Jack flew in the direction of the pounding sound, halting as it ceased momentarily. He hoped he hadn't imagined it, as he strained his ears to try to pick up on it again. A while later, it began again.

"Jamie?" he yelled.

"Jack?"

Jack's heart leapt in his chest. It was faint, but he was sure it was Jamie. He followed the pounding sound and wound up at the right warehouse, where he could see the silhouette of a teenage boy in the darkness.

"Jack!" Jamie called, glancing upwards, looking happier than all the children on Christmas put together. His voice was muffled but he was yelling with all the energy he could muster. "Can you please get me out of here?"

Jack gestured to Jamie to wait as he flew towards the front door. A large rusty padlock hung on it. The winter spirit coated it with ice and with one swift movement of his staff, the ice was smashed along with the metal. The sound resonated throughout the deserted street. He fumbled with the latch before throwing the door open. Instantly, Jamie rushed out.

"Fresh air!" he gasped, in a hoarse voice, taking in deep breaths of the night air. Jack couldn't help but gape at Jamie's condition.

"You look..." he began.

Jamie turned to Jack. "Like hell?" he offered.

Jack surveyed the boy. His face had a mixture of dirt, blood and sweat on it, there was a huge lump protruding from the side of his head, his clothes were equally dirty and bloody. His wrists were red and judging from the way he was moving, he had broken his arm.

"Yeah... pretty much," the winter spirit responded. The more he looked at Jamie, the more he felt guilty. He was supposed to be a Guardian, one who protects children. Jamie was not a child anymore (children-at-hearts don't really count), that went without a doubt, but Jack had always felt obliged to protect Jamie and his family. And seeing Jamie like that, he knew he had failed this time.

But the boy looked happy and was even laughing, though his laughter sounded more like one of utter relief. "I need to get to mom and Sophie. Do you know where they are?"

"I think they went out for dinner," Jack said. "I don't know where, though. Are you fit to fly?"

Jamie glanced down at his broken arm. "I'm not sure, but let's give it a shot."

#

"Yeow!" The wind tugged relentlessly at Jamie's arm. "Jack, I think you should put me down now," the boy called out.

The spirit lowered Jamie to the ground in a back alley. Fortunately as it was dark out save for the lights from the street lamps and several shops, no one saw Jamie floating in the air.

"Thanks, Jack," the 19- year old said, leaning against the wall. "Maybe I'll take a cab or bus home or something." He rummaged about in his pocket before pulling out several crumpled notes. "I guess those thugs weren't interested in money," he said, before walking to the end of the alley. He came out onto a sidewalk lined with shops. People hurried along, walking in and out of the stores, completely oblivious to the presence of a blood-streaked teenager standing between a convenience store and a bakery. Jamie dashed into the bakery which seemed to be serving less customers than the convenience store, startling the cashier who let out a little scream. "I'm sorry," he quickly said, before heading to the back of the shop. "I'm just going to use your bathroom."

He found the bathroom and wasted no time in dousing his face with water, but not before checking out his appearance in the mirror. "I look like a devil from Hades," he concluded. He washed his wounds and tried to clean himself up as much as possible with one hand. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he turned to head out, and found the cashier staring at him.

"Er... my friends and I were playing with some... red paint," he tried to think up an explanation. "As you can see, I lost the war. Heh." He tried to smile, but it was hard when you had a middle-aged woman staring at you like you were some new species of human no one has ever set eyes on before. "I'll be going now." The woman's gaze followed him as he walked out of the bakery, and found Jack waiting outside.

"Find Sophie and my mom," Jamie said. "Tell them I'm heading home and that they'll find me there, probably. If Mr. Bane doesn't get to me first."

"How are you going to get home?"

Jamie stood by the street, keeping an eye out for taxis, attempting to flag down every passing one, regardless of its availability. He turned to Jack, looking hopeless. "I'll get one sooner or later," he said, bitterly. Turning his attention back to the street, he spotted a taxi not far off, and immediately began waving like a mad person. It didn't stop, however, and as it sped by, Jamie could make out the silhouette of two passengers in the back seat.

"Maybe I should take the bus," Jamie said, scanning the area for a bus stop, when Jack tapped on his shoulder.

"Jamie, look."

The boy turned to look where the spirit was pointing and watched as the taxi he had tried to flag down screech to a halt. A moment later, the back door was flung open and two familiar faces climbed out in a hurry.

"Sophie! Mom!" Jamie exclaimed, relief and joy flooding him. Mrs. Bennett pulled him into a tight hug, but instantly released him as he cried out in pain and protest. Sophie looked from Jamie to Jack, before tugging on her mother's arm to get the latter's attention. Mrs. Bennett, however, was too distracted.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" she exclaimed, tearfully surveying her son's condition "Oh gosh, Jamie, I'm so sorry! I was so blind! What, your arm's broken? The nerve of that creep! If I..."

"Mom!" Sophie half-yelled, attracting several stares from the passers-by. Mrs. Bennett turned to her, slightly startled. "I think we should get home. The middle of a sidewalk in front of a bakery is not exactly an ideal place for a reunion."

