Child's Play 13
It was increasingly hard to tell how much of this small child was truly Jack Frost and how much was really a child. Pitch was almost certain that they met somewhere in the middle. The child was so small and so helpless and innocent looking yet there was something there in those blue eyes, something that was far too grown up for one so young. The child was a jumble of emotions, fear, courage, wonder, hope, memories, dreams but most of all fun. He was like a mix of all the Guardians, as if he was not just Jack but a little bit of each of them. It was such an odd mix, something only a child could confidently hold together without even trying. It was rather fascinating and frightening all at once.
The child was chewing his lower lip much as his older self did when nervous or in trouble. "I want them to be happy," the child finally said, his voice small but again with a grownup tone to it. "Bunny's not happy. North's not happy. I want them happy."
"What makes you think they're not happy, Jack? Did they say they were unhappy with you?" Pitch asked as he held the child on his lap. It seemed the only way to get Jack to talk was to hold him and remind him that he wasn't alone anymore. Waking up to a summer storm must have been quite a fright for the child. Pitch could still feel the ripples of fear coming from the boy, empowering him without a thought or worry.
Jack shook his little head, sprays of water falling from his hair. "No, but I see. Bunny doesn't want more kits but North would give anything to have a child so..."
"So you took it upon yourself to become a child for North to piss off Bunny?"
Another shake of a tiny head. "No! I...I don't know. I don't remember. Manny said I can make them smile. I can remind them we're family."
Pitch gave a snort.
"I made you smile and you never smile. We had fun playing in the fort, didn't we?"
Surprised, Pitch gazed down at Jack. Okay, the child had a point. He had found himself smiling more and more the last few weeks as he played with this little Jack. He had seen a change in the others. There was a lot more wonder, hope, memories and dreams in the world. There was even a healthy amount of fear and courage. This all came from the Guardians as they care for and worried over Jack. Even now he could feel all that coming from their little messed up family.
"You exaggerate, I do smile," he pointed out.
"Not happy smiles," Jack argued.
Pitch gave a small laugh at how childish the argument was. "Sometimes happy smiles."
"Not often," the boy pouted.
Shaking his head, Pitch leaned back against the tree. "What else did Lunaroff say? Why did he change you?"
Jack was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Make them remember."
"Remember what?"
The boy shrugged, his attention already averting from the conversation to a chipmunk climbing the tree they were leaning against. He scrambled out of Pitch's lap to investigate. The raven haired man sighed. Yes, a part of Jack was still in this child but he had the attention span of a three year old. Twirling his finger he created a Nightmare out of black sand.
"Go to Santoff Claussen and tell North I found Jack. Have Sandy meet me here," he instructed. The Nightmare whinnied before rearing up and racing into the shadows.
"Horsey!" Jack yelled when he saw it, trying to race after it, but he tripped over his own feet and fell on his belly. A small sob escaped him as he pushed himself to his knees and stared at the mud on his hands.
"Sadly, you're just as clumsy as a teen," Pitch remarked, reaching down to help the boy. "Here you have age to blame but as a teen you're all arms and legs, trapped between a growth spurt you never quite finished. It would have been interesting to see how you would have turned out as a grown man." He frowned at the mud that Jack spread over his clean trousers and overcoat. Just what he wanted, to be covered head to toe in muddy hand prints, wasn't being soaked and cold enough? "Come on, Snowflake, let's find a river and get you washed up. Sanderson should be around shortly."
But giving Jack a bath would prove far harder than he would ever had expected.
. . .
The Guardians had seen North made before but never this furious or livid. Bunny was almost certain his best friend was about to kill him. Yep, skin, hang him then roast him over a spit. He expected al of that. Hell he couldn't blame the man either. If it had been the other way around and North lost one of his kits - actually that had happened once but Bunny was not about to bring that up - he would be fuming just as much if not worse.
The Auroras had been sent the moment Bunny stepped into the Globe Room. He hadn't even explained to North what was going on until he sent for the others. He had alerted Phil of what had happened and requested the yetis to help him should North go into a rage. Right now two of Phil's strongest warrior were holding the Guardian of Wonder back while another pushed the Pooka behind him. They all knew just how deadly North could be when upset.
"Nick, I don't know what happen," Bunny tried to explain, his head peeking past the yetis to try and talk sense to his friend. The yetis shoved him back as North tried to yank free.
"Children do not simply disappear, Aster," North bellowed. H tried pulling his arm free. "Phil, release me this instant."
The brown and gray yeti grumbled something in yetish.
"I will not calm down! My son is missing and all you can say is 'calm down'?" he snapped at his head of security.
"He probably just went for a walk-about, mate. You know how Jack is," Bunny tried only to have the yetis and North glare at him. "I mean the teenage Jack and...I'll shut up now."
North finally pulled his arms free but rather than go after Bunny he turned to Phil. "I want everyone on the field. We'll start the search at the Warren then search every tunnel. Jack couldn't have gotten far without his staff. We'll search everywhere, every town, city and forest. My son is out there and we will not stop until he's home safe and sound."
Sandy flew in, just missing getting whacked as North thrust an arm toward the globe. He ducked under North's arm just as Tooth flew over it.
"Whoa, hey, what's the big idea?" the Tooth fairy asked as she hand a dainty hand over her feathered headdress. "North, you should really keep a better eye on your surroundings. Hey, what's wrong? Where's Jack and Pitch?"
The usually jolly man's blue eyes were dark with anger. "Jack is missing and Pitch has yet to arrive," he said darkly.
Sandy's head tilted to one side in surprise. He studied North and Bunny for a moment before his brows creased in thought. Then his raised one finger as an idea popped into his head. Images began to form quickly as he tried to explain his thoughts on the situation. After all, if Jack was missing and Pitch had yet to arrive perhaps the dark spirit had Jack. Maybe the boy's fear had alerted Pitch to his location before the others could... He frowned, none of his colleges were paying attention. North was brooding, Bunny was still using a yeti as a shield - some great warrior the Pooka was when it came to North - and Tooth was fluttering about with her own theories as to where Jack could be.
His theories were verified when a miniature Nightmare sped up to him, relaying a message from Pitch. Again Sandy tried to get the others' attention but not one of them would look his way and there was no elves in sight for him to grab and jingle. Frustrated, he blew sand out his ears before flying up to North and grabbing the large man's beard, giving it a hard tug.
North blinked and looked at the little golden man. "Sandy?" he asked before his gaze followed the dreamweaver's pointing finger toward the little Nightmare. "A Nightmare? Sandy, you should have-"
The Sandman's brows bunched as he frowned at his friend. The he lightly knocked on North's forehead before signing, "You need to pay better attention. All of you." Then without another word or image, Sandy darted after the Nightmare and followed her to Pitch and Jack, leaving the other three Guardians behind.
North watched his friend depart in confusion, not quite sure what had just happened.
It was Bunny's turn to be livid. "Pitch has Jack? If that Gumby stole my Jack I'll skewer him," the Pooka snared, momentarily forgetting that Pitch was now one of them. Instinct took hold of him and the need to protect his mate became all consuming - even if Jack was just a child now. Or maybe it was the need to protect his young.
Whatever the case North felt it too. His son needed him and if the former Nightmare King had betrayed them there will be hell to pay.