Important! Please read the Authors note at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!
Staying awake for a week was something Jack had constantly considered a normality before he had been frozen in the ice for almost seventy years. Hell, months of wakefulness at a time was never something the spirit considered a privilege. Until now.
After discovering the ominous message embroidered onto the shredded fabric of his hood six days prior, Jack made it his top priority to stay awake. As he packed his brand new supply of uniforms (Fury had decided to completely change the style, settling on a much more comfortable, well-fitting style made from a different material and changing from the standard black to a much more aesthetic dark blue with lines of black here and there) into a small suitcase, the winter spirit struggled to keep his eyes opened. It wasn't like he was without reason, no, that wasn't it.
The truth was, Jack was terrified. Terrified of the nightmares he knew would plague him if he rested his eyes for even a minute. Ever since he laid eyes on the words ripped into his clothing, Jack knew that the man in his dreams was real. He knew that those things that attacked him, Tony and the Guardians at North's workshop were sent by the sword-man, and that the notion of this guy being real and being able to access him dreams and scare the living crap out of him freaked Jack out to no end.
Added on top of all his worry, was the figurine. Jack had inquired about the progress, and Coulson had admitted that there had been no new discoveries, other than the strange energy signals emanating from its form. It wasn't until Jack had laid eyes on it again for the first time since he had handed it over to be examined, that he made the connection. The flapping cape, the sharpened sword, the angled face, it all made fit together sickeningly well.
The statue, this tiny figure that could fit into the palm of his hand, looked exactly like the man in his dreams. In fact, Jack was so sure it was the man from his dreams. Which meant that the sword-man's name was Jokul Frosti, and that he was very powerful, given the fact that even North couldn't crack the power that lay within the confines of the carefully sculpted glass. But was this statue actually the man from his dreams, or was it simply a relic created by Jokul Frosti for some unknown reason? The scariest question was, why did Jack feel such a strong connection the dark relic? It frightened him to no end, and he didn't keep it around long enough to find out.
As soon as he recovered from the shock of his discovery and had some time to think, Jack sent it away to North, with a note attached explaining his dreams, theories, concerns and the message printed on his hood. It almost killed him to cut it up, but it was already emanating weird vibes, probably left over from whatever the flying goblin used to print it on there in the first place. He also saved a small piece of the lettering for Tony, wrapping it up in a junk-food packet left over from Alex's last visit and stashed at the back of his closet. Jack sent the box away, and immediately felt anxious about all the information he had revealed in the note. He wasn't usually someone to share personal information, and he desperately hoped it was something North could keep to himself.
On top of all of the things topped onto his growing pile of worries, was the sudden move. Nick Fury had given them little information, only saying that the Helicarrier was to be used for more 'conventional' purposes, and that it was time for everybody to get back into the real world, saying that Jack would be continuing his training elsewhere. He was sending a majority of agents off of the ship so SHIELD could get down to renovating, which meant that they were turning all of the agent's living areas into god-knows-what. Jack knew he would be sad to see his only home in the 21st century be stripped down and turned into something more 'conventional', but he would lie if he said if he wasn't a little excited to be finally living in the real world. Alex would be with him, of course. He was still Jack's partner and friend, and Fury knew that at the very least Jack needed a friend right now.
The spirit fiddled with the magical ring North had given him, silently thanking the jolly man for his gift. This meant that he could defend himself better, focus his powers more, give a little more bite to his bark.
Jack was the most worried for Steve, who he was worried would have trouble adapting to the new world. It certainly wasn't going to be easy for Jack to adapt, but he had lived almost three hundred years. He was used to watching the world change before his very eyes, and even though seventy years' worth of change was a lot to get used to, it was certainly something Jack knew he could adapt to. But Steve, he was a different story. He had grown up in a single city, only ever venturing out when he became the super soldier.
Jack had laughed when he heard the story of how Steve performed in musical acts to sell war bonds for the war effort, finding it hard to imagine the big guy parading around giving practiced speeches and fighting pretend bad guys. Steve didn't talk about his past too much, only bringing it up when directly asked or on the odd occasion when he felt like sharing his thoughts. Jack didn't ask too much, because he could see the sadness flash through the soldier's blue eyes whenever he talked about his team back in WWII or the way things used to be.
