Alex had been watching for the past few minutes as frost slowly crept from where Jack was crouched. His partner was obviously frightened; he seemed fine when they visited him last though. What had happened to make him scare that silly little nurse so badly? When Alex had questioned her, she clung to his arms and wailed about an evil man who shot ice at her when she tried to wake him up. She said that when Jack woke up, he tried to chase her again, but she got away by hiding under the desk. He then disappeared.
Alex had been utterly confused as to why something like that would happen. Jack was a good person. There is no way that Jack would've done anything like that. Maybe he was scared? Had Susan done or said anything to make him to that? Alex had been interrupted from his thoughts when the small girl wailed even louder on his arms. It had been obvious for a little while now that she has a huge crush on Alex. Alex tended to ignore it most of the time, but as the girl was hanging off of his arm, wailing louder and louder about the nasty, brute of a man as the minutes passed, he began to get a little sick of it.
Once again, it had been Christine to the rescue. "Alright, that's enough Susan. We have all the information we need from you, now leave Mr. Summers to do his job."
Susan had immediately snapped out of her small fit and gave Christine a once-over.
"And that would be?" She asked menacingly.
"It would be finding Jack Frost, who also happens to be his partner and close friend, debriefing him, and helping him through whatever has just happened."
Susan had just stood there, her mouth hanging open as Alex pried himself free and ran off, giving Christine a thankful smile as he left. He could always trust that woman to get him out of a tricky situation. Whether it be hostiles in the Sahara Desert or clingy young nurses, she always had his back.
Questions flew around Alex's mind as he stood just inside the doorway, looking awkwardly around the room and at Steve, who also seemed to be unsure what to do. After a little while, and a large circle of frost later, Jack finally looked up into the concerned faces of his friends. "Just let me go." The spirit whispered, his voice broken a resigned.
Steve's brow furrowed, "Jack, what do you mean, 'let you go'?
"I can't be here anymore, Steve. I need t-to leave." Jack said, his voice cracking mid-sentence.
Alex stepped forward. "We don't want you to leave Jack! You were getting to so good at Bōjutsu, and that new power, it was-"
Jack leaped up, his eyes blazing. "THAT NEW POWER ALMOST KILLED EVERYBODY IN THE DAMNED ROOM, ALEX! HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE HURT BECAUSE OF ME, HUH? HOW MANY PEOPLE... Jack's screams broke off into sobs, his shoulders heaved with the weight of his guilt and desperation. "It's why I c-can't stay. I have to leave...
Steve's face turned solemn. Oh boy, this situation sounded awfully familiar. The soldier can vividly remember lying awake at night, wondering just how capable he was now of killing. He could crush someone just by patting them on the back! How the hell was he going to keep people safe if all he could do was hurt?
It took a good few hits to the head to get him to realise that what he could do, it was an amazing opportunity to serve and defend his country. To stand up for what he believed in without worrying about getting the snot beaten out of him, of the people he loved hurt. But in the end, that had happened anyway. He had lost his best friend, and he would never forgive himself for that. It was one of the first things he dreamt about when he woke up, was losing Bucky. Steve shuddered.
He had to make Jack realise that he was a part of a team now. He was needed, and he was loved by the people around him. Steve hoped he wouldn't have to hit Jack over the head to get him to realise this.
"Jack, listen to me."
Jack didn't look up, but he tilted his head more towards where Steve was crouched.
"You are part of a team now, okay? I know how it feels to come so close to hurting someone when you didn't mean it, or almost killing them with a flick of your wrist."
Jack now shifted to bury it deeper into his arms, his shaggy curls falling ever where his arms were wrapped around his knees.
"But even though people can be hurt, you have to keep moving forward with your training. You have to keep getting better, if only to protect those people you almost killed."
The distraught spirit looked up at Steve, the tears still flowing freely. "But what if I do kill someone? What if someone gets hurt and it's my fault?"
Steve sighed. "Listen, I'm not saying that people won't get hurt. I'm not saying that nobody will die in the midst of a battle, because they will."
The soldier stopped, studying the look on Jack's face. He continued. "What I am saying, is that you can't let it stop you from fighting for the other people that are still alive. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Jack blinked at Steve's words. He still felt horrible, and guilt still washed through him in waves, but he did need to keep going. This place still had a team of scientists doing whatever they could to find out more about his past, and amazing friends that were training him for the future. He supposed he could stay a little longer.
Jack took the hand that Steve offered up to him, and let the super soldier haul him of off of the ground, which was now covered in a small layer of frost. Alex ran over and gave Jack a huge bear hug, effectively keeping him in place. Jack stiffened, not used to the sudden contact. How was it that he knew what a hug felt like, yet he had never experienced it before? Jack didn't know, but he hugged his friend back. Steve came over and wrapped his arms around the pair, effectively almost suffocating them with the sheer force of his squeezing, and lifting them off of the ground. He looked a little sheepish after they disentangled themselves.
It made a small smile overtake Jack's pale lips, and he let himself be led along the halls, as Steve and Alex asked various questions. At first they were small questions like "how are you" and "are you feeling ok?" Jack answered these questions as best as he could, smiling and nodding where necessary.
After a little while, the questions turned into "what happened exactly" and "why did you run?" Jack put as much thought into his responses for these questions as he could, and answered them honestly. Steve's face changed throughout Jack's explanation, from understanding to surprise to angry, and back to understanding again. Alex's, however, didn't change too much. He seemed to be resigned, as if had been expecting this.
