked New York with an alien army. Six months since Tony had been brought aboard a secret military base to become part of a team of amazing fighters, called the Avengers. And six fairly peaceful months since together the Avengers had saved the Earth!
It had also been six months since he was last thrown out a window. Not that he wanted to repeat that precise moment. But it was just an experience one couldn't muster to forget, even with vast amounts of alcohol.
On a side note being thrown from a window made for a darn good party icebreaker. "When in doubt bring up the window thing", became Iron Man's new fallback, in conversation.
Tonight though, there were no parties for Tony. It was his turn to go on patrol for any sort of criminality going on around town. Unfortunately as was mentioned earlier, absolutely nothing was happening.
"Indeed Sir. All calculations have been made. The weather is 80% clear skies. There are no traffic jams at this current time, and there is a total of 12.35% amount of crime related events going on in the West Side Vicinity." Replied the monotone voice of Jarvis, Tony's self-built super computer.
"How is that even possible? It's New York for Pete's sake?!" snapped Tony in astonishment.
Missing another pigeon by a fraction of a second by spinning in a half circle in midair. He hated pigeons! They always got in the way with his steering the suit.
"Jarvis when was your last update?!" he demanded. Thinking to himself, 'Clearly I'm slacking on upgrading some of Jarvis's systems. They're has to be more crime tonight then that old Granny stealing bananas from the convenient store! Again!"
((Line Break))...
New York was known for many things, but a crime free city? It just didn't seem possible. Then again if Tony had been honest, he would have acknowledged that ever since the Avengers had made the previously named Stark Tower their new base of operations. Crime in New York had trickled down to a jaw-dropping low. After all, it was common sense that trying to pull a fast one on the people responsible for knocking the invading aliens arses, was probably not a great idea. Well not without some top-notch military hacked cracking firepower!
Which for the first three months after the "Moose Event" had actually occurred a significant amount of times. However, after the Avengers had sent Doctor Doom to jail, twice, things had started to get really slow.
Reaching a final point three weeks ago, when Iron Man came to the distress call of a local convenient store. Where the now old dreaded woman Mrs. Frisbie, was not only stealing bananas! But tossing oranges slices at other shoppers shouting in a rattling voice, "Eat your vitamins! No treats till you eat your vitamins! Is that you Cornelius? Get outta that red yellow eye sore an help your Granny! Those are my BANNANAS!"
Tony would give Mrs. Frisbie her due. The old fogie had a stare that could kill, when aimed, and with that cane of hers, well as Barton aka The Hawk had put it, "That woman is lethal!"
Yes. With her little pink eyeglasses, Mrs. Frisbie had managed the impossible and become the true form of fear in all of the Avengers eyes. Nick Fury was no exception.
Out of all of them, Tony reflected, Thor's case with her had been particularly bad.
Poor Thor intending to help had originally misunderstood the whole situation. Thor had begun yelling at the storeowners, for them to allow Mrs. Frisbie her bananas. Not realizing that with the storeowner being a woman herself, he had thus committed a great faux pas in Mrs. Frisbie's presence. Next thing Thor knew the old woman had turned and begun hitting him with her walking cane whilst shouting, "You brute of a man! How dare you raise your voice in a lady's presence! I taught you better Cornelius! DON'T YOU TELL ME TO DISIST! YOU APOLOGIZE TO THE MISS! APOLOGIZE!" Whack. Whack. Whack. Tha-wack! Cracck!
"You broke my Prime walking stick! Time for a Spanking! Look! I dropped my bananas!" Whack.
Thor had come back to the tower a little traumatized that day.
Much to Tony's amusement, Thor had also decreed that the old Mrs. Frisbie was to be put on their Hostile List as number one. And that all convienant stores of New York, (plus bananas), should be considered her territory in the necessary future. With much consideration upon it, Tony had to agree with Thor.
Mrs. Frisbie like Barton had said was horrifying.
Tony sighed. Speaking of Mrs. Frisbie, it looked to either be her or Hobo Chicken Joe between the choices for Iron Man's attention tonight.
Trying to keep from getting bored, Tony flew in plain view of many of the skyscrapers, the reflection of his metal suit shining off of them. There was plenty of traffic, the streets were filled with pedestrians, club goers were dressed up for fun. Everyone was busy with living his or her daily lives. Not a crime in sight.
There just simply wasn't anything else that called for his help going on?
