Copyright- Story and Heart, me. Others, not.
I'm breaking some cannon here, but I think it does the story justice. Plus I liked breaking the cannon more than taking liberties with it, so… yeah.
This is the longest chapter I've written for any story. In fact, I wrote it in less than a 24 hour period, which I'm proud of. I'm writing, and I'm writing a lot. It's new to me (writing this much) but I really enjoy it.
Well, now what? I thought, barely able to move. I crawled at a slow pace towards town just in case Jack found a way through the barrier. I expected MiM to be watching and hoped Bunnymund or North would arrive soon. I heard snow crunching up towards me as I moved closer to the buildings. There was some muffled yell that went along with the running, but I couldn't really tell what was said. There was movement that I couldn't control as I was half lifted, half rolled onto some green plastic object. Then I was being moved across the snows that had built up from the cold and heading towards town much faster.
"Nngh? Who?" I was able to get out while trying to get a look at who was pulling me.
"Shhh, take it easy, stay still. You were hurt badly. My name is Jamie, Jamie Bennett. Who are you? How did you get so hurt?" He asked. We were walking rather quickly, but he tried to take a flat route. I grunted in pain before responding.
"Jamie?" I wondered, trying to remember why he didn't recognize me. Then I remembered that I changed my appearance not a week before. "It's Heart."
He stopped walking. "Heart?" He got closer and closer before realizing what I said was the truth. "Oh my god, how did this happen?! Was it Pitch? Is he back? I'll take you home and try to fix you up; I can't leave you like this." He promised. We began moving shortly again.
"Take," I coughed violently before continuing, "Take a longer way, some adults and children can see me. It wasn't Pitch though."
"Alright." He sighed. He probably couldn't deal with another attack by Pitch. After the battle Jamie was just an average child but he eventually became a loner. His old friends thought him childish, all thinking that the night they spent with their spirits was just a dream. No adult would take him seriously about the subject, but they wouldn't anyway because of his age. He passed up a few opportunities for love in high school; his emotions were fixated on his very good friend, Jack. I didn't, couldn't realize that this near obsession would ruin his possibilities in the future. How will I tell him about jack?
"Thank you." I muttered loud enough for him to hear.
It took ten minutes to get to his place. The travel had little points of interest. Semi-frozen trees, snow covered ground, and the back of buildings were really all that I could see. A few times we went over bumps or hit rocks that weren't expected in the snow and there wasn't much I could do but grunt in pain.
"Sorry!" He said back whenever walking into one of those problems.
"Jamie," I hacked out, "You're helping me, no need to be sorry." Arriving at his place was a bit of an ordeal, he ran inside for a few moments, and then came back out.
"You'll be on the couch; hopefully your blood won't stain it." There was a pause, "But that's not really important." He quickly added. Getting me to stand and walk was difficult. One of my legs was probably broken, but it looked like Jamie was having a hard time supporting my full weight so I tried to hobble with my legs. I took in multiple hisses of pain as we got in his home.
He laid me on the couch which had two or three bed sheets draped over it.
"Ask… Ask MiM if he… he could send Ombric. Tell him I'm hurt… badly." I was wheezing as I spoke. The physical exertion with the pain made me short of breath.
Jamie walked out of the room and I heard rushing water. After a moment he came back in carrying a few shirts, a couple towels, and a bowl of hot water. He placed towels underneath me; I took a breath in in order to fight through the pain.
"I'm going to dress your wounds. It'll hurt." He said. And sure enough, it did. The hot water running over the open wounds felt like it was going through my whole body. The pressure applied from the bandages hurt to an unbelievable degree. I had to turn in order for him to get to my other side, when he realized that my arm and one of my legs were probably broken.
"We're going to have to make splints for those." Jamie mused, looking at the affected areas. The rest of the bandaging went better than before, I was getting used to the pain. He was diligent, by the look on his face; he was probably trying to forget what I had put him through. He left again for a few minutes, coming back with must have been four thin legs to a small table. These he placed on either side of my arm and leg and wrapped with care. He went to the kitchen one last time, grabbing some water and a chair. He sat in front of me with a look of disdain and concern. I must be one of the last people, human or spirit, that he wants to see.
I drifted in and out of sleep, but each time I awoke, Jamie was there. He would ask if I was thirsty, hungry, needed anything. I would always decline. Eventually nighttime fell and Jamie wasn't by my side. It was disconcerting, but I hoped he told MiM about me and went to get some sleep himself. I wasn't going anywhere.