Jack was getting sick of talking so as the group walked single file down the left-side hallway (for reasons unknown even to them, it just kind of happened that way), Jack found himself shuffling along behind Alex, who was waddling along behind Steve. As usual, Steve was glancing around at everything he passed, even, at times, peeking into the small bulletproof windows on the doors of the many science labs, and the occasional shooting range. Jack was amazed at how many rooms full of toxic chemicals and dangerous weapons the Helicarrier could house.
As Steve peered into another window, Alex walked straight into the back of him, causing the super soldier's face slide across the glass, as his bulky body fell from underneath him. Anyone who was working on the other side would've seen the squashed profile of America's Hero slide downwards diagonally across the pane of glass built into the centre of the door. They would've also heard a loud crash as Alex Summers went down with him, falling into the tangle of super soldier limbs that lay just outside of the door of the lab.
Jack couldn't help it. It was way too hard to hold in the laughter that was bubbling up in his throat. Alex seemed to be elbowing Steve's already abused face into the ground, as he was trying desperately to untangle his leg's from Steve's. His contracted Bō was twisted in the grey shirt the soldier wore; all the while Steve lay there with the right side of his face pressed to the ground and the left side of it being elbowed. He had the most dazed look on his face.
Jack's laughter finally burst free, it was just too funny. It didn't take long before the spirit was curled up on the ground, tears leaking from his eyes, and howling with laughter. The joyful laughter of the winter boy seemed to snap the super soldier from his trance, and he sprang up onto his feet, effectively launching Alex across the floor. He skidded at least twenty feet down the polished hallway, before coming to a complete stop at the edge of a very familiar looking agent's boots.
Jack had stood up, deciding that the pair needed help and had seemed to of have recovered from his little fit, only to witness the current situation, and be overcome by another fit of gleeful laughter. Oh, he tried to stop, but the boy found this to be funnier than what had transpired only a few moments ago. It was just too damn funny too see that rude lady who had 'escorted' him to his room after he woke up was now standing and looking around, wild-eyed at what had unfolded.
Alex stood up, the shade of his face almost matching colour of his messy hair. The woman stood up straighter and pinned him with a piercing glare. She may of have been shorter, but it didn't compromise the intensity of her gaze. If looks could kill..
"Captain Rogers!" She barked, her voice still sounded a little confused. "I don't know what has just happened here, but Fury wants to see you. Now." She pointed in the general direction of Fury's office, and the now-somewhat-more-alert soldier wandered off down the hall, muttering an apology to the bewildered woman as he passed.
"Frost!" The woman said sharply. "Get over here."
Jack, who had been watching all of the curious scientists poke their head up behind the door in an attempt to see what was happening through the glass, whipped his head back around to focus on the agent who had given him the order. He seriously considered sitting down and freezing the leg of his pants to the floor, so he couldn't get up. It would be hilarious, but it would probably get him and Alex in more trouble than he was already in. Not that Alex had really done anything, but Jack had a feeling he would be blamed anyway.
So Jack straightened his back and strutted over to stand beside a very nervous looking Alex. The woman stuck them with another bewildered glare and cleared her throat. "Mr. Frost, you may not be aware of this, but I am sure Mr. Summers is. As you may know, it is visiting week, very soon. Alex, your request to go to New York to visit your family for the day has been granted, but your duties are still clear. Agent Coulson has requested that Mr. Frost will accompany you, and Fury decided that it's finally time for Captain Rogers to get a taste of what the modern world looks like. He won't be staying half as long as the two of you will, so I trust that you, Alex, will show him all of the right places. So congratulations boys, you leave first thing in the morning. Agent Coulson is to give you both a safety briefing. Wait here for him" She instructed.
There was a lot to that little speech, but Jack's mind chose to focus on the only thing he really had any interest in. 'New York? As in New York, New York?" That means he would finally be able to get out of this god damned ship, he'd get to fly around an empty, open space, get to play with the wind once more. The wind had been calling him recently. Whispering through the halls, asking him to come and play.
Jack wondered if seventy years would've changed the city at all. Just how different would it be? Judging on the absolutely enormous city he encountered last time he went out flying, it would be a lot more different than he remembered. Whilst Jack pondered, Alex seemed to be bouncing on the heels of his feet, obviously keen to get going.
The brown haired woman gave them both a once-over before she turned sharply on her heel and strutted off. Jack noticed not one single hair was out of place in her bun. For a long while sometime in the mid-18th century, Jack had wanted to grow his hair out, if only to try and copy the elaborate hairstyles he saw on some of the men and women back in those days. Jack cringed as he remembered the day he froze the ends of his hair, and created long icicles that hung from his bleached locks, just touching his shoulders. But all they ever did was poke him in the eyes and get in his way. After over a decade of trying, his hair didn't grow an inch, so he gave up on the idea. He came to realise that long hair would only get in the way when he flew at top speeds, and was happy with the shaggy, pale locks he sported now.
"JACK!" The exuberant red-head who stood behind him yelled. "Did you hear that?! I get to see my family! YOU get to see my family! Steve probably won't, though, because he doesn't have too much time and we'll have to show him around first and then drop in for a surprise visit. Hell, they don't even know I'm coming!" Alex paced up and down the hall, seeming to be thinking deeply about something.
"I'll have to get them gifts, of course. What's a visit without gifts?" He paced even faster. "It'll have to be better than last year. Dresses just don't work for the girls anymore." He grumbled.
Jack's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Girls? As in, more than one?"
Alex stopped mid-pace and grinned up at Jack. "Yeah, three little nieces and an awesome older sister."
