A/N : I'm back! Needed a break from all this story writing, and I figured I'm ready to write another chapter. So here's the overdue chapter 30...
Chapter 30
After Tooth and I bring Jack's staff back inside, we head to the infirmary together. The two white doors open with a click and swish, and I quickly leave the staff leaning against Jack's bed.
Baby Tooth is curled up and sleeping beside his face, but Tooth gently scoops her up and holds her close.
"Hey. We need to go now, Baby Tooth. The others need us at the palace."
Baby Tooth's eyes open a bit, and I notice that they are different shades. One shares Tooth's pinkish color, and the other is blue. Not as lively as Jack's stark eyes, but more soft and pastel.
I follow Tooth and her small fairy out of the door and close it quietly after glancing back at Jack. I'd return later to check on him.
In the main area of the workshop, Tooth says goodbye to everyone, and I watch with extreme interest as she bids farewell to Bunny. She gives him a hug like she did for North and Sandy, but its more careful, like she's afraid she'll offend him. He seems a bit confused when I catch his green eyes. He raises his eyebrows at me over Tooth's shoulder, and I smirk back at him, hinting that I know what's going on. He rolls his eyes and hugs her back, then lets her go. They smile at each other, Tooth seeming to be mildly thrilled, before she flies off to the door. She disappears into the snow with Baby Tooth in tow.
I realize the smirk is still present, and wipe it off my face. I never smirk. Bunny comes over to me and seems a little surprised.
"You're startin' to look like Frost with a smile like that, sheila."
My cheeks redden without my consent, and I become mortified when Bunny notices. His normally friendly green eyes become a tad calculating.
"What do we have here?"
He hops around me in a circle. I try to hide my face by looking down at the ground, dipping my chin as far as it'll go.
"The Great Guardian Angel... blushin' ?"
He continues to watch my reaction.
"And right after I mention Jack Frost."
I wish the moon had given me the ability to become invisible. Well, he has, but not from other guardians.
I sneak a glance at Bunny's triumphant grin. His enormous teeth are showing. Without hesitating, I fire back at him.
"I saw you when you hugged Tooth..."
I resist the urge to call him "Bucky" or "Bucktooth".
"...you like her."
His grin disappears instantly. His eyes are wide in surprise.
"Wha? I-I don't... Come ON _! You honestly think that I-"
I break his stammering and rise up on my tiptoes to get closer to his height.
"Yes. I do honestly think that."
The smirk has returned to my lips unannounced. Until Bunny brings it up again.
"Ya? Well you still look like Frost with that stupid smirk of his!"
By now, North and Sandy have heard our conversation.
My cheeks heat up again, and I let the smirk drop away. My voice has dropped in volume.
"It's not stupid."
Bunny's energized face relaxes into realization. I keep my eyes on his green ones. I can tell that he understands.
North and Sandy are nearby, trying to seem like they haven't heard anything we've said.
"You... LIKE him?"
My mouth draws into a tight line before I reply.
"I... Um..."
What should I tell them? Saying yes would guarantee strange looks and lectures about guardians fraternizing with each other. A simple no would be a giveaway that I was lying. Bunny knew as soon as I defended Jack's smirk. I couldn't help it. I like it too much.
Either way, I'm stuck in place.
"...yes."
Bunny's eyes brighten, North's eyebrows rise up, and Sandy sports a tiny smile.
I let out a small cough of awkwardness to break the silence of judgement.
"Little one."
I turn to North, his own blue eyes seem a little sad.
"Jack is not good for you. I'm sorry. He's just... well, his center is fun and..."
"I'm not?"
North's eyes widen at my response.
"No! No, you ARE fun! Just in more mature way. Jack is immature. It's his nature. You are still young, but you are not like him. Make sense?"
I let out a long sigh and glance at my feet before looking back up. Sandy and Bunny are beside North, and all of them are looking at me. I wish that Tooth hadn't left.
"I understand what you're saying North. It's just... I don't think it matters."
I can't read the emotion in his eyes. Bunny and Sandy look mildly surprised at my words.
"I meant no disrespect. I mean that I still like him. A lot. Enough to care about him, and what anyone says about him."
Bunny meets my eyes, and I see some regret buried in the green.
"He's saved my life enough times for me to at least be thankful, hasn't he? Or is there a set number for that?"
All three of them look down at me.
"Look, I like him, and he likes me. I want to be with him. What's wrong with that? And don't say we're too different. That's a good reason TO be together."
North looks distressed.
"Little one, all of us want to look out for you. You are so kind, and so good. Please understand that we're only advising against this because we've known Jack longer than you."
Sandy is the only one of the three that looks conflicted. I reply quickly.
