Wolfie: IM BACCCCKKKKK

Avery: To be honest, I don't really care.

Wolfie: Who peed in your Frosted Flakes? -.^

Bunny: ...That's disgusting -_-

Chapter 4: Plans

"So, you're probably wondering why we invited you here." North began.

"To see my skills. . .right?" Avery asked, her eye brows furrowed in confusion.

"Not. At. All." Bunnymund smirked. She glanced at him with nervousness before turning back to North.

"Uh, what do you mean?" She asked. Her eyes widened when she saw tiny Elves all around her feet, some carrying instruments and plates with cookies on them. Then, she saw huge, furry, Yetis surround the Guardians and herself. She froze. ". . .Does anyone else notice the Yetis?" She asked with a terrified expression, hoping that she didn't just randomly go insane.

"Don't worry, you'll get use to them." Tooth said comfortingly. Avery gave a shaky nod, before directing her attention back on St. Nick. He had a brown book in his hand and a excited expression.

"Avery Bennet, you are hereby, Guardian!" He yelled, chuckling. "MUSIC!" The Elves started to play the instruments as though they've been playing them all their lives. Some danced, some ate cookies, and some just did random things that are not to be discussed, ever. Avery's eyes widened and blood rushed to her face.

'A Guardian. . .? I'm suppose to become a Guardian. . .Well, I guess I wasn't given these abilities for nothing, but a Guardian. . .?!' She thought with her lips parted in shock.

"WAIT!?" She hollered. The Elves looked at her with irritation, hoping she didn't do the same thing Jack did when he was announced Guardian. "If I become a Guardian...what happens to the life I had before?"

The Guardians stayed quiet, all except North of course. He tried to find a way to sugarcoat the truth. Not wanting to upset her and make her not want to become a Guardian, but lying was not an option. He opened and closed his mouth several times before actually saying something. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what will I have to give up to become a Guardian? What will I have to sacrifice? What will I-"

"Everything." Her head snapped to the owner of the voice, eyes becoming saucers and face bceoming pale. The other Guardians watched with curiosity and interest, wanting the "newest" Guardian to continue.

"E-everything? What do you-"

"A lot of people won't be able to see you anymore. People will have to believe in you to even be able to hear you. And it takes alot, for someone to believe in you. Trust me, I know." Jack said seriously, no playfulness in his voice like usual. Tooth said his name softly, but he ignored her. Flashbacking to the times when he was invisible to Humans for 300 years. He unnoticeably flinched, being reminded of the days when he was forced to become a loner wasn't very exciting.

"Oh. . ." Avery stared.

'Is that what he had to go through? Having no one to talk to, no one to get a hug from, no one to even say 'hello' or 'goodbye' to? How long did he have to go through that? How long has he been around?' She thought, staring deeply at him.

"Jack." North said firmly, eyeing him. "Give Avery, tour." Jack nodded slowly before walking out of the room. Avery jogged to catch up with him.

The Fearling rushed away from the window of North's workshop. Running towards the forest at full speed. Galloping across the wind, he dived underneath the broken and wooden bed and ran into Pitch's home. He passed all of the cages that once held Tooth's fairies and met up with his creator, Pitch Black.

"Ah, some good news I hope." Pitch slithered, the Fearling running around his head and telling him what he saw. "A new Guardian?. . . .A girl?!" He laughed aloud. "A girl?! Please, she's no threat to me. A measly girl isn't a threat to anybody." He rolled his eyes, chuckling at the foolishness.

The Fearling told him more of its discoveries. ". . .Jack lost his 'happy' for a moment?. . .Because of him being invisible?" Pitch thought of the times when he tried to trick the young Guardian into joining his side and the number of times Jack refused his offer. He huffed in annoyance. The little punk was becoming a nuisance, he was getting stronger and stronger everyday and Pitch hated it.

"Hmmm, I'll have to find another way to defeat the Guardians this time around." He looked towards his trusty Fearling and gave it his best crooked smile. "How about we pay Jamie, a little visit?" He gave a dark laugh before hopping onto the black sandy horse and bolted out of his home, underneath the bed.

"And these are the true toy makers." Jack said, smiling. He had returned to normal after a couple minutes of showing Avery around. He was thankful for the light conversation they held throughout the little tour.

"I thought the Elves made the toys?" She asked with a raised eye brow, staring at the Yetis trying to make toys smaller than their own nails.

"I did to. Until I saw that." He said, pointing to an Elf tangled in Christmas lights, one was eating a cookie and another one was trying to untangle the trapped one. A laugh sounded from both of them before turning towards one another.

"Wow. Their unique." She said, shaking her head. They were on their way back to the main room, where the other Guardians were. "Now Jack," She stopped walking and he did to, confusion written on his face.

"Yeah?"

"How long have you been. . .invisible?" She asked him, locking their eyes together. His breath hitched in his throat and he pursed his lips.

'I knew she was gonna ask me that sooner or later. . .' He thought. She placed an inviting hand on his shoulder. He sighed, trying to calm the demons that arose in his mind.

"For 300 years." He saw her eyes widened, but he didn't look towards the floor in shame. He stayed staring into her green orbs. "I wasn't able to talk to a human for 300 years. I was alone and invisble for 300 years!" Anger was seeping into his tone, but he tried to calm himself again, for the sake of Avery. He didn't want to frighten her. He could feel the wetness behind his eyes, attempting to come out and feeling like knives poking at his sockets, but he wouldn't let them escape. He had to keep them in, to stay strong. He hoped she didn't notice them.