The agent continued to pace once more.
"You know Jack, I never thought I'd like any guy she married, she's my sister for god sake, but he, the guy, works so damn hard for those little girls, and he treats my sister right. Should I get him something too? I wonder what he'd like.." Alex continued his ramblings, occasionally grunting as he checked something off his mental list.
Jack entertained himself by creating his name in front on the floor. He had been practicing with Steve to try to train his frost into forming shapes at his will. The first thing he made was a circle, then a half a circle, then a square. Pretty soon the spirit was attempting letters and numbers. They were still very sloppy, but Jack was very pleased with himself. He was just putting the finishing touches on the 'k' when someone cleared their throat in front of him.
Jack almost jumped out of his skin, as he accidentally released a burst of frost from the tip of his staff, effectively ruining his masterpiece. He narrowed his eyes at the offending person, only to see Coulson standing there, the slight twinkle in his eye showing he was amused.
Jack grinned and casually leaned against his staff. "How's it been, Coulson?"
The agent allowed himself a small smile as he watched Agent Summers scramble over to Jack's side, looking at Agent Coulson nervously. "Are we doing the safety briefing now sir?" The red-head asked.
Coulson smiled. "Yes, Mr Summers." He gestured down the empty hall with an exaggerated motion of his hands. "Right this way boys."
Jack had always wondered what it'd be like to ride in one of the things he used to desperately avoid daily. The jet was a lot smaller than Steve's, but still managed to house Coulson, Steve, Jack and Alex and allow a comfortable amount of space to move around. The interior had three rooms; one with a bed inside, the other two had small leather lounge chairs and glass coffee tables along one wall. The opposite walls held a huge 60" flat screen TV, complete with episodes of the Super Nanny flashing across the screen in the room Jack was currently residing in. Jack watched the show with mild interest before getting bored and walking around. He could never sit still for too long.
He walked in front of Coulson, who grumbled at him for standing in the way, before turning his rapt attention back to his beloved show. Coulson reminded him of Alex, the way his friend was when he'd watch that show about the zombies. Jack found it very disturbing, and even as much as Alex had begged him to watch it with him, the winter spirit found it too gory, and somewhat depressing. Jack didn't mind the movies they watched though. Alex seemed to enjoy the movies he called 'Chick Flicks', and Slasher Movie Friday, but Jack honestly preferred Tuesday movie nights, when they would watch the movies with the twist endings. Huh. That reminded him, his birthday was coming up soon.
Jack couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he was almost 300 years old. Jack tiptoed through the room with the bed in it, where Alex had a hand over his eyes and was snoring obnoxiously, and into the room where the super soldier sat in a lounge hair, deep in thought "Hey, Steve." Jack said.
Steve looked from the large book he held in his hands. He had been looking through that thing most of the trip, gaining invaluable knowledge of what had happened when he was frozen in the ice. Fury had delivered it to him when they were watching Men in Black, because Alex had thought it was ironic given the organisation they worked for. Fury had said it was a gift from Coulson. Jack had realised yesterday that Coulson hadn't actually met Steve yet, and asked him about it, suggesting he go and do it when they were on the jet. It turns out Coulson was a huge fan of Steve's! It also turned out he was extremely nervous about meeting his hero. Jack had let it go, promising himself not to bring it up with Steve, if only to save him from embarrassment.
"How are you, Jack?"
"I was about to ask you the same question! I know that you took the ship down in an attempt to avoid crashing over New York, are you excited to see it again?"
Steve scoffed. "Not from your partners description of the place. He makes it out to be this huge spitting monster that has busy streets and I quote: 'A wicked little pizza place a few streets down from this even better burger joint."
Jack scrunched up his noise in confusion. "Alex told me a joint was something I should never do or never try because 'they'll mess up my head'?"
Steve sputtered, looking at Jack with wide eyes before he laughed.
"No, Jack! There's different meanings for that word. The joint I was referring to means a place, and people usually use it to describe a restaurant or food place of some kind. The joint you were talking about is totally different."
"Oh." Was all Jack could say.
The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Alex strolled in and flopped down on the bed, making the super soldier laying on the very edge of the other side bounce off into the wall with a grunt. Alex lifted his face from the bundle of pillows and looked around with surprised eyes.
"What was that?" He questioned.
"It was the sound of my pride dying a little bit." Steve huffed as he got up and dusted himself up.
"Sorry Captain!" Alex exclaimed before letting his face flop down into the pillows again.
Steve eyed him warily before sitting down of the floor next to where Jack was leaning against him staff, watching the interaction with amused eyes. A voice came over the intercom.
"Attention all passengers, we will be experiencing some turbulence shortly before we set down in New York, so please remain seated. We will be arriving within the hour."
The next hour was spent sitting in the other room full of leather chairs and coffee tables consoling a frantic Alex, who was hyperventilating and clinging onto Jack like his life depended on it.
"You can fly." He had wheezed, not bothering to look at Jack. "So you're with me for the rest of this stupid flight."
Jack also mentioned the fact that his birthday was coming up soon, and shared the discovery of his actual age. It temporarily snapped Alex out of his terrified daze, and Alex mumbled something about overlooking that in the file. Steve congratulated him, and asked when it was. Jack said that it was the exact middle of winter, and quickly checking the date, Steve did the math.
Alex had begun rocking back and forth again, and Steve had told Jack that it was 'his turn to console him.' Jack sighed and the two switched places.
"C'mon guys! You're so slow!" the exuberant bringer of Winter called from above.