I heard talking when I awoke in the morning, there was chatter in the kitchen. It sounded like a woman Jamie was talking to. I was a bit furious, but there wasn't anything I could do. He had company while I was bleeding on his couch, but it was his place and his life that I was invading. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to see me or the couch, as there were bed sheets and towels all over it. I made sure to make little noise as I adjusted a little bit. I expected it to hurt a lot more than it did though. Then I realized that I didn't have splints on anymore. I couldn't sit up just yet, but I was able to try. I heard some talking in low voices from the female and a sound that could have only been made by a duck. The two walked in as soon as I started to make the connection.
Katherine and Jamie soon emerged from the kitchen holding steaming mugs. Katherine picked up something off of the chair, and sat in it.
"Heart actually flew with Jack to Santoff Claussen about a week ago." She was explaining. "Jack was torn up at some information we provided him and actually broke some of his bones. Luckily Ombric is a wizard with a large variation of spells available. He used the one that I used earlier on him." At the end she motioned towards me.
"Oh, he's awake!" She said, seeing how I was paying attention to their conversation. "When did you wake up?"
"Not too long ago. Actually, I thought you were a lady friend of Jamie's here." I chuckled a little at how foolish I sounded but it turned into coughing with a distinct coppery flavor. Jamie smiled a bit, but Katherine was not very amused.
"Hold still for a moment, I need to cast the healing spell again." This baffled me; I thought Katherine had no magical training. I guess Ombric was making her an apprentice. "Mr. Qwerty, it's time to get up." She said softly. Mr. Qwerty, who I didn't even realize was the book, helped more quickly after waking up from a nap. It took a while for the spell to be cast; she wasn't as experienced as Ombric. I sat there staring at the ceiling again.
"Hey Jamie," I said, thinking about the previous night, "How did you happen upon me?"
"Well, I, uh," He hesitated, "I went sledding by myself, tried to have some fun. I was hoping Jack would notice me having fun, and join in… Then I heard him scream."
"Ah." I should have expected him to not have a clean break either. They were crazy for each other, and now one of them is just crazy. How will I be able to fix this? "You should know; Jack did this to me." I had to stifle a cough and then slowly moved my head to look at him.
"He's really taking this to heart, isn't he?"
"In more ways than one." I sighed. Before he could ask what I meant, I kept going. "Listen, he's going to be angry at me for a long time unless I can do something now. Do you know anything about him that could help me?"
"Help you how? I don't want you to hurt him. But…" His face was a mess of emotions. He didn't want the spirit he loved to get hurt, but he couldn't have the spirit destroy himself through anger and rage. "When he fought Pitch and lost during that period of chaos, he had a tooth fairy with him. That tooth fairy showed him his teeth, maybe there's something there that can help?"
"Heart," Katherine interrupted, "the spell is done, but you need to rest until tomorrow. Also, Toothiana is very protective of those teeth, I'd be surprised if she'd let you anywhere near them."
"Thank you, both of you. I'll rest here until tomorrow. Jamie, I know it's hard to go through all of this, but I promise I will save Jack." I was able to sit up and look him in the eye, he could tell I was serious and had to leave the room. "Katherine thanks for traveling all the way out here. It must have been an inconvenience."
"It's no problem." She then started in a low whisper, "I… I don't think you should tell Jamie about Jack or his own predicament."
"I agree," I whispered back. "Thank you again Katherine." I said louder than before.
She left soon after with Mr. Qwerty. It was very silent in Jamie's house; I could hear a lot of what was happening outside. In fact, I could hear something that sounded like crying. It had to have been Jamie.
"Jamie?" I called swinging my legs off the couch. "Jamie, where are you? I'm coming to find you." I called through the house. I stood up slowly, making sure not to hurt my legs in the process. It was a rather small place to search, but he was probably in the bed room. My hunch was right for as I hobbled through the door, Jamie was on his bed, face buried in a pillow. I sat on the bed, listening to him sob.
"I, Uh. I." I was at a loss for words. Instead I put my hand on his head. He looked up at me, tears still in his eyes. He grabbed me and pulled me down to him. Jamie sobbed into my shoulder, and then my chest. It was the least I could do, Jamie needed a friend, and I was as close as one that had. I did something against him that I could only do because I cared for his well being, and he is taking it as well as he could be. We spent the day like that, him crying and me awkwardly trying to console him. I thought about what this ordeal has become and how I now have to find a way to fix it. Jack won't rest until my namesake is ripped from me and I won't rest until he does. I can only hope it doesn't come to that.
The day went by very slowly, trapped in thoughts of our own. I got up to make him some food once and a glass of water each. Then we sat up against the headboard, him crying and me staying silent. It wasn't long before he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. Sandy showed up a little while later, settling his sleep with pleasant dreams. I nodded in his direction, silently thanking him for the help.
I was left to think thoughts about Jack, but that's when I remembered something about him that I must have pushed to the back of my mind. I needed to check with Toothiana before I went rushing blindly to him, but there may be more to Jack's story than even his baby teeth will remember.