"To think I should have gone out with Pepper after all!" Tony muttered. Even a political dinner party back at company headquarters would have been better than this.
((Line Break))...
A cold blast of wind flew high above the city of New York, up amongst the clouds lit with the moon's guiding light, unseen by everything was a figure drifting with the wind. Eyes' focused on the site of the world below him. He had wanted to come visit the city sooner especially since those "alien" things had appeared here, but a Guardian of Earth, Tooth, had needed his assistance elsewhere.
Still he was here now taking in the site of a City that was still rebuilding in many places, he observed.
He glided on top of the wind, taking in the foreign scents of New York City's air. It's loudness and life awaking a multitude of emotions inside him.
On the one hand he could get lost in the wonder of it all! The way the streets hummed as people talked, shouted, drove cars, bustled in stores, rang cell-phones! So alive! The place was full of opportunities! Times Square's billboards gleamed a spectrum of colors that 200 years ago weren't even possible to make!
Inspiration struck him! He could already picture the harmless amounts of entertainment he would be creating, here!
A chuckle passed his lips, yet?
Yet, deep down he felt the old division for it was places so full of life that also made him think about things.
Things like the basic questions, "Where did I come from?" or "Why am I the only one?" or "What am I, exactly anyway?"" or his least favorite, "Why am I here?"
Questions that he knew after the first 100 years he would simply have to accept, because there was no one that could answer. Questions that he decided were in the long run better left ignored anyhow.
Besides, he knew what mattered. Over the course of 300-going on 400 years he knew what he liked and disliked. He knew in his soul what he wanted most, or he assumed he did anyway.
"What did he really want?" he thought.
He shook his head a bit.
He knew that he had lived for an outrageously long time; especially for someone who was not an Immortal Guardian of Earth?
He knew that he had lots of powers. Not just the obvious one that dealt with his being able to turn any place into a snow globe.
Then again? What all those powers were was a bit of a riddle, but he was working on that.
He knew at one time he had belonged to a small village, somewhere in Europe. He was pretty sure he could still find the Lake nestled near the long gone village outskirts?
He would always remember the Lake.
Simply since anything after he had emerged from the Lake he remembered clearly.
It was the memories before that were foggy. As if a sheet of icy glass had been purposefully set to block them from his mind?
Still from the brief flashes in his memory he was able to bring up, he could place a warm bed with straw. A sweet voice singing in the background, accompanying a gentle safe feeling as he once played with other village children. A sense of being different even then, but most importantly still included. Perhaps even, a sense of having once belonged somewhere partially?
Someplace where Jack Frost or if you were as old as North, Jokul Frosti could have called home?
"What was home anyway?" Jack suddenly thought in annoyance. He had been around the Earth for at least 378 years or so & seen all sorts of homes going from muddy caves to the elaborate palace of China's Emperor!
Home was whatever you made it.
So why did he still feel a sense of misplaced nagging? When, he Jack Frost had made it a point to adopt the whole world as a home!?
Jack mulled over this set of thoughts as he allowed himself to float all the way down to the Madison Street beneath him. His feet creating ice as he touched the sidewalk.
A person walked right through him!
Jack yelped in alarm as his whole essence quivered in shock, a feeling like hundreds of little bee stings zinged through him!
Absolutely no one noticed his small moment of panic.
Later, Jack Frost touched down onto the tallest city skyscraper he could find. In an instant snow began to softly fall in the area. People on the streets below stopped to gawk at the white little dots that were multiplying from the sky!
Jack's foot touched the building, causing ice to begin creeping all over, quickly making it's way down the building's side.
He twirled his staff around a bit. More snowflakes began to fall.
A wicked grin spread across his elf like face! This was going to be great! An August blizzard! What could be better!?
He looked around him, watching a few of the people gathered just a little ways beneath him on what he assumed was an observatory deck thanks to the telescopes. Faces gawking up at the sky, past him to the flurries his general presence created.
A woman with an ice cream cone began catching the snow with it, making it look as if she had put sprinkles on it.
Jack smiled.
An idea was forming!
Some teenagers wearing shorts began pulling cell phones out to take photos of the weather fluke.
Jack's idea became solid like cement!
His crystal like emerald eyes gleaming with upcoming mischief!
(((Line Break)))...
"What the?"
Snow?
It was snowing?
This early in August?