The thing that concerned Jack the most about Steve was the slight fear in his face or the tensing of his shoulders whenever someone brought up something about the modern world. Jack vowed that he would help Steve, whether it be keeping his mind off of things with fantastically wild stories or having someone to be confused with when they both didn't understand some modern world reference.
Jack was thankful to have Alex with him, a constant supply of wisdom whenever it came to the modern world. The redhead was always explaining something about the 21st century that helped Jack to understand that little bit more. He always seemed happy to share something, whether it is the tallest building on earth, or when mankind launched a rocket onto the moon. The moon landing definitely piqued Jack's curiosity, he wondered how the Man in the Moon felt about that? The thought of the man in the moon sent a pang through his chest, and Jack shook his head and continued packing his clothes into the small black travel case.
There was a knock at the door just as Jack had managed to stomp down all of the clothes and was in the middle of trying to zip the wretched thing up. He had already gotten the material caught in the zip three times, and it was frustrating him to no end. Jack called for whoever it was to enter, thinking that Alex would saunter in from where his living space connected to Jack's, telling Jack about yet another interesting fact, as per usual. But when the door opened and nobody spoke, Jack picked up his staff. He was on edge, ready for anything at the moment. With all that's going on, how could he not be?
What he did not expect to see, was the pale blue piercing gaze of a very familiar female agent. If Jack had to be honest, he wanted to run. 'Get out of here as quickly as possible,' His mind told him. He didn't want to look at her, there was too much guilt that wracked his mind, but he found it hard to tear his gaze away. It was Christine.
Her usually neat thin brown hair was messy, and the challenge she held within her eyes was dull. The guilt was unbearable. Had he done this to her? Why did she look so… tired.
"Need some help hotstuff?" She asked. Her voice was quitter than normal, but Jack was relieved to hear that her ironic sense of sarcasm hadn't disappeared. Jack hesitated before swallowing thickly, and nodded. Truth be told, he really didn't want her to be there, in the room at all. She didn't seem afraid of him, which made Jack feel another surge of guilt. She gave him an unreadable look before settling down on top of the suitcase, much to his surprise.
When he didn't do anything, Christine simply looked at him until he remembered why she was sitting down on in in the first place. He mumbled a quiet apology and began to zip of the suitcase, making sure not to get the zip caught in any clothing items that dared to peek out of the sides. He was grateful for the weight holding down the bulging clothes, but was extremely uncomfortable being so close to Christine with the waves of guilt rolling through him. He could still clearly see bruises covering the majority of her hands, the small cut on her forehead, and the many he guessed were covered by her new SHIELD uniform. He moved as far away from her as he could when he had finished, avoiding eye contact.
Christine stood up, brushing herself off and sighed dramatically. "It wasn't your fault Jack." She said, more serious than he had ever heard her. There was not a trace of sarcasm in her voice, even though Jack usually had trouble finding the difference between her sarcasm and seriousness, her voice was soft, yet straight to the point.
"I just talked to Alex, and he confirmed what I had already been sure of. You weren't in control Jack, we all know that. Even though some people are being overdramatic about it, nobody was seriously injured. We all knew what we could be getting ourselves into when Fury assigned us the task, if it is anybody's fault, it's ours. Or Fury's, he's the one that thought up that little scheme. I can see where he's coming from, I really can, but it was uncalled for." She explained. "But jack, it is not your fault."
Jack looked up, hoping to believe what she was saying, but caught another glimpse of the purple and black shade of her hands and looked back down to the floor from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You know I can't believe that, when you were the one that got hurt the worst. Just how many bruises are you hiding under those sleeves?" He choked, his voice cracking towards the end.
Much to his disbelief, she tilted her head back and gave a hearty laugh, letting her hair fall back out of her face. Jack could only stare over at her in shock, watching as she finished and grinned at him. "It's not my sleeves that are covering the bruises kid; my legs took the brunt of it. You're lucky I was there to catch you, if you need lessons of how to falls properly, talk to Clint. Damn that guy can fall of the empire state building and still get back up. Don't worry, Jack, I'm fine." She assured.