"We can't all fly, Jack." Alex shouted up to him. A few of the passing pedestrians gave him a strange stare, but not as many as there should have been. They were in New York, home of everything new and strange and different! A lot of people tended to ignore whatever you were doing and get on with their lives.
Steve trailed behind Alex, gazing at everything with wide eyes. This was all so strange! He had completely forgotten that a lot of people couldn't see Jack, and found it concerning watching him zoom over all of their heads, laughing as their beanies and hats flew off onto the ground.
He was enjoying himself, though. Watching Jack shouting when he flew around 'skyscrapers' (a very fitting name, if you asked Steve) and seeing Alex shuffle along mumbling about the cold weather was amusing. He found it enjoyable to wander around the streets, poking his head into tiny stores wedged into alleys, and browsing for toys suitable for Alex's nieces.
Boy, this city had changed. The little bar he had loved visiting had been bulldozed to make room for a rather ugly looking building called 'Stark Tower'. The swarms of people that clogged up the pathways wasn't too different, but Steve had nearly fell over when he saw a girl that looked to be 14 strutting down main in what he thought was the smallest shorts and tightest top money could buy. Alex had wave a hand in front of his face and explain to him the evolution of clothing in the past 70 years. "You think that's bad," he had said, "take a look at that brunette over there checking out your ass."
Steve had turned bright red and leaned against the side of a building, trying to hide his shame, but when the girl's eyes wandered elsewhere, he almost ran in the other direction. Alex had laughed when he realised what was going on, telling Steve to get used to it. Steve had shot him a concerned look before following him into another boutique.
They now wandered through central park, much to Steve's relief. It was quieter here. There were less people in business suits talking on miniaturized phones, less traffic, less exhaust fumes, less noise. Yes, it was much better. Jack was helping Alex carry the remote control helicopter, the chemistry kit and the painting set he had decided to buy for his three nieces aged 12, 9 and 5. Steve was carrying a few bottles of wine that made him cringe when he read the price tag, an all-in-one Swiss Army knife that came in a leather case for Alex's brother-in-law, and a beautiful bouquet of pink, white and purple tulips for the red heads beloved sister.
It was a beautiful day, Steve had to admit. Alex had a bounce in his step, and was walking faster than usual, claiming that if they don't get a cab before 12:00, they won't get one at all. There was also a car waiting for Steve at the edge of the park, which the trio were heading to now. Jack was entertaining Alex by taking every step as if he was walking on the surface of the moon, which the spirits partner found hilarious. Steve smiled at the two as they dawdled along. Alex had slowed down once he realised that Steve would be leaving soon.
Jack moon-jumped over to Steve, sporting a silly grin that made the super soldier smile. "Did you like your half-day out?" Jack asked.
Steve nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. It was a little scary at first with all the cars and the people and all, but I loved every minute of it. I'll admit, the park is my favourite."
"Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? I never knew that I had actually been here before, when I first went flying outside the Helicarrier. Of course, it was a lot different, being night and everything, but still the same city."
Steve smiled at him. "I bet there's no place in the world you haven't been, is there?" the soldier asked fondly.
Jack shrugged. "I guess not." He said with a touch of pride in his voice.
After another few minutes of walking, the three men carrying shopping bags arrived at an inconspicuous black car, with a familiar agent in a black suit and flame-red hair standing by the door.
Steve's jaw dropped open. Natasha Romanoff's jaw dropped open. 'They didn't tell me she was picking me up!' Steve thought. 'They didn't tell me I was picking up this idiot!' Natasha thought. All they had told the female assassin was that she would know them when she saw them. 'Dammit Coulson!' She was going to kill her handler for this. She was already stressed out enough. They wouldn't tell her where Barton was assigned for the next three months, then they had taken away her only day off so she could escort Mr. Big and Brave around New York City? If she was pissed before, she was damn well furious now.
"Get in." she snapped.
The assassin noticed the winter kid's eyes narrow in her direction. She shot a glare at him in return. Steve reluctantly handed the bags and bouquet over to Jack, who gave the flowers to Alex to balance out the amount of stuff they were holding.
The soldier cringed as he accidently brushed past her hand, and the glare she was currently focusing on Jack, tuned on him as he slid into his seat. She slammed the door, and Steve recalled the first time they had met. He was in the gym, attempting to run at top speed on one of the treadmills. The damn machine had stopped suddenly, forcing Steve to stop running and try to figure out the problem. Shortly after he had stopped, however, the treadmill had started back up again, sending poor Steve flying backwards into a certain red headed assassin, knocking her down. When he had gotten up and offered her his hand, apologising profusely, she had flipped him on his back, and stomped off. The experience forever haunted his memory.
"So is it in the secret SHIELD agent handbook to greet new people as hostiles or something?" Jack asked, exasperated.
Alex smirked. "That lady you just say black there, is agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. She's one of SHIELD's top agents, ever. She can kill a man with a twitch of her fingers."
Jack snorted. "I highly doubt that, Alex. I think you've been listening too much to the group gossip."
Group gossip was a word Jack and Alex had made up to describe the twisted rumours that circulated within the SHIELD training groups. Alex had suggested the word when Jack was trying to explain something he heard, but couldn't think of a word to describe where he heard it from. Thus, group gossip.
It was Alex's turn to snort. "You know how I feel about group gossip, Jack. I wouldn't say it unless I've seen it with my own eyes. Me, and 4 other agents were assigned as her back up on a SHIELD mission to gather info on some mediocre Korean intelligence agency. SHIELD likes to keep tabs on people, you know?