"Jarvis what did you say the weather was again?" Tony asked.
"All reports read that tonight's weather was 80% clear skies, sir."
"80% Clear Skies?"
"Yes. Sir."
"Jarvis. You are reading this snow falling right?" Tony asked bewildered as the temperature of his suit rose to counterattack the sudden chill.
"Indeed sir."
"Care to explain then?"
"…"
"Ahem. Jarvis, I'm looking at the temperature here it appears that over half the city in under one minute went from about 78 degrees to now…Holy Moses! Thirty and still heading down! What gives? Jarvis?" Tony stated now definitely baffled! He'd heard of extreme weather changes like this occurring in the past hundred years. Having to look into it, when making some special guerrilla type outfits for soldiers back in the days of yore. Always though, the places where weird flukes like this had occurred had been like the Sahara desert or Beijing actually? Never New York City?
Looked like things were going to get interesting after all, if not historical.
"Well Jives?" Tony ordered a little.
"…..Computing origin sir….." replied Jarvis.
Tony's brow furrowed, as he flew closer to where Time's Square was he began noticing that down below chaos seemed to be occurring!
Everywhere you looked people were rushing into the nearest places of warmth they could find! Once happy flip-flop striders were now manically running home to avoid loosing toes! The streets were becoming so icy that plenty of people were now sliding down them now on frosted bums. Traffic Jams started to pile up alongside the snow, which was only increasing in how much was falling. Starbucks employees who had been looking forward to an easy night shift now realized in blind terror that the snow was bringing wave upon waves of epic hot chocolate starved pedestrians! Tony thought for a moment that maybe he should text Steve aka Captain America that his new girlfriend might be in need of a lift.
"Sir?" piped up Jarvis.
"Thought I'd lost you there Jives. So what's the verdict?" Tony asked briskly he was noticing that as he flew in a specific direction the snow seemed to gather more thickly. "Odd," he thought.
"I am sorry to inform you sir. That there is no known origin."
Iron Man seemed to do a double barrel roll in the air skidding a little on a building leaving a few scratches.
"Run that by me again?"
"The origin for the snow sir. It is unknown," came Jarvis's reply.
"That's impossible!" Tony exclaimed, "Okay well at least tell me where it's gathered the most. Maybe Doom made a freeze ray or something."
"Certainly sir."
Tony quickly switched on at least one of his back up power cells that he had installed just in case.
The cold weather was making things much more difficult. The air around him was starting to resemble a light blizzard. He had luckily dealt with freezing temperature problems earlier, when he had first made his suit. A fact that had even helped him defeat his first true opponent, his old partner in business. This didn't mean that he was fully prepared for dealing with all the affects of the harshness that cold weather could become. Truthfully he had never even piloted the suit in the snow before.
"Sir. It would seem that the Empire State Building is at the center of the weather anomaly."
"Thanks Jarvis, let's go see what's happening!"
((Line Break))...
Tony felt his whole mouth drop.
There was a gigantic "Frosty" on top of the Empire State Building!
It even had an icy carrot nose. It was the biggest, darn Snow Man Tony had ever seen in his life!
The only thing he could compare it too, was that old childhood book he had read called James & the Giant Peach. Instead of fruit though there were three gigantic balls of solid ice, not counting the top hat!
He honestly didn't know whether to laugh, be amazed or affronted? It was absolutely ridiculous. Someone, was freezing the entire city, for a giant ice sculpture?
"Bloody hell, Doom's really lost it this time?!" Tony muttered, the inner child in him arguing, "that this was only the most brilliant thing to do with a freeze ray!"
"Dude. Jarvis take a nice shot of that Snow Man for me!" cried Tony as he flew in towards the building. Whether the one causing all this trouble was insane or not he was going to keep a photo of it.
(((LIne Break)))...
Jack stood back & observed his handy work. 'Okay so it was a little lame' he had to admit. Still there was his introduction to New York. A wonderful giant friendly Frosty Snow Man that was so big that the whole City would be able to see it for miles around!
And oh could they see it! The people below him were going nuts! The employees of the building had gone & called the fire department. The fire department had taken one look at the Snow Man & called the Mayor. The Mayor was ordering cranes to come mess up Jack's work. So with a twitch of Jack's fingers here or there, a bit of 'whatever else' it was Jack could do, the Mayor's phone went dead! This caused the Mayor to turn purple!? Then when the Mayor got his hands on his secretaries phone Jack repeated his actions.