Jack could only stare at her. Why was she playing this so coolly? His eyes narrowed. "Why did you pass out then, hmm?"
Her eyes widened slightly, before she schooled her features back into place. "Just getting my beauty sleep, we all had to get up at an obnoxious time that morning, and I kind of thought, 'hey, I'm already on my ass, why not take a nap?'"
Jack rolled his eyes, before cracking a grin and smothering it immediately. "That's not funny, Christine. What if you had of been hurt, or killed? You were so close to the blast, and if it wasn't for you, there would of have been a lot more people that were hurt. And don't try to pretend that your ankle isn't broken, I can see you limping."
She cringed, before sighing and waddling over to sit beside him. "Hey, Jack, look at me."
The frost spirit inched his head up and stared at her left cheek, desperately trying to avoid her piercing gaze. Unfortunately for him, she was as stubborn and moved her gaze into his line of vision. "You're a good kid, anybody who is knows you knows that, and just because you hurt people, doesn't mean that you're a bad person." Jack averted his gaze again, "You're just saying that so I feel better, a few reassuring words don't change what I did or how I feel about myself at the moment." Christine sighed again.
"Steve's a horrible person. So is Alex. They're both nasty, violent people who have hurt people and need to be locked away."
Jack startled, jumping away from her and giving the brunette a look that could freeze a person in their tracks, especially if he tried hard enough. "How DARE you, Steve and Alex are good people no matter what they've done and don't deserve that kind of bull-"
"So if Alex and Steve are good people no matter what they've done, even though they've most likely done a lot of bad things they probably regret, and the fact that you know some of the thing's they've done on a mission, or in self-defence, why do you still insist that giving a few people, that were attacking your friend, by the way, some bumps and bruises makes you a bad person?"
Jack stood there, speechless as he mulled over Christine's words. He had played right into her trap, and even though he was annoyed at her for bringing his closest friends into it, he was also grateful for her insistence on the matter. He might not quite forgive himself yet, but with Christine putting the situation into perspective for him, he supposed it would be a little easier.
He was still mulling over her words long after she had left the room, telling him that you wouldn't be working for SHIELD if you hadn't done things that you'd regretted. He was still sitting cross-legged in front of his bedroom wall when Steve walked in, glancing at Jack in confusion before coming down and settling beside him, only facing the other way with his back resting against the light blue surface.
Jack hadn't even heard him enter until the soldier spoke. "I was going to ask you if you needed help with your bags, but it seems like you really won't need it. Unless you plan on taking some of those fancy kitchen tools with you." Jack chuckled lightly, before sighing.
"It really wasn't my fault, was it?"
Steve shook his head, his neatly groomed blonde hair falling out of place. "You had no control over the matter Jack, of course it wasn't." Steve stood up, and offered a hand to help Jack up before dusting himself off.
Jack took it gladly, feeling like he had been still for too long. Before Jack was frozen inside the ice for seventy years, he was constantly moving around. Whether it be hopping from building to building or skipping to the next country over, he never sat still. It was refreshing, but he was beginning to get uncomfortable.
To be truthful, Jack hadn't talked to Steve too much for the past two days. Fury had him training a few rookies on the first couple of days Jack had been back, but Steve had still made time to check up on him and ask if he was ok. They didn't talk long, and besides the quick conversation when passing each other in the halls, they hadn't really spoken.
"So, I guess I kinda forgot to ask this, but did you enjoy walking through New York for the first time in like, ages?"
Steve smiled at him, sighing wistfully. "It was certainly eye-opening to see a little more of it, but it wasn't my first time there, you know."
Jack reeled back, utterly confused. "Wha-"
"I didn't wake up on the helicarrier, I woke up in a SHIELD base. There was a pretty nurse smiling at me, the room looked like just another 40's hospital room. For a second there, I had thought everything was alright, that they had rescued me from the ice and I… I thought I was back home."
Steve took a deep breath, bowing his head and calming himself. Jack put a steady hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him friend through a subject that he knew was hard to talk about. It was another one of those moments where Steve shared a little about himself, and Jack would listen to a bittersweet story about the soldier's friends or the howling commandos. He wanted to hear the rest of this story, even though it didn't seem like it was from the back in the 1940's, it sounded a hell of a lot different.