Jack nodded, distracted by a leaf falling in front of his face. It twirled down and landed on the cement pathway, only to be whisked away again by a passing car. Alex yelled at the yellow vehicle, mumbling insults about blind cab drivers.
After standing on the side of the road for about 10 minutes trying to wave down a taxi, one of the yellow cars finally pulled up and Alex climbed in, taking the bags from Jack. Jack gave the strange machine and grubby driver a look of disgust and told Alex he'd prefer to fly. Alex looked relieved, and stretched his long legs out across the cramped floor. "Just follow the car." Alex had instructed.
Jack tried his damned hardest, but only a few minutes later, the cab took a sharp turn to the left, and left Jack to fly straight pass a tall skyscraper, making him backtrack and find the taxi again. God, there were so many of them. They were everywhere! Jack panicked, and darted between the moving cars in an attempt to find the one Alex was in. Jack saw a tiny bit of the grey shirt Alex was wearing, only to realise it was the grey of somebody's briefcase pressed against the window of the cab.
Jack sighed in relief as the herd of yellow stopped at a red traffic light, and almost cried out in relief when he caught a flash of red-hair in the window. Jack stuck his head down by the window just to check, and was glad to see Alex sitting there, trying to start up a conversation with the disinterested cab driver. Jack jumped up on top of the immobile vehicle and frosted a little bit of the top of it, to make sure he could find it again. Jack followed the yellow taxi with no problem for the rest of the drive. He planned on flying around a little more away from the proximity of the cab, but now he was way too nervous to leave it unattended, even though he could easily identify it.
After a 20 minute drive, Jack followed the cab as it pulled up outside of a comfortable looking two-story house, in a suburban neighbourhood. It has a little pathway leading up to the front doorstep, a huge shady oak tree out the front with a lonely little rope swing attached to its boughs. There were little garden lights with flashing little windmills along the pathway. It also had little shrubs growing along the side of the fence that separated their property from the others. It was a beautiful little place, perfect for raising a family. Jack fell in love with the picturesque place right away. He swung off of the boughs of the towering oak tree before floating down to help Alex with the bags. Alex waved him off, and hefted the goodies out of the trunk. "Hey Alex, you know they won't see me, right?" Jack asked as Alex paid the driver.
The driver took his money with a grunt and drove off. Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guessed as much. You can go flying if you like, you don't have to stick around if you don't want to."
Jack shook his head. "I helped you pick out those gifts and I'm going to watch your niece's faces light up when they realise what a wonderful uncle they have!"
Alex practically beamed at the spirit. "I was hoping you'd stay. I know they won't see you, but I'd still love for you to meet them all!"
Jack laughed. "Of course!"
Alex grinned. "Showtime." He said with a little bit of a dramatic flair.
Jack rolled his eyes. "So they don't know you're coming?"
Alex smirked. "Nope! I usually only get to visit once a year, and always sometime around March. They still think I'm coming in another three months' time!"
Alex somehow managed to slide a key out of his pocket and unlock the door with his teeth before Jack could rush forward to help.
"Martin?" A feminine voice called. "Did Chloe open the door? I thought we locked it? Don't let her get outside!"
There was a scrabbling inside the house before a man almost Alex's height rushed into the doorway.
"Alex?" He gaped?
"Did you get her?" The voice called, coming down the stairs. The pretty looking auburn haired woman in a blue sundress marched down the stairs, only to join her husband in gaping at Alex.
She ran the rest of the way down and enveloped him in a hug. "Oh, God, we've missed you! What are you doing home so early?" She gushed. They walked over and sat on the grey couches. Jack followed, leaning against the wall across from where they were sitting.
Alex grinned sheepishly. "I applied for a second visiting holiday! They usually don't get accepted."
Her eyebrows shot up. "They work you way too hard, you know. It's got to be against some kind of law!"
Alex groaned. "C'mon sis, you know I love what I do, I don't really mind too much. I think I'll get more visiting holidays anyway. They've assigned me a new job!" He beamed proudly.
"Oh, and these are for you!" He said handing her the bouquet and the bottles of wine. "Oh, these are lovely! You didn't have to get me anything, you nutjob!"
"On my salary, I'm allowed to spoil my older sister."
He turned to Martin, who was leaning against the back of the couch, watching the exchange.
"I've got something for you, too!"
Martin looked at Alex in complete bewilderment as he pulled out the leather case containing the knife.
The man looked shocked as he pulled it out and examined it in his hands.
"This is amazing craftsmanship! I can't accept something like this!"
Alex snorted. Consider it a very manly anniversary gift. You guys have been together, what, 9 years now?
The man nodded.
"Congratulations!" Alex said cheerfully.
"On another note," Alex's sister said, changing the subject, "I think some girls will be happy to know their favourite and only uncle is here for a surprise visit."
Jack smiled as he watched the husband walked up the stairs, and Alex duck behind the couch with a mischievous grin on his face.
He turned to Jack, and mouthing "Watch this." And winked.
Three little girls ambled down the stairs, and Jack wasn't surprised to see that the combination of a dark auburn haired woman and a pale blonde man had given them three beautiful looking red headed girls. The youngest one, who Jack guessed to be Chloe, gave her parents a strange stare. "Are we in trouble? She asked.
Jack watched the hiding agent snicker behind his hand, and grinned at what was about to unfold.
"We have something very special to tell the girls, don't we Anna?"
The woman, Anna, smiled at his. "Yes, we do! But I think we've forgotten, haven't we. Do you remember?"