Accidently, causing the phones for the next four floors down to all go dead!
The next series of events to follow were hilarious to Jack!
It was mischievous fun at it's finest.
People were finding themselves inside the Building to all of a sudden become frozen to their Office chairs! (This was because Jack had gotten bored a little around the making of the second orb of the Snow Man & decided to explore the building a bit.) He had a wonderful time watching a man named Charlie all of a sudden dance during a board meeting, due to the ice Jack had placed in his shirt. "There's a sure fire way to keep their attention!," Jack had stated happily though no one heard him.
There was also a woman named Katie who flipped out when no matter how much money she put in the hot water dispenser for her tea, it kept on freezing.
Lastly Janitor Smithson had lost a plunger, because it was stuck in the toilet, frozen. All the water in the entire building was frozen tight save for a little girl named Pamela's juice cup. Pamela's parents were not so lucky.
All in all it was turning out to be a wonderful day for Jack Frost! He hadn't caused this sort of level of fun since he'd 'borrowed' North's sleigh!
Jack grinned in merriment as he flew around the whole building. Stopping to perch on his staff back at where the Mayor was now currently 'assessing' Jack's work.
He watched the Mayor wave his arms around in a desperate panic at the chief of police, demanding explanations that not a soul could give.
Jack started to feel himself getting bored, when all of a sudden a flying metal man appeared! Jack's eyes grew huge in wonder!
"Mr. Stark! Thank God!" cried the Mayor.
"Well this is new," Jack said to himself, curiosity growing?
((Line Break))...
"Hey there Mayor! How ya doing?" said Iron Man.
"How am I doing? How am I doing! There's a fifty some giant hunk of Ice sitting on a building state taxes only just repaired! How do ya think I'm doing!?" Mayor Gibbs shrieked!
"Careful there, you'll pop a blood vessel," Tony snapped sarcastically as he landed on the buildings surface. His indicators displaying that a light sheen of ice was over every surface inch of the place.
Particularly a little ways behind the Mayor towards the Head Fireman's left, 'Hmmm'. Tony's eyebrow rose slightly in wonder.
Mayor Gibbs, who was having a very bad day. Ignored Tony's comment towards his health and went right on ranting, "Worse yet not a daft fool can tell me what the hell is going on! It was eighty-five & above this morning now look! Just LOOK! Snow! Snow! SNOW!" As the Mayor exclaimed he waved his arms in a perfect impersonation of a mad 'Muppet'. Ending his act with giving the poor Police Chief a glare that even Jack couldn't help but call icy.
"We can't even get a Crane up to remove that! THAT MONSTROSITY!" shouted the Mayor to Tony!
"Hey!" shouted Jack indignantly back.
For the briefest of moments Tony could have sworn he had heard on the suit's speakers someone else's voice besides the Mayor's?
'Too much static from the weather,' he thought dismissively, "Don't worry Mayor Gibbs, as an Avenger you can count on me to get to the bottom of this? Hmm, this?"
"Piece of Crap," filled in the Mayor.
"Oh ho no. You did not call my work! Crap!" steamed Jack. He had spent a jolly good amount of energy on that Snow Man, even with it's flaws and like all creators he wasn't about to let the Mayor's words go unchallenged. For if there was one thing that pissed Jack off more than anything else it was his 'work' being insulted.
"Art," Tony offered, as he turned to the fireman, "Did you say something sir?"
The head fireman merely shook his head no. Tony could have sworn someone else had said something? He checked his speakers quickly. They were working at 98%. Maybe the cold was affecting him?
"I swear Iron Man you get whoever is responsible for this, and I'll make sure there's a statue built of you!" continued Mayor Gibbs.
"Have you evacuated the citizens at least?" asked Tony trying to get things moving. The Mayor was beginning to irk him.
"We started that 30 minutes ago, some people have found themselves frozen to their chairs so the process is slow going. One poor guy got stuck to the toilet on the sixth floor." Commented the police chief.
Jack let out a light-hearted laugh. What an image!
Laughter. He was hearing laughter now? Tony quickly looked all around him, "Excuse me, Mr. Mayor but do you hear someone laughing?"
"LAUGHING!? You think that funny Stark!" Mayor Gibbs squawked.
Jack immediately stopped laughing. Merry mood gone, "What? What did metal man just say?"