"But then, I listened to the radio. The announcer was relaying it, and it sounded so familiar. So I listened, and I realised. I had been to that game. I was right there with Bu-….. with… a friend."
Steve sighed again, and continued his story.
"It was terrifying, I broke out of the room, took out a few agents as I went, and burst out onto the main street of New York City. That was when I met Nick Fury. That was when I learned that I'd been 'asleep' in the ice, and was questioned about the other person that was found next to me."
Jack was so absorbed in the story it took him a moment to register that Steve was referring to him, and gave his friend a sheepish smile, hoping he would continue.
The soldier gave Jack and sad smile before continuing. "Well, it was certainly a real shock to remember that a total stranger had, in fact, crashed through the windscreen of the ship and went down with me. I was curious when they'd said that you'd survived as well. All sorts of things were running through my head, Hydra, another Super Soldier. But they fled my theories when they told me that you only looked about 16, 17 years old. You didn't look like a Hydra agent, or a Super Soldier they said.
Jack grinned. "Non-taken, but hey, I may not look like it, but I am older than you!" Jack joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Steve chuckled lightly. "Well, I didn't know that at the time. Though I had a feeling SHIELD did, because Nick Fury asked a lot of questions about you. I needed some time to get my head straight after waking up, so I stayed in a SHIELD safe house for a few weeks, before taking up residence on the Helicarrier. I was there a little under two weeks before I got a knock on my door from a nervous looking kid in a blue hood carrying a stick. Not the strangest thing that's ever happened to me though."
Steve smiled at Jack as his face turned red and he looked away. The spirit couldn't believe he had never heard this story before! He felt sad at the rude introduction that Steve had to the new world, and wished that he could've felt as happy as Jack did when he went exploring. But then again, Jack had nobody, no friends or family to leave behind in the past. It was certainly a lot harder on Steve knowing most of those people had died already. Jack tried to lighten the mood again with an admission of his own.
"Well, as long as we're on the topic, that wasn't my first time in New York either."
Steve's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, in an obvious show of surprise.
"I didn't know that New York was the place I had visited I went exploring that night, and when I remembered I kind of forgot again because I was so excited to go flying."
Steve laughed at this, making Jack grin at him. "C'mon Jack, I can hear Alex struggling with his suitcases next door, I think he needs some help."
Jack sighed, but couldn't help laughing as he too picked up on the grunts and curses through the walls. God, he was going to miss this place.
"You know who I am, Jack Frost, but do you know who you are? Where you came from, who you were in a past life?"
Jack's shoulders tensed, as each question hit a nerve inside him. He wanted to move, lash out, attack the man that had confirmed himself as Jokul Frosti, but he was frozen to the spot. Every time he moved the razor sharp glass pinning his feet down would cut deeper into his skin. Jack knew it was a dream, he reminded himself every couple of seconds, but the pain of the ice cutting into his legs felt so real, it was hard to determine dream from reality. Especially when he knew that the person who was doing this to him in his dream, was making this happen in real-life, which was even more terrifying.
Jokul Frosti gave a dark chuckle, bringing his hands up and letting the sharp ice crawl even further up his legs.
"I didn't think so. I'll be seeing you again, Jack Frost, do not doubt me on that. Pleasant dreams."
The man's sickening smirk was the last thing Jack saw before he shot up in unfamiliar bed, gasping for air. The blanket and sheets were coated in a thin layer of ice and Jack sighed, relieved that he hadn't frozen half of the room.
Steve slowly opened the door and poked his head in a moment later, followed by a tired, yet concerned looking Alex. "Jack? We heard you yell, are you okay?" Steve asked, his voice still thick with sleep.
Jack mentally shook himself, giving a huge yawn and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes in an attempt to look like nothing was wrong. He smiled at them, trying to calm his rapid breathing back to normal. "Ha, sorry guys, no emergency tonight. Just a crazy dream, I must've been sleep talking. Thanks for checking up on me, you can go back to sleep now, I'm fine." Jack knew he was saying too much, but he really didn't want to drag his friends into this. He wondered if Tony Stark would be awake at this time of night?