"Right." They walked back to the taxi, by which stood the driver, watching and waiting. He got back in as they approached and waited as they piled in. Jamie turned to the winter spirit, muttering a quick "Meet me at home." Jack smirked and nodded, before flying off. "I'll get there faster than you will!" he called out as he soared.

Mrs. Bennett listened intently as Jamie described everything, from his first encounter with Mr. Bane to that morning at the park and to his current situation. However, as he had expected, his mother didn't believe the tale of how he escaped.

"Jack Frost? Who's this Jack Frost? Some new classmate of yours at school? How did he find you?" she asked.

"No, mom!" Jamie said, exasperated. "He's real, I'm telling you. Jack Frost is real." Te taxi slowed to halt outside their home. "He's not an expression."

"We'll talk inside," Sophie said, as they climbed out.

Jamie was the last to get out. "Had the adventure of your lifetime, didn't you, boy?" said the taxi driver, all of a sudden, startling Jamie slightly. The boy didn't know what to say at first, but finally winked and responded, "You bet."

The driver grinned at him before driving off. Jamie looked up and spotted Jack atop their roof, gliding downwards. The boy joined his mother and sister in the living room where Jamie continued trying to convince Mrs. Bennett that it was thanks to Jack Frost that he had managed to escape. The spirit stood outside, listening. However, the conversation soon led to Jamie and Sophie repelling the tale of the battle of Burgess, with the guardians against Pitch, each word of which Mrs. Bennett didn't believe.

"Seriously, Jamie," she snapped, her ire rising. "You can still talk about fairy tales after all this? Come on, grow up!"

Sophie sighed loudly with exasperation. Jamie tried a different approach. "Look, mom. It really is thanks to this Jack Frost that I'm here. Imagine if I didn't believe in him, imagine if he wasn't there, I would still be locked up in that warehouse. Unless you don't want me around anymore, I suppose you're exceptionally grateful to whoever who had helped me escape. The least you can do, mom, is open your mind and believe again."

Mrs. Bennett looked from Jamie to Sophie, taking in their hopeful faces, the expression on her own illegible. She was dumbfounded for several moments. Jamie and Sophie waited with bated breath, their fingers crossed.

"It's been so long..." she said, trailing off. "After everything..." she trailed off again. Finally, she looked away, her eyebrows furrowed. Jamie's hope teetered on the edge. Sophie sat back in her chair, slightly frustrated.

"Oh, okay!" Mrs. Bennett finally said, giving in. "Is he here?"

Jamie's fallen face lit up again as his lips curled into the largest smile that had ever graced his face. "I'll bring him in," he said, hurrying out. Jack was still standing by the window, leaning in close, trying to listen without creating frost patterns on the window. "Come on, Jack!" Jamie called. He dragged the surprised winter spirit in. Almost immediately, Mrs. Bennett drew her coat tighter around herself.

"Was that a draft?" she wondered, looking at Jamie as he came in and shut the door. There was no change in temperature.

"Jack Frost!" Jamie exclaimed, pointing at Jack, who stood there awkwardly.

Mrs. Bennett frowned slightly. "I don't see anything, Jamie." she said, after several moments.

"Aaargh!" Sophie groaned. "Mom, keep an open mind!" She got Jack's attention, and pointed at the window. The spirit understood, and a moment later, Mrs. Bennett watched in disbelief as intricate frost swirls formed on the window pane. With his staff, Jack formed a snowflake and sent thought the air towards Mrs. Bennett who watched it in amazement before squeezing her eyes shut for several moments, before finally opening them.

"Jack Frost?" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper, looking straight at where Jack was standing beside Jamie.

#

Mrs. Bennett replaced the receiver, a slightly troubled look clouding her features. Sophie walked in from the backyard with Abby at her heels and stopped in her tracks. "What's up, mom?" she inquired.

"Long story," Mrs. Bennett said. "Get Jamie."

Jamie was fetched, his arm in a cast having gone to the hospital the previous night, after his mother finally believed in the existence of the guardians. Well, just Jack Frost, but it was a good start. They settled down in the living room before Mrs. Bennett finally related to them what the call had been about.

"Mr. Bane has confessed everything," she said, slowly, as though she hadn't quite processed it all in her head. "It has something to do with... her."

"Who?" Sophie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Her!" Mrs. Bennett said, with a tone that clearly indicated she didn't want to talk about it. "Her, your father..."

"Father's a 'he'," Sophie said.

"Stepmother?" Jamie said, calmly.

Silence hung over them for a few moments before it was shattered by Sophie, as she said, "What about her? How is this whole thing connected to her?"

"She ordered Mr. Bane to find me and either marry me... or kill me. The latter is inclusive of both of you."

"What?" Jamie and Sophie were on the edges of their seats. "Go on, go on," Jamie urged.