"No. I don't at this moment, Mr. Mayor, but I keep picking up a voice besides yours on my speaker here? It's very faint? It could just be radio interference, maybe?" Tony's voice drifted as Mayor Gibbs blew up!
"I HAVE A GIANT ICEY CRAPOLA OF A PROBLEM AND YOUR CONCERN IS RADIO INTERFERENCE!"
"Hey, relax, there's no reason to get so upset its just snow!" Tony snapped back.
"JUST SNOW! JUST SNOW! IT'S S…H….I…..!"
SPLAT.
A snowball had slammed itself into the back of the Mayor's head. Leaving everyone else to stare thoughtfully in question, "Where had the snow ball come from?"
The Mayor felt the snow dribbled down his already cold spine, he knew the police chief was behind him, he turned around to give the man what for when ….SPLAT.
Yet another snow ball made its' target. This one hit with enough force to send the Mayor falling back into Iron Man's arms!
Tony himself was trying to process what had just happened in the space of a few minutes! It hadn't been the police chief or the head fireman that had thrown the snowball!
It had just appeared out of thin air & flown at Mayor Gibbs hitting him on the back of his bald head!
Someone else was here, he was certain now.
"Jarvis! Scan for any & all-possible life forms within this immediate area. Tell me how many people are here!" ordered Tony, thinking quickly, 'What is going on?'
"Sir. There are in this immediate area five life forms present," reported Jarvis.
"What! Who else is here!" Tony cried, alarmed.
He wasn't the only one. Jack was growing alarmed too. "After nearly 400 years? It couldn't be?" he whispered. Sliding down to the ground so that he could grip his staff.
The third snowball he had been forming in his hand forgotten.
"Stark! What are you babbling about?" Mayor Gibbs grumpily asked as he tried to regain his lost equilibrium.
"It seems were not the only four here, sir!" replied Tony, thinking quickly, "Jarvis relay the thermal image visual."
"Right away sir."
Tony looked at the world around him through the Thermal Screen there was the Mayor, green on the screen, chilly but present. Then the Police Chief was standing next to him only a few shades lighter then the Mayor as Tony watched him assist the him. And finally besides Tony himself there was the Firemen Head standing a bit off to the side a darker green then the other two shivering.
"Only four," Tony muttered, "Dang it I'm sorry Mayor they're must be something wrong with m…."
Tony stopped talking. There behind the Firemen was another person. A much smaller person then Tony had honestly expected. Whose thermal readings were such a dark indigo that Tony knew that they had to be near fatal levels of cold.
Later Tony would wonder what possessed him to do what he did, but for the tiny moment it took, he flipped his helmet off so that he could see this mysterious being with his actual eyes.
As Tony's face became exposed he found himself staring at a very young boy who could only have been around fifteen years old.
The boy was thin with long legs ending in pale bare feet. Ice that gathered around the boy's toes seemed to also cover the rest of the boy's fairly tall body. His clothes appeared to consist of a thin pair of brown leggings and a simple light blue hoody. He was so pale that Tony felt himself worrying over the boy's health almost instantly, "His lips are nearly blue?"
As Tony brought himself to study the rest of the boy he noted the boy's unusual hair. It was chin level in the back tussled in wavy lengths that were either already white or what seemed to be a deep brown gradually turning white. The boy had dark roots he could see but overall the hair seemed to shimmer like silver.
The boys face itself was for lack of a better term elf like, or in Tony's terms, "pretty boy like". Oddly enough, the more Tony actually looked at the boy's face the more he began feeling a sense of? Familiarity. As if he had met this 'invisible kid' somewhere before, he didn't know if it was the high cheekbones, pale blue tinted skin, or the dark eyebrows that were raised in utterly frightened shock?
"It's the eye's," thought Tony, "where have I seen eye's like that?"
Two otherworldly, perfect crystalline teal emeralds shone with a multitude of emotions. And as Tony continued to stare taking a step or two towards the lad the boy's eye's actually gleamed with intelligent expression.
It was as Tony took another step in the boy's direction that he finally snapped out of the trance that he seemed to have been in momentarily. Realizing that the boy's hands were clutching a branch like staff with a sickle like shape on the end, as if for dear life.
Tony decided to speak, "Hey there? What's your name kid?"
"You can see me?" whispered Jack too shocked to think.
"Well of course I can?" replied Tony, getting concerned.