"What's that suppose to mean, North?"
He sighs and replies back with conviction.
"You could get hurt!"
"I'm immortal!"
"But your heart isn't."
I throw my hands up in frustration, and leave before I say something stupid. Unfortunately, something slips out before I found the corner to the medical wing.
"You're not my family, North."
I don't stay around to see his face, and immediately feel guilt start to pool around my heart. He makes no reply, and I hurry down the hall to see Jack.
I push open one of the doors with a swish, and Jack remains asleep. I walk slowly over to him, feeling the cold from the tiles pierce my bare feet. He's still facing the doors, and hasn't moved since I left him. I stand at his side as he rests, and frown. How different are we?
We both like to fly. We both like to fight. We both like to dance.
But I wouldn't have liked any of those things if I hadn't sung that song.
Maybe... we are too different.
I sigh without really meaning to, and whisper out the lyrics, not singing this time.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."
I remember the coldness I felt when I sang this at the lake. My voice scratches by like skates on ice. The next part slips out quietly.
"Jack Frost nipping at my nose..."
I hear raspy laughs coming from the bed in front of me and look up to see Jack and his blue eyes. He lets out a small cough to clear his voice.
"I thought the lyrics were 'your nose', not 'my nose'."
I can't help smiling.
"That's how I've always sung the song."
He smiles back at me.
"You're right. And it always gets my attention."
"Pssh. Ya, cause you're a narcissist."
He rolls his eyes at me.
"Well, ya. That's a bit obvious."
He seems to realize something suddenly, and sits up straight. The bed creaks from the sudden change, and the sheets become wrinkled at the edges as they move with him.
He grits his teeth a moment and clutches at his back.
"What the- oh. I... I fell out of a window, didn't I?"
"Mhmm."
"Wait. You're ok, right?"
"Yes. Are you? Cause you had a long shard of glass stuck in your back when I found you in the snow."
"WHAT?"
"Ya, but it's out now. And North sewed you up."
The last sentence is quieter than the first.
"Hold up. What about Pitch?"
"He escaped while I went looking for you. Sandy found him outside the workshop though and fought him. He's gone for now."
Jack understands, but still looks confused.
"Last thing I remember is being flown up here by you. But did Pitch just make a run for it or...?"
"Well, we were still in the workshop, and I couldn't see anything and Pitch was getting closer, so you did something and lit up the room with your power. I'm not sure exactly what happened. It got so cold, and I couldn't hear anything for a while afterwards."
"I made a blizzard, I think."
I nod and think back to that moment.
"The snow must've been so bright I thought it was some sort of light coming from you. Of course, it could've been that too."
He lowers his eyes in thought, and reaches around his back to feel the stitches.
"Ya. Could've been that, too."
His blue eyes and hoodie stand out against the white of the room, and I wonder what his injury looks like now. He twists his torso around and I see the hole in his hoodie in the middle of his back. The stitches look gruesome against his skin, tugging it in place like fabric.
"How bad is it?"
I narrow my eyes at North's handiwork.
"You'll be ok. It's already healing."
"Who took out the glass? North?"
"I did."
He stares at me in surprise.
"Really? How?"
"I... Um. Dug it out. It wasn't fun."
"I can tell by your face."
He almost laughs at his own words and swings his legs over the side of the bed, grimacing a bit from the movement. His eyes stare intently at me.
"You... alright?"
My mouth pulls up into a sad smile.
"How could you tell?"
"I dunno. I've known you a while I guess."
"True."
He waits a moment before speaking.
"So, you gonna tell me or what?"
His eyes are now squinted a bit as he focuses on my face.
"It's just something North said. And what I said back."
His facial expression is the definition of "Go on."
"I accidentally let Bunny see that I like you. He said something stupid, I defended you. And then we argued. North and Sandy heard. North stepped in. He said that you... that I'm... I don't know. Basically, I'm too mature for you, and I'd never be happy."
Jack looks determined.
"You're happy now, aren't you?"
"Yes. You'll get better soon, and Pitch is gone. And being an angel is always nice."
"I think I'm having a bad influence on you. You're getting more and more sarcastic."
"I've always been like that. Mostly in my thoughts, though."
He shakes his head and laughs at me, but becomes serious once more.
"Ok, but... are you and North ok?"
My voice drops to a much quieter volume.
"Umm, I told him 'You're not my family' before coming to see you."
"Oh."
I cough into my fist.
"I should go apologize."
Jack nods and stands up carefully, grabbing his staff and using it to support some of his weight.
"It's airy back there now."
His hoodie sports the hole proudly, and I smile at him.
"You'll need a new one."
"Or you could show me how to sew it back up."