Steve gave Jack one last concerned look and nodded, then closed the door. Jack sighed. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in his new apartment, he had just been testing the bed after a tiring day or moving everything around to his preference, and he fell asleep. He was so tired, exhausted actually, but sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do. The nightmare had come, just as he had predicted it would, and he doubted that they would stop. Jokul Frosti said that he'll see him again, which was all the more terrifying.
There was a small knock at the door a moment later, and Jack gave a long suffering sigh. He had guessed that Steve would hear the waver of indecision in Jack's tone of voice, and would come back again. Much to his surprise, a mop of bright red hair could be spotted peering at him through the now-partially opened door. Alex was much more observant than people gave him credit for.
The red-head walked through and stood awkwardly to the side of the modern-looking desk, bare of any papers, as Jack had only moved in last night. "Your eyes were wild, you're still breathing heavily, you were awake when we came in and there's ice on the floor, Jack. What happened? Did someone attack you, were they in here? Why is there ice on the floor? Are you okay?"
The frost spirit gave a hefty sigh, and shifted himself so that he now sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the space beside him, and Alex ambled over to join his friend. The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, both listening to the soft sound of each other's breath.
"It was a nightmare. A lot like the one that made me scare that nurse, it made my powers go a little wild. I learnt, when I was at the North Pole, that if I'm defenceless like when I'm sleeping, or overwhelmed like when the agents attacked Steve and I, that my powers will be released and attack as a last-ditch resort. My magic is like a little personality, it can be moody and play up, or be angry or scared and lash out. So when I have these nightmares, it senses danger, and of course I'm sleeping so I can't actually defend myself. So my magic tries to do it for me, hence the ice." Jack finished, gesturing around at the semi-frozen chunks scattered around the bed from where they had fallen.
Alex didn't look confused or curious, or even sad. Just sympathetic. It made Jack feel strange, he had never really had somebody that had been sympathetic towards him before. Well, at least nobody that had ever been direct about it. His friend put a steady hand on his shoulder and sighed.
"Well Jack, I can't say that my ice powers go a little insane when I have reoccurring nightmares, but I'm just here to say that you're not alone. There was this one time, after a mission went a little awry in the UK, I had a particularly nasty nightmare. Long story short, I woke up with my Bo to the throat of one of the guys in my team. We were sleeping in the same cabin, and I was wide awake. I began to nod off, and there was some kind of noise outside, it set me off. My body went into defence mode, I couldn't control myself. It… it wasn't pleasant. I could've killed him, you know."
Alex shrugged as he finished the story, his voice turning from soft and low to bland and indifferent. Like he was trying to forget the words as soon as they left his mouth. Despite his seemingly numb attitude, Jack noticed the slight shudder that passed over his friend's skin as he retold his experiences.
Alex still had a hand on Jack's shoulder and was looking anywhere but at him. Jack put a sturdy hand on his friend's tensed up shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Hey, Alex."
Alex looked up, his breathing faster and his pupils dilated. "Thanks for telling me, you didn't have too you know. I know that you've been through bad stuff, hell, I don't think that there is a SHIELD agent that hasn't. Just… thanks. For calming me down, for noticing that something was wrong, I mean not that I'm angry at Steve or anything, I just want to say thanks."
Alex smiled lightly and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Hey, thanks for listening. Now, I don't think that any of us are going to get any sleep anytime soon, so what do you say me and you put to use the massive archive of the movies Coulson gave us, hey?"
Four hours, one and a half movies and two bowls of overly salted popcorn later, Steve entered Jack's apartment after hearing a half-hearted grunt of permission when he knocked. He stumbled upon the sight of a bleary eyed frost spirit and a half asleep agent of SHIELD throwing pieces of burnt popcorn at each other, both cackling madly as the yellowed pieces of snack food hit their individual target.
Steve couldn't supress his smile as he stepped in over dozens of half-full cups containing various soft drinks and miscellaneous candy wrappers, watching as Alex waved to him lazily, still grinning like an idiot, his sleepy laughter bubbling out from his lips. If Steve had to take a wild guess, he'd guess that these two had just come down from a sugar high.
"How long have you two been awake? And what kind of movie is this?" Steve questioned, squinting at the strange green creature scheming on the screen.