"You can see me." Jack whispered again his eyes glued to the 'metal man's' face. He felt like crying.
"Yeah. Yeah, I can see you," said Tony.
" You…you can hear me?!" Jack asked not caring if a tear or two fell.
'Uh oh,' thought Tony as he saw a stream of tears fall down the kid's cheek, 'that's not a good sign?'
"Look Kid. What's your name?" queried Tony kindly.
"WHO THE HELL YOU TALKING TO STARK!?" interrupted Mayor Gibbs.
Causing the unnamed boy to jump badly into the air a good foot or two off the ground. Tony rounded on the other man, "What is your problem! Can't you see how startled you made the kid!?"
Mayor Gibbs face was deadly serious as he stared at Tony with a look that was echoed by the Fireman & Chief of Police.
"Mr. Stark, there isn't anyone else here." said the Chief of Police slowly.
"What? There's a boy right there!" Tony pointed at said boy.
"Mr. Stark, there isn't," replied the Chief.
"Yeah there is!" cried Tony getting annoyed.
Jack's mind had briefly gone completely blank, "No one? No one ever see's me! No one's seen me in in? In ages! If ever?!" He unknowingly voiced aloud, his body shaking.
The boy's words struck Tony hard, 'What did the kid just say?'
"What do you mean no one see's you? I see you?" asked Tony, turning back to face Jack.
The Police Chief and Mayor Gibbs exchanged concerned looks, "Okay Mr. Stark. How about we go sit inside, get warmed up a bit. Give your teammate Captain America a call? A little more muscle couldn't hurt, right? How about that?"
Tony flat out ignored them. The boy was standing right there! Yet the others clearly could not see him? What did this mean? Who was this invisible kid?
'Is it getting colder or is it just me?' Tony wondered on top of all his other questions as the temperature dropped even more. He looked at the boy's bare feet again.
"What?" sputtered Tony.
Ice was forming from right under the boy's pale bare feet and wooden staff. Working its way outwards in all directions, 'It's him!' concluded Tony, in amazement, ' No way. The kid's doing this! The boy didn't even seem to notice any ice was coming from where he stood. He just kept staring at Tony.
"Hey listen, ignore those idiots, kay. Tell me what your name is? Where are you from?"
Jack was in such a state of shock that he was instinctively starting to shake from all the overwhelming emotions. 'Was this happening? Does he really see me? Am I dreaming?' thought Jack. He tried to respond to the 'Metal Man's' questions, finding himself too much in a state to answer. He felt more tears fall, he hadn't intended for this to be the way things would go. He hadn't planned on crying when finally seen. Truthfully he had given up on it ever happening.
"Hey. Hey Kid. You okay? Don't worry about the Snow Man thing, really, who doesn't like to make Snow Men right?" came the 'Metal Man's' voice gently.
It was really happening. "He see's me. You see me!" Jack repeated looking into the 'Metal Man's' face. Jack couldn't help it, he felt reborn! He was seen! He started laughing over the sobs that his body couldn't contain anymore! Seen! He was at last, Seen!
Tony was now officially concerned, the kid was going into euphoric hysterics. Tony approached the boy putting his hand on the child's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner.
"Take it easy there. Kay champ. I'm Tony Stark or otherwise known as Iron Man. What's your name?"
At Tony's touch Jack froze. He literally froze. Tony quickly drew his hand back, "Geez your ice cold! Aren't you cold? How on earth are you doing that? What are you?!"
"You can touch me? YOU CAN TOUCH ME!" shouted Jack in jubilation.
"Well, I wasn't sure, but by my frostbite fingers looks like it?" said Tony taking a mental note of the kid's smile. He'd never seen a single person look so ecstatic over anything. Tony watched as in answer to his response the boy jumped in the air over his staff!
"What a jump! SERIOUSLY KID! WHO ARE YOU?"
Jack laughed happily, a wide mirthful grin spreading across his face making the boy's elfin features sharpen. His crystal like eyes shining with profound joy!
"Jack! My names Jack!!" he said lips curving into a smirk.
The sense of familiarity at the boy's smirk was so strong Tony couldn't get a handle on it for a second. 'That smile! I know this kid's grin? It's like déjà vu or something? Why?' thought Tony.
"Jack?" responded Tony, eyebrow arching.