Martin shook his head. "Uh-uh. It's on the tip of my tongue, but," he said, knocking on the side of his head, "I just can't seem to remember what it is!"
The three girls groaned, and began marching back up the stairs.
"Hmm, maybe we can ask someone else. Alex, do you remember?" She asked.
Alex jumped up from behind the couch, still holding bagful's of toys. "SURPRISE GIRLS!"
The three of them froze, and spun around, quicker than a whip. Once they're eyes confirmed that it was, in fact, Alex, the screamed at a volume that even Jack, used to the sound of the rushing wind, found harsh.
"UNCLE ALEX WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK! IT'S TOO EARLY ISN'T IT? WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"
One of the girls, one of the older one, has a light spread of tears splashing down her face. She buried her face back into Alex's shirt. "We missed you, Uncle Alex."
Alex's face turned soft as he patted her head. "Hey now, I'm here, aren't I, Bonnie? And guess what? I BROUGHT GIFTS!"
There was a general chaos as Alex broke away from the girls and help them up, laughing as they jumped up in an attempt to get a glimpse of them through the bag. He grinned down at them, and pulled away the first bag, a white one with cursive writing on it. "For my littlest niece, something I hope your creative little mind will love." He handed her the back, watching intently as she pulled out the gift.
Chloe squealed with delight and hugged Alex with one hand, saying thank you and rushing over to her mother, waving the paint-set in her face rambling about what she was going to paint. Alex's sister widened her eyes, and sent Alex a worried look. He only laughed. "Don't worry, sis, it comes out of clothes!"
The next up was Bonnie, who had been watching Alex with a gleam in her eye, intent on the bags. He smirked down at her, making her widen her dark brown eye. "Eager, aren't we?" He asked, ruffling the girl's hair. She nodded quickly, still looking at the bags.
Alex handed her a purple and yellow bag, which she almost tore open in her attempt to get to the treasure inside. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she squealed with delight, holding up the Chemistry set proudly. "Uncle Alex! It's the newest one! How did you know I wanted this one?" She half-screamed.
Alex cringed, still smiling. "Hey, I always know what you want, remember? He said, tapping his forehead.
She nodded wildly and rushed off to show her father. He eyed it warily. "Uh, Alex? This says 14+ on the side. Is it really safe for an 8 year old?" He questioned, the dread clear in his tone. Alex only shrugged. "She's a big girl!"
The other girl, who Alex had addressed as Petria, waiting patiently for her gift. She had a peaceful look about her, as if she would fall over at any given moment, and simply gets back up again, smiling. The 9 year old seemed to be simply enjoying the time she had to spend with her uncle. Jack found himself glancing at every minute or so, just to check if she was still the same, or if her facial expression had changed much. It hadn't.
Alex whipped out a flashy looking remote control Helicopter, and gave it to the lithe girl. She eyed it curiously, and took it gingerly from his hands. Alex and Jack held their breath in anticipation, leaning forward to see if the gift they had painstakingly chosen would be appreciated.
The little girl simply stared at the shiny plastic packaging for a few moments before giving a broad grin, and hugging Alex tightly around the waist. Alex's green eyes widened in shock, as if he didn't expect such affection from the child, but returned the hug regardless. The two broke away, and Petria scurried off to go and play with her toy.
Anna piped up. "Hey, uh… Alex?" She asked.
Alex looked up from where he was leaning over Bonnie's shoulder as she ripped out her chemistry set. "Yeah sis?" He questioned.
"I really hate to ask this, but Martin just got called into a work emergency," she said, gesturing to the Martin-less living room, "and I have to quickly run to the store to get some supplies for dinner. Would you, ah, mid watching the girls?"
Alex looked utterly confused. "Huh? You want me to watch them?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I can trust you for 30 minutes, can't I?"
Alex beamed. "Of course you can! I'd be happy to spend some time with them. I don't have weeks this time; I'm only here for the day, so the more time the better."
She gave him a weary smile. "I appreciate it." She turned to her children. "Girls!" she instructed. They all looked up from where they were disassembling their toys from their packages. "I have to go to the store for about half-an-hour, be good for Uncle Alex."
Jack watched as she exited through the door, and turned to where Alex was quietly chatting to Petria, who was leaning again the wall across from Jack, listing intently to the words that left Alex's mouth. The other girls wandered over and formed a small gathering. The spirit watched sadly the three children and Alex laughed and gossip, swapping stories and figuring out their gifts. It wasn't a foreign feeling to Jack, simply watching people doing things.
In fact, it used to be a regular routine, until he was frozen, of course. His time on the Helicarrier had almost made him forget what it was like not to be seen. It was nice while it lasted, he guessed. The whispers from the group increased and Jack noticed Alex pointing frantically to where he was standing. The girls looked at the empty wall, wondering what was so special about it.
Their strange uncle got up and began talking to the wall, having a two-sided conversation with it. The girls thought it was very strange. They knew their beloved uncle was a little eccentric, but this was just too weird. He had been ranting about someone called 'Jack Frost' and saying he was in the room with them right now.
Bonnie didn't believe it until her older sister, Petria gasped. Everybody's head whipped around the quiet girl. Her mother had told her that Bonnie's sister was something called 'mute', which means she couldn't speak at all. She could cough and sneeze and make noises like that, but something like a gasp was very rare for her.