"I guess I'm used to just getting new clothes so often."
To make my point, I change from my white jeans and jacket to a white knee length skirt and top.
"Show off."
He gets ahead of me and opens the door despite his injury, and I walk with him to North's office. I quietly talk once we're outside the doors.
"You should probably wait here. Unless you think..."
"No, it's ok. Go ahead."
"Ok."
He puts his hand on my shoulder before I open the door, my hand resting on the large handle. I look over my shoulder, smile as bravely as I can, then pull it open.
The creaking wood announces my arrival, and the first thing I see is the back of North's chair. The dark brown, carved wood stares me in the face, and I let the door close behind me. Silence takes up the space between us.
I force my feet forward and come closer to the large desk filled with ice sculptures and toy prototypes.
My voice is thoughtful and tiny in the echoey room.
"When did you make this one?"
I reach out to touch an icey bird, it's back adorned with detailed wings. They are stretched out to the sides of the powerful looking animal, every feather defined and sharp looking. My hand draws back at the last moment, afraid that my heat will melt the beauty of North's creation. The chair in front of me creaks, and slowly turns.
North faces me, his white beard cascading down his red and black shirt. His baby blue eyes look across the desk at me.
"Days after Jack introduced you to us."
My eyes fall over to the bird.
"It's really beautiful, North."
"Thank you. I based it off a certain girl who is also winged."
My face transforms into a small smile. Then, it drops away and I meet North's eyes with my own.
"I'm sorry."
He smiles a little, then picks up the bird.
"I forgive you."
He offers it to me from where he is sitting. It rests in one of his large palms, but doesn't melt.
"How... Why isn't it melting?"
"A little magic here and there."
He puts the bird in my hand, and I feel the coolness of the ice radiate into my skin. It refuses to melt to my relief.
"North, thank you. For everything. I didn't mean what I said, I was just... I DO think of you as sort of a grandfather. And I do respect you. You've been around a long time."
At this, he chuckles and closes his eyes briefly. Then, he looks down at me and smiles softly.
"I'm happy you think of me as that. I'm glad to offer advice... And protect you. Even if you are... "
He stops short of the word guardian.
"Wait. You... You haven't been inducted as a guardian yet, have you?!"
He rises from his chair and quickly makes his way around the desk.
"Um, no. I didn't really know about any induction..."
"You were chosen by Manny, after you... after you passed, little one. He chose you to be a guardian. He knew Pitch was coming, so he made you an angel. Your job is to fight Pitch. And you did."
"Ok. So... I'm not a guardian yet? Is that what you're saying?"
"No. And yes. It's not official. Not yet."
"Yet?"
"You must go through induction ceremony, and take oath!"
"Oath? Um, ok? When?"
"When you're ready, of course."
I stop to think about this new information.
Be a guardian. Officially.
"North, maybe I should wait."
"What? Why?"
"Because, I don't know, I just need time to sift through everything that's happened. And I don't know everything there is about being a guardian."
North strokes his beard thoughtfully.
"Ok. You need time, that's fine. You also need to know something else."
"What?"
"You need to know what your center is."
"Like...how Jack's is fun?"
"And mine is wonder. Tooth's is memories. Bunny has hope. Sandy has dreams."
"Ok, but... How will I know? It could be anything, right? There's a lot of possibilities."
North smiles and raises an eyebrow.
"You know, I had a similar conversation with Jack many years ago. He didn't know his either. It took him awhile, but he finally found it. You'll find your's too."
The door creaks behind us, and we both turn around to see a white head of hair peek into the room.
"Heard my name."
"Come in, Jack."
He opens the door fully, and steps in with the help of his staff.
North steps towards him.
"How're you feeling?"
"Ok. I'll manage alright."
North looks from Jack, over to me, then back to Jack.
"Tell me. How do you feel about her?"
Jack's bright eyes widen considerably, then move over to me. I stand self consciously in front of North's desk.
"I... "
He clears his throat a bit, and straightens up. Time seems to drag on before he breaks the silence. He looks everywhere but directly at me. Finally, he settles his eyes on my feet.
"She's the sun to my moon."
North narrows his eyes in thought at Jack's words. My eyes widen and I stand frozen, waiting to hear more. North asks another question.
"Why those words, Jack?"
Blue meets blue. His voice is softer. His face conveys an emotion I've never seen on him before.
"My father said the same thing to my mother when I asked him how much he loved her."
I can see North break into a small smile.
I can't help but grin like a love struck girl, because I am.
I slowly lock my eyes with his stark blue ones. He's smirking over at me, one hand on his staff. My feet carry me forward to him, and I stand side by side with him in front of North. I feel his cool hand clasp around mine, and feel at ease.