"That's right. Jack Fr…"
"OKAY MR. STARK THAT DOES IT!" interrupted the voice of Mayor Gibbs, "I didn't call you here to watch you waste my time talking to thin air in a bloody blizzard!"
"Mayor Gibbs, listen despite what you see, I can assure you …," tried Tony.
"We've already called your team members I suggest you get therapy!" shouted the Mayor, turning his back to Tony.
The other two men already making their way back to the exit doors of the Empire State building's roof. It was too cold in their opinion for any of this, nonsense.
"Listen, you prick! The one responsible for the snowy weather is right here!" argued Tony, "Jack help me out here?"
Jack watched the other three men walk away. 'Help?' he thought, cocking his head to the side briefly as he leaned on his staff a bit.
"Why not," he said as he smirked a little, "I do hate being ignored."
That would be the first time Tony Stark realized that the little scared child he had found a moment or two ago, was not everything he had initially appeared as. Yes, in years to come poor Tony Stark would come to conclude that he had befriended this fateful day, "one hell of an unpredictable imp!"
Tony stood in surprise as he watched the boy raise his staff and leap into the air! The boy seemed to float over Tony's head landing a foot or two in front of the mayor. He then leaned his staff ever so slightly forward and next thing Mayor Gibbs knew he was being consumed by snow!
In what seemed a split second where once a Mayor stood, was now a very pissed off Snow Man!
"STARK!" cried the Mayor in panic!
"Geez kid! I asked you to help not freeze the guy!" Tony said rushing to the Mayor's aide, taking in Jack's wicked little grin.
"So I did. Seemed to me he needed to chill out a bit. Now he is," replied Jack happily. He was having a real conversation!
"Chill out! He'll have to be thawed out!"
"Aw. Come on 'Metal Man' you can't tell me it's not funny."
"Funny? Metal Man? Kid. He's the Mayor of New York!"
"So?"
"So?! Listen kid, you can't just Snow?…Snow ball the guy!"
"YOUR NUTS STARRK! HELLLP!" raved said snow balled Mayor.
Jack started chuckling.
"It's not funny!" cried Tony, "Don't you worry Mayor! I'll get you out with my lasers. Just make sure not to wiggle! Hey! Hey Jack quit laughing!"
Tony revved up his lasers when he saw that Jack was heading towards the buildings ledge, "Hey, hey where do think your going!?"
Jack turned his head back to Tony, "I gotta go for now," he said simply, continuing on his way. Jack needed a chance to regroup a bit.
"What! Hey wait a second there! You can't just! Whoa! KID!" shouted Tony as he watched the boy fling himself off of the building. Tony forgot all about the Mayor, turning the jets on as fast as he could! "Hang on Kid! I'm coming!" cried Tony as he flew over the building's edge himself.
WHOOOSH. A gust of wind blew by him brushing him off center. Tony whirled to face the object that had breezed by him. Where upon his jaw fell for the hundredth time that night, making him thankful retrospectively that it was still attached.
There was the kid flying in sky like he owned it! Tony actually felt a little jealous.
"He's frickin Peter Pan!" snapped Tony; "Jarvis get a lock on him!"
"Yes. Sir."
Tony zoomed after Jack! The Iron Man's suit having to exert at least 60% percent of its power just to keep up! The two flyers raced through clouds, dived near buildings, giving the people of New York an aerial show!
As the Kid dove once more towards the ground, Tony felt a suspicion hit him that was confirmed when the Kid spun onto his back to grin up at where Tony still hovered. Jack's emerald eyes filled with smug teasing!
"Bloody, kid's playing with me!" Tony declared huffing.
"Sir. It would seem that Mr. Jack is sending you a message."
"Enhance the visual feed."
Jarvis enhanced Tony's vision of Jack, bringing the boy into a view where he could hear the kid's voice.
"Your it Metal Man!" challenged Jack as he then flew directly towards Tony!
Tony quickly veered out of the way as Jack caused a small whirlwind to put Tony upside down momentarily.
Once regaining equilibrium Tony charged after Jack! Challenge accepted! The two of them went all out! They dived! They did loop de loops, they weaved through the city with Iron Man leaving a trail of flame while Jack left a flurry of snowflakes!
((LIne Break)))...
Down below the people of New York could only watch in alarming wonder at what many thought was Iron Man simply doing some sort of extreme flight test? However after about the sixth time Iron Man got too close to a building for comfort citizens started to think maybe the cold was causing the suit to malfunction?