She stood up, shaking, and staring at the space Uncle Alex was gesturing wildly to. A small patch of ice began to form on the tiled floor, and Bonnie watched the small butterfly draw itself, before rising slowly, and hovering above a single tile. Bonnie blinked slowly in amazement, and carefully thought over her Uncle's words. "Jack Frost is standing right over there! He can fly, and control the wind, and make ice from his very fingertips!"
The two sisters blinked simultaneously, and slowly Jack appeared before their very eyes, laughing as he controlled the flying creature. He made it flutter around Petria's head, and settle delicately in? her outstretched hand. The small creature fluttered up to the ceiling, and burst into a frosted cloud, making it snow in the large living room.
The girls, utterly awestruck, stepped forward, slowly, and very unsurely, as their Uncle patted 'Jack Frost' on the shoulder. Sure, they'd heard of Jack Frost before, their mother had warned them that he nips at their noses in winter, making them runny and red. But the person standing before them didn't look like he'd do something like that. And when he turned his brilliant white smile onto them, they decided that this must be a different Jack Frost.
"Hey there girls!" Jack chirped, jumping up into the air.
"Did you like that little trick?" He asked. They both nodded eagerly, their eyes wide.
Jack smirked. "Watch this."
He floated higher, above Alex, who was currently talking to a smiling Petria. He settled very carefully on top of the agent's head, so softly that Alex didn't even feel it. Jack began to make silly faces, waving his staff around, poking his tongue and pretending to use his partner's head as a trampoline, without actually touching him.
The girls giggled hysterically at the mischievous spirit, catching the attention of their uncle.
He gave them a strange look. "What are you laughing at?" He asked quizzically.
Jack brought his finger to his grinning lips, signalling the children to be quiet. Petria looked up and noticed Jack, and covered her mouth with her hand. Chloe was now in fits of laughter as jack continued to pull more and more faces above and unsuspecting Alex, turning as he turned, making sure that Alex didn't catch him in the act. Bonnie joined Annie in her laughter and Petria grinned openly. The laughter died down in a moment of silence as the three girls and Jack held their breath.
Alex still didn't get what was happening, until Jack floated a few inches up, and lightly tapped Alex of the head with his bare foot, catching his attention.
Alex looked amused as the pieces finally clicked into place, and all three girls showed their amusement, whether it be high-pitched giggles, snorting laughter, or a broad grin, they thought Jack's discovery was hilarious.
The next twenty minutes was spent chasing Jack around the living room with the remote control helicopter, each of the girls taking turns as gave them lessons on how to control it. Jack always caught the helicopter before it went down, to make sure it lasted the rest of the day.
Petria finally took the elusive spirit down with a swift hit to the back of Jack's head, making him drop onto the floor. He couldn't get up for a few moments, due to the heaving laughter invading his chest. Alex hauled him off of his feet, just as Anna walked through the door. The living room was relatively intact (thank god), and everybody stopped what they were doing to welcome Anna home.
Alex had explained to the girls about the fact that only certain adults could see Jack, and it took a lot of convincing for even Alex to believe he existed. Alex explained how he had to sit down for nearly an hour to be thoroughly convinced of the person he was going to work with. Both Jack and the girls had listened in intently; all of them never had heard the story before.
The welcomed their mother home, just as Alex's cell rang. He was enjoying the moment, and really didn't want to be dealing with work right now, but they would assume something was wrong if he didn't answer, so he pulled it out of his pocket with a sigh.
"Agent Summers," Coulson said into the cell.
Alex perked up. This was one of the big bosses, he was very glad he had answered this call. Coulson had the tendency to call in retrieval teams if you missed a phone call.
"Mr Frost needs to report now; you have to report for a debriefing. Nothing too serious, but we just sent two being who hadn't seen the world for 70 years with you as their only guardian, so we just want to see how it went. There is a car waiting for you outside your sister's home, please go there immediately." He instructed before hanging up.
Alex's sighed, running a hand down his face, and looking wearily at Jack. "Sorry girls, duty calls early. We- I have to go back to work." He said, flicking his eyes over to Jack and hoping the girls would get the message.
The girls looked upset but nodded their heads solemnly. "We know. Are you still going to visit later?" Chloe asked.
Alex stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Three months' time, kiddo, be good."
He hugged the rest of them, finally getting up to give his sister a warm hug. "You and Martin must be doing something right. Those girls are getting bigger every time I see them!"
She snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment. We'll miss you, bro."
He smiled sadly at her. "I'll miss you more, my girls." He replied, getting one last look at them. Before slipping out the door. Jack followed him into the car.
"Thanks." Jack said quietly.
Alex turned to look at him in surprise. "What for?"
"For.. making them... see me."
Alex grinned, slapping Jack on the back. "Anytime."
Jack was bored out his mind, wasn't in the mood for talking, and was starting to regret his decision to ride in the car instead of flying. He thought he had forgotten about that nightmare, but some simple, stupid little thought had triggered his memory to remind him of the frightening experience. It was still vivid in his memory, still something he couldn't place. He felt as if it was on the tip of his tongue, yet he was not able to remember whatever the hell it was. And it was very frustrating. He sighed, cringing at what had happened after the incident.
He had never, ever, once used his powers in his sleep. No matter how badly he slept, or how strange his dreams got, he kept control of himself. It made him visibly shake to think that he had no control of what had happened. He had had that dream twice, so why didn't he have control the second time? He still had this overwhelming guilt inside him, and no matter what Steve said, Jack had a feeling that he would have to get through this himself. He was still on edge.