Jack's cackles only increased in volume, causing Alex to join in. Steve rolled his eyes at the two, even if he found this the most amusing thing he had seen in a while. The soldier found it very strange to see the normally casual and laid back agent and the usually exuberant and humorous frost spirit so tired and acting so strange.
"I broke my Bo!" Alex declared. "I spilt soft drink on it and messed up the gears inside. Looks like I'm back to the basic wooden pole until SHIELD can make me a new one, but that takes weeks! Months even!" the agent half-shouted, laughing and sounding angry all at the same time.
Steve wandered over and picked up the remote, pausing the movie to see the title. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. These movie titles only got stranger and stranger.
Jack's bubbling cackles stopped abruptly, and he turned slowly to Steve, looking his friend dead in the eye, his face deadly serious. "Unpause it, now." Steve was momentarily stunned for a moment, but he warily pressed the play button again, letting the sound of the cheesy carols fill the room once again. Alex had stopped cackling, but was still grinning like a madman. Jack's face changed as soon as the music started up again, from serious to a sleepy grin.
Steve cleared his throat, trying to will away the grin tugging upon his lips in fear of setting the two back into a sleep-deprived laughing fit. "Okay guys, I think that it's time to get some sleep. I'm going to clean this up, and you two can go back to bed, okay?"
He didn't get a reply, only some slurred giggles from Jack. The soldier sighed and began to pile up all the cups and bowls into one heap so he didn't have to make two trips. By the time he returned with a broom to sweep up the rest of the mess, Jack and Alex had already fallen asleep. Steve only rolled his eyes and laughed softly at his friends, wondering when the tenseness between him and Jack, and the strict professionalism between him and Alex had dissolved away, leaving behind friendliness and care. Even though Jack was a three hundred year old spirit of winter, and Alex was a deadly SHIELD agent that knew a thousand different ways to kill you, he found comfort in their companionship. He had found friends, and he was damn sure going to keep it that way.
The sleeping duo woke to the smell of a mouth-watering meal being cooked not too far away from them, in Jack's newly furnished apartment. The apartment itself was the result of a result of a hasty furniture shipment and basic necessity shopping, such as dinnerware, food, even a new toothbrush. The walls were a welcoming honeyed cream colour, with splashes of white around the edges. Most of the furniture was either a light timber brown or a simple greyed-white. It was a huge difference between the lavish attentions to personality and details that Jack's old room withheld on the Helicarrier, but the spirit found that he didn't really mind it too much. After all, he was supposed to be adapting to a new world, so why not start with a new decorating scheme?
Both he and Alex rolled off of the couch, groaning their displeasure of waking up. They looked at each other from their positions on the floor, silently daring one another to get up first. They lay there for a full minute, until Jack sighed and got to his feet, followed by a triumphant- looking Alex.
"Good-afternoon you two, or should I say, good-night. It's almost 7:00, I was just about to wake you both up for dinner. I hope you like omelettes Alex, they're the only real thing I know how to make. I cooked an extra for you Jack, if you feel like eating. I hope you don't mind me using your food either, I actually went out to the little vegetable store on the corner and bought some fresh ingredients using the money that SHIELD gave us. Everything is so expensive nowadays.'
Jack listened to Steve's mutters as he continued to rant about the cost of a lot of things, and how the money he paid for the vegetables could've bought a car back in his day. Jack was never really too fluent on the concept on money and the 'economy' only really knowing the bare basics, like money bought stuff and the economy relied on money.
Jack decided that if he ate, he would have more energy to stay awake, and realised with a sudden start, that he hadn't had any nightmares last night. Was it because of all the popcorn he ate, or the soft drinks he guzzled? Jack didn't know, but if eating food meant that he didn't dream, his kitchen cupboards and fridge were going to be empty by the end of the week.
Jack nodded when Steve piled a small omelette onto a Tupperware plate and offered it out to Jack. The spirit didn't really feel like eating, and was afraid that if he ate too much, he would become reliant on food. It was something he would have to ask North about next time he saw him. The spirit accepted the food with a grateful smile, much to Steve's surprise, and joined a newly seated Alex in chowing down on the delicious breakfast food.