"He is a friend of hers. Apparently, your father is unable to... forget." Jamie detected traces of a smile forming on his mother's face, but she retained a solemn expression. "He is still constantly thinking of the two of you, and... me, I guess. And it's driving her crazy."

"I thought he had left the country?" Sophie said.

"Yes, he did, but he recently returned and is living in the next town. Also, apparently, it was since then that he had been thinking about us, dwelling on the past, so it has been quite long."

Jamie's mind wandered back to several years before when Jack had brought him to the airport and he had bid his father goodbye. He couldn't help wondering if it had anything to do with that.

"So, she sent this friend of hers," Mrs. Bennett went on. "She paid him a pretty huge sum. He was supposed to either marry me to show your father that I'm moving on, or murder me and the two of you, to make him forget. Though, I think, if that had happened, I doubt he would be able to forget. It would probably haunt him even more." Mrs. Bennett did smile this time, though her smile was a little sinister. She got up. "I have to head over to the police station, so the two of you, just stay put until I get back." She walked out the front door just as Jack came flying towards it. With a nod at the winter spirit, she got into her car and drove off.

"I'll admit, it is a little strange when you think of it; mom believing in Jack Frost," Sophie said, with a little smile. Jamie, however, wasn't paying attention.

"Mom mentioned dad is living in the next town," he said, almost to himself. Sophie heard it, however.

"Jamie, don't even think about it. Imagine what mom would think or say."

The boy didn't reply. A moment later, he got up and walked out. Sophie ran out after him and watched as he went to get his bike and attempted to ride it, unsuccessfully, however.

"Where are you heading?" his sister asked.

"The police station?" Jamie responded. "You think I'll cycle all the way to the next town? Plus, I think dad is most probably there as well, as he must've been informed after Mr. Bane confessed."

Sophie sighed. "Can't you let it go, Jamie?" she almost implored. "Just because this happened, there's no way mom and dad can get back together."

"I never said anything of that sort," Jamie said, getting off his bike and letting it fall to the ground, exasperated. "I just wanted to see dad again. It's been so long." He sat down on the front steps. "Anyway, it's useless. I can't ride anything and I definitely can't drive."

"Need a lift?" Jack, who had been watching, offered.

"It isn't a good idea to fly over Burgess in broad daylight," Jamie said. "Sophie, do you think you can ride me there?"

Sophie scowled. "Yeah, sure, because you weigh as light as a feather." Her expression changed all of a sudden and she dashed into the house, reappearing several moments later, looking pleased with herself.

#

"Thanks a lot, Caleb," Jamie said, as he got out of his friend's vehicle at the police station with Sophie.

"No problem, man!" Caleb called out, preparing to drive off. "Just make sure you tell me everything later!"

The two of them walked up to the front door just as Mrs. Bennett exited. She was genuinely surprised to see them, but a strange look dominated her face as she realised why they were there.

"He'll be out in a moment," she said, heading towards her parked car. "I'll be waiting."

Just as the siblings exchanged glances, wondering if they should just follow their mother home, a familiar figure stepped out of the building.

"Jamie? Sophie?"

Mr. Bennett seemed to have aged by decades in the past few years. He stood there for several moments, looking from Jamie to Sophie and back again, before pulling them both into an embrace. Despite his aching arm, Jamie didn't say a word. After what seemed to be an eternity, they parted.

"So what's going to happen to her?" Sophie asked, blatantly. Jamie didn't stop her. "What are you going to do to her?"

Mr. Bennett hesitated before responding. "There'll definitely be retribution, don't you worry. She won't attempt to harm you again."

"You are... getting divorced again?" Jamie asked, though it wasn't really a question.

Mr. Bennett glanced at his watch. "I have to go," he said. "You know what, you can visit me if you want. I'm moving back to Burgess, and I'll let you know where, soon enough." With that, he walked off, the two of them watching his retreating back. Sophie was about to yell something, but this time, Jamie stopped her.

#

The familiar tapping sound at the window brought Jamie's to his feet and the boy bounded over to let the winter spirit in.

"Hey, I've got good news!" Jack exclaimed, looking excited. He stopped short upon seeing Mrs. Bennett and Sophie in the room as well. "Oh, hi there," he greeted, awkwardly. What does a spirit say to an adult believer? There were times when Jack wished there was a how-to-be-a-good-guardian handbook.

"So what's the good news?" Jamie asked.

Jack smirked, as he leaned against the wall by the window. "I just got back from the North Pole," he said. "North was quite stunned when he heard that your mother believes in me. And she has her own light on the globe. Guess adults do show up there, too. North is Santa Claus," he added, noticing Mrs. Bennett's confused look. She looked even more confused after that revelation.

"That's the good news?" Sophie asked.

"Nope," the spirit responded. "North was just wondering, what are you doing this Christmas?"

Jamie shrugged while Sophie turned to her mother. "Christmas is eons away," Mrs. Bennett said. "And it's the middle of the summer. Why do you ask?"

"That's because... you're all cordially invited to the North Pole- Santa's workshop- for Christmas," the winter spirit said, with a bow.

Thanks for reading!