Then the news showed that while Iron Man seemed to be engaged in some sort of bizarre flight exercise? The other Avengers had gone to investigate the giant Snow Man that had appeared on top of the Empire State Building. Much to the people of New York's alarm, who were watching T.V that is, it had become public knowledge of Mayor Gibbs frosty situation. Whose attitude had not improved since he'd been left to his own devices. If anything it had increased to "Hulk" like proportions, making the Mayor's overall shouts of Stark's inadequate assistance something akin to the Exorcist.
Luckily, for the Mayor & the rest of New York, the Avenger Black Widow & Captain America, were able to figure a way to free Mayor Gibbs who would only require at least a month's worth of chicken soup before going back into office.
Things were looking salvageable indeed, despite the disturbing weather shift, until the Mayor once more began speaking. Informing the two Avengers of a new piece of information that they had until that point been unaware of.
It seemed that Tony Stark had been seeing invisible imaginary people, and was pursuing one all over the city, currently?
A pursuit that was ending with Iron Man having crashed into a Stark Industries build board! Simultaneously, loosing the only evidence he had that he wasn't crazy. Not to mention the one responsible for freezing New York.
"Jack" said Tony as he watched the boy fly farther away, "Jack what exactly?"
-(((**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((Line Break)))))))))))))Ch.1end...
Disclaimer: "Holy Moly Batman!" Wow. Just wow. I am beyond flattered! Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never has anything I have ever written as fan fiction in my life gotten such a response! At first I was honestly so overwhelmed I couldn't even get myself to type more, afraid of disappointing anyone! Then upon realizing that this is really just for fun I decided that was silly & started writing this Chapter 1. Still I just want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for favoriting this, following it, acknowledging its existence! It made my whole week!
On a more serious note, I must tell you all that I do in fact work nearly 6 days a week, about eight hours a day. So if you're looking for a story that will update every other day this isn't it. I apologize for this; but with loans to pay back & the cruel bite of reality I just can't help it. However at this time I do intend to finish all my fics no matter how many days, months, & years pass. I just am letting you all know of my circumstances so that you made enjoy the posts I do make but hopefully won't be going crazy the gaps of time in between. To make up for non-daily updates, when I do write I try to write long healthy chapters.
Now I must say a word on my writing, I am honestly not a very good writer, (breaks out the ice-cream), but I love stories. I love reading stories, I love making plot idea for stories, and so I do like trying to tell stories. So, forgive me for all the flaws. And I humbly ask that whatever expectations for this fic, you may all have, that you do everyone a favor… and ...THROW THEM OUT THE WINDOW!
Ultimately, I will not be able to please everyone, even if I wish it. I am telling you this now because as I appreciate & value healthy productive criticism. I do not respect negatives comments like.., "you suck b #$." No one needs that, it's just rude & hurtful.
So please keep this fact in mind, I write this story as a way to build up my own creative energies. I write this story in the hopes that I can share some of my own imagination with someone else! I am writing this for fun & wasting hours of precious time on it, merely in the hopes that I inspire another as someone inspired me. I write mostly for my selfish self.
Well, with that all done & stated let us move onward! I do NOT own the Avengers nor do I own Rise of the Guardians. This fic will NOT BE a complete crossover. I will be making SEVERE changes throughout, that many may not like, so I am warning you now. Also, until my work hours change, I cannot guarantee updates all the time, reality bites. Anyhow, I do own the little original plotline I am creating here & any characters you do not recognize like Rosijen Frost.
All in all this is a fanfic!
AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KINDNESS, PRAISE, and FAVORITING & FOLLOWING! WORDS ALONE CAN'T EXPRESS THE HAPPINESS YOU GAVE ME!
See you in Chapter 2! -Stella Limegood.
P.S. I promise this will be the only time I leave such a large disclaimer. I just wanted to get on the same foot with everybody from the gecko.
P.P.S. Something else to be aware of, I had someone ask a very good question regarding the fey & Rosijen's heritage regarding it's workings. All I can say is, many things will be revealed or explained as the story progresses, so if you send me a question or two I may not answer it only because it might ruin a revealing or important plot moment in the story later on. Just something else I want everyone to be aware of.
P. . I should warn you all…..I am a wordy person! And I have a strange sense of humor! (Gulp.)
Okay. Done now. See you all in Chapter 2!