"s'good Steve! Where'd oo earn' oo ook' ike' dis'?" The agent asked around a mouthful of food, taking care not to let any of it fall out of his already overstuffed mouth. Steve frowned slightly, not accustomed to the strange table manners. "My mother taught me. It was the only recipe I could do really well, without burning the food or turning it into cardboard."
Jack nodded. Perhaps one of the things he and Steve could do to get use to the world around them was learn how to cook. It would be something that they could do in the apartment, and had most of the supplies to do it with, and had the added benefit of feeding them all. He added to the list of things to talk about with Steve later.
It was only a few minutes and an almost-finished omelette later that a bright flash enveloped the room, leaving a small wooden box in its wake. Jack lunged towards it, staff raised and ready to cover the things in a mountain of ice before he realised exactly what it was. North had received the letter and the figurine, and had hopefully sent something back answering all of Jacks questions.
Jack walked the rest of the distance toward the magical box and picked it up, drawing out the letter inside. The ring on his finger glowed for a moment, responding to the magic held within the box, causing Jack to start a little before giving a nervous laugh, pocketing the letter, and picking up the small box.
He turned to Alex and Steve, who were looking quite dumbfounded to say the least. Great. Now he had to explain to two people who knew nothing of his ventures in the North Pole just what this thing was and how it happened.
"Sit down guys; I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."
An hour later found Jack settling down from being bombarded by a series of complicated questions that required even more complicated answers. The concept of the North Pole had gone over his friend's head at first, and they both thought that Jack was talking about a magical secretive enemy base, and they had used some kind of portal machine to kidnap both him and Tony Stark.
It took a lot of explaining, reassuring and swearing on his life that it was, if fact, Santa Claus he was talking about, and yes, the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, Sandman, Yeti's and Elves really were real, and no, they weren't terrorists codenames.
After that, Jack had to go all the way back and explain the importance Jokul Frosti figurine, which also enlightened Alex on the circumstances that lead to his partnership with Jack. He had explained the attack and the strange figures that attacked the workshop, how they defeated them, the story behind the magical ring, and the message painted into Jack's hood, which both explained to his friends why the spirit no longer wore his beloved hood.
There was also the subject of the nightmares, which Jack glossed over as much as possible. He didn't like to talk about it, and both of them, even Steve seemed to understand what they meant. That this Jokul Frosti character was in fact, real, and that he was proving to be a real threat to jack. The questions from Steve had been mostly about how he was going to deal with the problem, how powerful this guy was, if Jack was feeling ok, and if SHIELD should get involved. They all unanimously agreed that it was best left to the professionals, that being the guardians, of course.
Alex had asked a lot of questions relating to the guardians and Toy Stark. Asking if North was as jolly as they say he is, if the Easter bunny was cute and fluffy, and if Tony Stark was as egotistical as the papers claimed. It was quite a shock to the red-head to learn that North was indeed jolly, but also a huge intimidating Russian with tattoos and swords, the Easter bunny was seven foot tall and cranky most of the time, and that Tony could actually be a nice guy when it came down to it.
Steve listened intently to the questions concerning Howard Stark's son, and smiled softly when most of Jack's answers about Tony's attitude and antics perfectly matched what he knew about Howard. By the sounds of it, they were both very sarcastic and quick-witted, both geniuses ahead of their time, and both good people underneath an exterior of sly comments and jokes.
After all of the hype about Jack's story had settled down, the three decided that they all needed some fresh air and decided to go for a short walk around the block. It was when Steve pointed out the little stand where he had bought some fresh produce from a little while ago, that Jack remembered something.
"Hey Steve, how do you feel about learning to cook with me? I really want to learn, it seems like an interesting skill to have, y'know." Jack said, watching a plastic bag fly past them.
Steve's face brightened, his eyes already portraying all of the possibilities that flitted through his mind. "Sure! Although I have no idea where to start, I'm sure that we'll figure it out."
Alex chimed in. "Hey, I'd like to get in on this action! Let's go find a store that sells cookbooks or something, I think that it'd be as good as place to start as any."
Jack put an arm around his friends shoulder. "I'm sure glad we have you around, I don't think that we'd last the week!"