The black sedan came to a stop outside one of the building he had flown around before. A rather… interesting looking building that didn't seem quite finished yet. There were trucks outside delivering what looked to be thousands of cardboard boxes, and plastic still covered the windows. There were also construction workers on the very top, who seemed to be installing some kind of equipment into the roof.
Alex had explained somewhere along the way that Coulson wanted him somewhere for a debriefing, which Jack thought was utterly ridiculous. The car drove away with an annoyed looking Alex inside, leaving Jack standing awkwardly in front of the tower, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"Sunglasses?" Coulson offered from beside the spirit, startling him a little.
Jack eyed the offered eyewear, before refusing.
Coulson tucked them back into his coat pocket. Jack sighed. "What am I doing here Coulson?' he asked wearily.
Coulson simply smiled at him, and began walking toward the already crowded entrance. Jack followed, and they squeezed through the swarm of busy people, through the lobby and into the elevator.
"Well, Jack, we're going to visit a particularly stubborn man, by the name of Tony Stark. He's rich, he's handsome, and he's a genius who invented a suit of armour, that is weaponized, and that he uses on his own accord, which puts him on SHIELD's 'to-keep-an-eye-one' list. You are simply to observe, and see how things are done."
After a strange ride in a metal box, the two arrived at the top floor, where a red-headed woman pored over stacks of paperwork. Coulson cleared his throat.
She turned sharply, catching eye of Coulson. "Phil!" she exclaimed, walking forward and greeting the man with a warm hug. "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to drop off something to Mr. Stark. It's important information on a classified project, something he's has already had some… past involvement in. Not that'll he'll read it of course."
She sighed. "No, he most-likely won't. He'll probably just get Jarvis to scan it and tell him the important stuff."
Coulson opened his mouth to speak, just as a man wearing a huge metal suit came strolling in. The suit sighed. "What is he doing here? Thanks for the help guys, I'm sure you mean well, but I'm sure poor Jarvis doesn't want another 40 000 word file to scan.
A voice came from the ceiling. "I would not mind sir."
Jack noticed the mask slide up to reveal the annoyed face of a man. 'This must be the guy Coulson was talking about.' Jack thought.
Tony rolled his eyes at the politeness of his AI. "Sir, if I may report this, there seems to be a strange energy source residing beside Mr. Coulson."
The man in the suit turned around, peeking curiously to where Coulson had moved in front of Jack. "What are you hiding there, Coulson? Scan it, Jarvis."
"It seems to be humanoid sir, and is carrying an elongated weapon. The weapon is giving off an equal amount of energy as the being."
"What is this, Coulson?"
Coulson didn't miss a beat. "His name is Jack Frost. He was found in the ice, frozen alongside Captain Steve Rogers. He is not… visible to most. He is observing"
The man snorted. "Please. You're trying to tell me that there's an invisible old-guy in here?"
Coulson raised an eyebrow. "What else could your AI be detecting? If I wasn't absolutely sure what it was, SHIELD would be here by now."
Tony Stark blinked at the man. Coulson spoke again. "I'll describe him to you, if you really can't see him. He's got white hair, pale skin, a black SHIELD suit on, not wearing any shoes, and he's carrying a staff."
Tony blinked over and over again, as Coulson's description perfectly matched the figure that was appearing right in front of his eyes. Coulson looked over his shoulder, at the confused looking spirit, then back to a gaping Tony Stark. He smirked.
"His name, is Jack Frost." Coulson glanced back, and gestured for Jack to introduce himself. Jack gave a small wave. "Uh, hey. I'm Jack." He said lamely.
"Huh." Was all the genius could say.
He studied Jack, taking a small step forward. Pepper had left the room at some point, probably to get another delivery of paperwork. "So you're Jack Frost? You nip on people's noses and leave snow everywhere?"
"Um, yeah. That's me. I don't actually bite people noses, though. I'm not really sure where that came from."
Stark grinned at the kid, before patting him lightly on the back, wary of the Iron Man suit. "Well, Jack Frost, I'm not sure what you're doing in my tower exactly, but welcome. Need anything? Water? A glass of whiskey perhaps?"
Coulson stepped forward. "I'm not really sure that would be-"
A loud whooshing sound echoed throughout the room, and a swirling portal appeared. Jack yelled, and flew up into the air.
"What are you doing here!?" He yelled at nothing in particular.
Jack continued ranting and shouting insults at the strange thing. "Jack!" Coulson shouted. "What the hell can you see that we can't?"
Jack waved his staff at the thing he was shouting at. "It's the god damn Easter Bunny, saying he's here to take me in."
Jack turned back, spitting insults at the thing. Stark got into action, his faceplate sliding down. Jack seemed be struggling, his arms now pinned down by his sides, his legs thrashing and kicking at something he couldn't see.
"Sir!" Jarvis said urgently. "There are now three additional energy sources within the room!"
Stark couldn't believe his eyes when he witnessed the giant rabbit holding onto Jack jump through the portal, followed by two hulking things. He didn't think, he acted. He dove straight through the portal, just as it closed…
A/N: Hey guys! Miss me? I rushed to finish this, my longest chapter yet, to celebrate 100 followers! It's so awesome that this happened just before the tenth chapter, and only a day before my birthday! Can you imagine better circumstances! I literally can't thank you all enough for all your reviews and support and criticism on my story! I hope you like the events in this chapter, it was hard to write! The story's speeding up! How did you like Alex's Brother/Uncle-ness? Please review, tell me any mistakes I made, what I can improve, ideas you want to see written, what you liked! And I am sorry I haven't replied to reviews in a while, but I promise to try! Please review!