Morning seemed to come quickly once I realized that I may have a way to help Jack without fighting. As soon as I was able to, I went to the kitchen and made a small breakfast for Jamie. When I was almost done, Jamie came from the bedroom.
"Jack?" He asked, still rubbing his eyes from crying the previous day and sleeping through the night.
"No, sorry." I replied, holding the skillet in my hand. "Just lousy old me."
He sat down once he realized there was only one plate on the table, Jack must have done this a lot with him as he poured himself a glass of milk. I served him his food and started doing dishes.
I didn't turn to face him. "Hey. Thanks for, well, everything." I needed him to know that I'd probably be dead without his help. "How did you know how to apply all of that first aid stuff?"
"Oh, that?" He said nonchalantly, "I was training to be a nurse. But now, since Jack's not around, I think I'm going to become a doctor."
"That's very noble Jamie. I wish you well in your pursuit."
"About last night," Jamie brought it up, of course he would. "Thanks for, well, everything." He mimicked what I said, slightly smiling afterwards.
"You're welcome. Just remember, if you feel overwhelmed and sad again, try writing. I think it could do you a whole world of good." I may lead him to the writing path a bit early, but he'd find it eventually. He'll become a doctor and a writer and use both to help people. "I need to go and talk to Toothiana about teeth and then talk to Jack. Please, take care of yourself."
"I will, don't worry." He reassured me.
I smiled at him, "Alright, have a good day."
"You too." He smiled back "You sure you're ready to fly?"
"Yeah, I feel like I'm at the top of my game, it was the best rest I've had all month." We may actually be able to be friends after this whole ordeal. But we will have to wait and see until after the confrontation with Jack.
I flew off into the clouds, planning my day. I had a stop in Mali, Portugal, and Kazakhstan before going past Punjam Hy Loo and having a stop in Japan. It was routine, throw some love dust, slip some love into their morning coffee, and knock some heads into each other while flying past. It was so simple making sure humans loved each other. So simple and so obvious the course I should take. Why isn't the problem with Jack as easy? Why?
I shifted towards Punjam Hy Loo and flew there as fast as I could. I was greeted by a few tooth fairies coming back to their home with teeth in stow. It made finding the area so much easier, as I had observed what had happened years and years before with Tooth's mother and father. The fairies soon led me to Toothiana, the goal of this journey.
"Molar, incisor, bicuspid…" She was making notes of all the teeth that came in. She really grew into her job; the small girl that just wanted to play with her friends really has grown up well.
"Toothiana!" I got her attention quickly before landing on one of the hanging towers. "I would like"
"Hold on a moment dear!" She held up a hand, quick in thought. She must be double checking the teeth that were cataloged this week. I waited around until she was done. I was in a hurry, but I really needed her help. I wouldn't be able to get what I needed without her. "Alright, Heart! How are you? You look so well! I heard you got beat up! Twice!" She soon realized that those memories probably weren't too happy for me. "Oh, sorry dear."
I chuckled a little before I responded, hugging her in the process. "No problem at all, Ombric, Katherine, and Jamie too great care of me."
"Oh? Jamie? I haven't heard about that."
"Yes, he actually found me after my fight with Jack. He's training to be a doctor now, did you know that?"
Her look was surprised, "I had heard about the nurse part from Jack, but he's decided on being a Doctor now?"
"Yes he has." Our conversation died down at this point, I needed to get what I was here for and she needed to get back to work. "Hey, can I ask you for a massive, colossal, Earth-shattering favor?"
"Sure, but make it fast, there's teeth to be checked." She chided a bit.
"I doubt it will be fast." I muttered. "Can I see Jack's baby teeth?"
"Oh no, you know my rules on that. No one but the owner can see them." Her grin faded immediately, her happiness flew away as fast as she does.
"I know Tooth, but please. You went and talked to him, right?" I didn't even wait for a response, "You heard about his heart, yes? This is the only way for me to know more about him. Jamie doesn't know much, the Guardian's don't know much, and I know even less. Please Tooth. I beg you; I'll never ask you to view any other person's teeth, spirit or human, again unless the situation is worse off than this one." I pleaded with her as much as I could. I had no way of knowing what she'd say.
Toothiana thought for a few minutes, ignoring the work of the other teeth she cared for. She called over a fairy and quickly requests the teeth of Jack. The fairy brought it over with haste and gave it to Toothiana.
"You get one look; then please drop the subject of other people's teeth." I nodded and proceeded to look into the visions of Jack's childhood. I saw him and his family, running through the forest, climbing trees, and playing with the antlers of a recent meal. Then I saw the memory I was interested in, his death. I focused on Jack for a while. Sure enough, I saw the permanent name above Jack's head as he suggested they play a game. I stared at his sister and I saw a certain similarity. Then he fell in the water and I fell from his memories. Suddenly there was wetness under my eyes that I couldn't place. Was I crying?