But she did.

"Jack. . ." She softly. He felt her warm arms wrap around his neck again, but this time, with more meaning and emotion. There was more spark in it than the first time. "It's okay to cry." She whispered, her voice soothing. He wrapped his arms slowly around her waist, tightening their positions.

"I'm not-"

"It's okay. To cry." She repeated, squeezing him also. There was more wetness, more and more came until he couldn't hold them back anymore and released them. He tried to stay quiet, hoping she wouldn't hear him or even know that he was crying.

But she did.

She rubbed his back comfortingly as she felt him soak up her shoulder. She wanted to step back and wipe his face, but he clutched her waist tighter, rendering it impossible to escape his grasp. Yes, he was cold. Some would say freezing. But the warmth that filled inside her from his desperate arms was more powerful than the cold his abilities brought. She tried to step back again, and this time he let her. His arms weakening, but still being around her waist. Even though his hair hid his eyes, she could still see the tear stains on his face. She wiped them slowly. "It's okay to cry." She said again, more slower so the words sunk into his mind. He lifted his head and she was able to see into his eyes and he, into hers.

Click.

Unseparable. They couldn't tear away from the other's gaze. Feeling like they were frozen, they looked into each other's eyes, unable to move away. He hadn't realized he stopped crying, that the tears stopped forcing their way out and she hadn't realized that the gap between them was closing.

An onlooker watched. A nasty emotion erupting in the pit of their stomach from the site of the two. With narrowed eyes, they shouted. "JACK, AVERY!" Said two turned towards Tooth as she called for them. A blushing Avery jumped away from a surprised Jack, both facing the Fairy as she came closer to them. "North wants you in the main room." She said, plastering a smile on her face. White and brown hair swished as the two nodded and walked passed Tooth and towards the main room.

She stared at their backs with a glare. 'What were they doing? Why were they staring at each other like that? Jack doesn't stare at me like that. She just got here, I've been here forever. What's different about her?! What is this feeling? Why am I feeling this way?. . . .Why am I so angry?!' She thought, not knowing the human feeling called jealousy, that she was feeling. She flew behind them, trying to wipe away the glare on her face. 'Whatever that feeling was. . .I don't want to ever feel it again. Hopefully Jack and Avery won't do that ever again either.'

"It's Jaime." Bunnymund said as the six climbed into North's sleigh. Avery's face paled and her eyes filled with worry.

"What?!" She screeched, extremely worried about her grandpa. She gripped the side of the sleigh tightly as the reindeers ran faster, running out of the snow tunnel. She looked to her right and saw Bunnymund on the verge of throwing up. She would chuckle but she was scared for her life as well. She looked to her left and saw Jack smiling and having the time of his life. She shook her head in amusement before feeling the wind hit her face when North threw a snow globe in the air and they immediately got sucked into the portal. They arrived ontop of Jaime's Nursing Home, but in the distance they could see Pitch riding away on a Fearling, looking back at them and smiling.

"Hello Guardians." He waved. When North took off this time to chase him, Avery hopped out of the sleigh and onto the roof.

"What're you doing?!" Bunnymund yelled.

"Checking on Jaime."

"NO, we need you to help us get Pitch!"

"WELL, I ALSO NEED MY GRANDPA TO BE SAFE!" She hollered back before diving off the building, head first. Jack's eyes widened.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" He yelled, leaning over the egde to see her. She had made a hawk and was riding it's back over to Jaime's window. He sighed and sat back down in the sleigh in relief as they continued to chase after a laughing Pitch. The Boogeyman abruptly stopped and turned around.

"It's not time for our battle, yet. See you soon, Guardians." He dove in an alleyway. North drove his sleigh over there, but when they arrived, Pitch was already gone.

"Arrgghh!" North said in frustration. "Why does he do that?!" He sighed, before turning his sleigh around and heading towards Jaime again. He parked the sleigh ontop of the roof and they all headed downstairs towards his room. When they entered, they saw Avery sitting at the edge of his bed and holding his hand.

"He's okay." She smiled gratefully. They all released a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"So what happened? Why was he here?" Tooth asked.

"He told me his plans. . ." Jaime trailed off. Their eyes widened and North rushed more into the room and closer to Jaime.

"What did he say?!" North asked, trying to see if he could get ahead of the Nightmare King.

'Wait. . .why would he tell Jaime his plans. .?' Sandy, the oldest Guardian, thought. He knew there had to be a catch. Pitch never gave away things so easily.

"I can't tell you."

"What?! Why not?!"

"He put a curse on me. I can't tell you, even if I tried." Jaime said, feeling defeated and concerned. After hearing Pitch's plans, and not being able to warn his friends and granddaughter, was the worse thing Pitch had ever done to him. He knew what the Nightmare King's next move was, he knew who it was against and everything. But he had no way of warning the Guardians, and no way of saving the next target.

'There's the catch.' Sandy thought as his eyes softened.

Wolfie: Welp. . .that's it.

Jack: Me and Avery had a moment! *sings*

Avery: Shut up. *blushes*

Jack: It's okay cutie. xD *kisses cheek*

Avery: O.O

Tooth: . *twitches*

*REVIEW + FOLLOW + FAVORITE = MORE CHAPTERS!*