Alex snorted and gave them a good-natured grin. "Pssshh, I doubt you'd last the day."
The streets were filled with the sound of delighted male laughter, as the three friends made their way down the open pathway.
"Dear Jack
First of all, thank you very much for sending me the Frosti figurine, I am very glad that it has been received as soon as it was, I do hope it didn't cause you too much trouble. Also, I thank you for informing me about your dreams and the relation to the Frosti figurine, as your insight has helped immensely in the continuing investigation of the attack on the workshop.
Inside the box is a small pouch with blackberries enchanted to keep away the nightmares, but beware, they taste very foul and will prevent dreaming all together. Do not worry, the enchantment includes long life, so they will not rot and become inedible. There are only six inside, as too many will make you gravely sick. Do not use them consecutively either, the particular enchantment has been known to drive a mortal man mad. Eating food may help as well, depending on how your metabolism processes it.
We are in the midst of cleaning up the workshop, and I regret to inform you that many of my workers, elves and yetis included, were gravely injured, with four fatalities. This is not to be taken lightly Jack, keep your wits about you, these are dangerous times.
If there is anything I can do for you Jack, please tell me. I know that you are in the midst of training to become a fierce warrior for your 'SHIELD' agency. If you require any battle armour, weaponry, do not hesitate to ask, I am a skilled blacksmith among other thing, and as far as I know, Bunny is the world's leading authority on weapons of war and hunting, I have learned much from him.
The box is enchanted much like my toy sack, only on a lesser scale. You can fit fairly large things into there, just give it a go! I do hope that your ring has proven useful, and that the enchanted glove gifted to Mr. Iron man, I hope he has enjoyed it.
If I may put in a request of my own, would it be possible to retrieve the results from the energy readings that Mr. Iron Man took, if they have already been analysed. They would be of great help, and I have always been fascinated by observing the link between science and magic. I hope that this is not too much trouble for you, Jack.
You are welcome in the workshop anytime; do come by for a visit if you are able. Be safe Jack, keep your eyes peeled, and be sure to tell me about any more dreams that you have. Keep my offer in mind; I hope it will come in use to you.
Goodbye for now,
North
Jack folded the perfectly written parchment back into its original form and placed it neatly back in the letter. He wandered over to where he had placed the box on his bedside table, and peered inside, noticing for the first time the small leather pouch about the size of his palm and the small bumps inside it.
He thought about the offer of weapons and armour that North had offered him. He had his staff; Steve had his shield (which had been given back to him as a parting gift from Fury when they had boarded the plane bound for New York) Alex had his- oh wait, no he didn't. It had broken last night when his partner had spilt soft drink on it and made it unable to be used. He had an idea forming, but decided to think on it later, for right now; he had to pay a certain billionaire a visit.
A/N - How do you express your deepest apologies over the internet? I wish I was rich so I could compensate you all for the wait, but I'm not, so I'll just have to say a HUGE sorry for the enormous wait! This chapter is shorter than the usual 9000 words monsters I've supplied in the last two chapters, and I'm thinking that for your sake, I should shorten them even more. I actually have another story going at the moment! It's called 'Shield For The Superhuman', and I truly hope that you guys can have the time to read it. It didn't really take too much time away from this story, I wrote the first three chapters in separate afternoons, in a burst of inspiration. I have a schedule made up, one that I'm going to try very hard to follow. A thousand words every day, switching between stories. So basically, if I write 1,000 words every day, switching from one story to another, I'll have a fresh new chapter for both stories within 8-10 days, depending on the word count. So what do you think, it's totally up to you guys, shorter chapters for quicker updates, or longer chapter but longer update times.
I just want to say a special thanks to Crossover Junkie, who leaves spectacular reviews, but I cant reply to, so I just want say thank you, and that you are loved. Be sure to review and favourite and follow, they truly mean the world to me! If you are reading this story, please do not be afraid to tell me what you think, whether you've reviewed it before or not. If you think it's absolutely trash, tell me so, tell me what you want to see fixed, tell me if any characters are a little OOC, if you like or don't like how the story's going. Be sure to check out my other story, I hope you like it! bye for now, I hope that you liked the cliffhanger as well!