"Happy memories tend to have that effect on people." Toothiana explained when I handed back her the teeth she lent me. I moved to sit down on the edge of the level we were on.
"Tooth." I said softly. I didn't want to ask what I had to. "I need to see another set of teeth."
"You promised Heart. No more teeth." She kept control of her anger well, but I could tell by her inflection that she wasn't pleased.
"Hold on." My voice stopped her from moving. "I'm sorry I did this, but I worded my deal carefully. I said 'I'll never ask you to view any other person's teeth' I'm still asking to view Jack's teeth. I may have to get MiM involved, and you know how he is with those that go back on their word…" I was looking down at the pools below Punjam Hy Loo.
"I don't care how you worded it; you're not seeing these teeth." She couldn't believe I'd pull this act.
"You will." I stood up and turned to her. "I don't want to see those teeth." I stared her in the eyes, never wavering.
"Then there are no other teeth to see, and your threat was only useful in making me angry. Leave." She hissed, turning away and giving the canister to another fairy for safe keeping.
"Stop playing with me, Toothiana. I'm far too old for that. I want to see the adul-"
She clasped one hand over my mouth and drew a scimitar with another, pressing it into my side.
"How do you know about those?" She angrily murmured.
"I said before that I was asking something monumental, seeing Jack's baby teeth wasn't it, but thank you nonetheless." Still calm as before, "I'm too old for this. I've been here for a long, long time. I've seen you and other… more-suitable-for-stealth… fairies in the night, during the day, whenever you all could." I whispered the last sentence in a matter-of-fact tone. "I only want to see Jack's teeth; I don't even want to know where I'm going."
"Why should I bring you there?" She maneuvered us around the tower, away from direct eyesight of the fairies.
"Because if you don't do this, I'll have to get MiM involved. What would he think if he knew about these teeth?" I didn't have to tell her that I already knew that MiM knew. I discussed with him at length whether or not someone should stop this from happening. We decided it was better a Guardian keep all memories safe, and not just those of childhood.
Toothiana was stunned I'd even suggest a thing. "You win." She lowered her scimitar and walked around to the other side. She was talking to a fairy; she must have been delegating business that needed to be done.
"Follow me, don't talk, don't step anywhere I don't step." And then she jumped and I followed. We rapidly flew; I was barely able to keep up. I made sure I followed her path exactly even during this part. Just thinking of more pain made me shudder. The trip was quick, but I couldn't make out any distinct landmarks besides the mountain we came from and are currently circling. She paused for a moment and looked around towards the ground. I did the same, and I saw a bright, red light coming from beneath us.
Immediately she dove towards it. I followed, but increased the space between her and me, eventually slowing to a stop over the pool. It was then I realized that the pool was actually lava. She flew over the pool for a few seconds and then dove into it. I immediately started worrying, but she would've tried to surface if something was wrong. I found a rather large stick nearby and dunked one end into the pool over where I flew. It caught fire immediately and I had to break off that end. I then dunked it into the pool over where she went in, and it didn't light on fire! There must have been a really good illusion cast over a small portion of water here or some advanced protection spell cast on the water to not have it turn to steam. I soon dove in after Toothiana, opening my eyes to see a winding tunnel of water surrounded by lava.
I immediately lost my breath and had to resurface the pool. I took a moment to breathe and then I swam through the tunnel. When I came up on that other side, I was gasping for air. Toothiana was there though, in a cave of untouched gems. There were veins upon veins of gems that were visible on the surface of the cave walls and the various veins joined together and made a shape of a tooth.
"Oh good, I guess, you found the right area to dive." She was doing all she could to sound happy that I was still alive. "Now, turn around and don't move. I'll be back in 5 minutes. If you try to follow me, you'll die. If you aren't here when I get back, good." I nodded while turning to show I understood.
I heard stone shift and her wings flutter, who would've known that the adult teeth would be kept through a pool of lava and a series of tunnels all underneath the mountain that Punjam Hy Loo was in as well. I spent the time wondering about Jack's death and the memory he had of it. He must have still had a baby tooth when he died, otherwise it wouldn't have showed that memory. Jack must have been in his young teens when he died, glad MiM's spirit magic allows growth into adulthood. It would be a very different world with a still teenage Jack.
I heard the fluttering of wings come back. I waited for the stone to shift again before I turned around. To my surprise, she had two containers in her hand.
"You get to look at these," She said, "And I get to look at these. Then you leave and never, EVER, speak of this again."
"That's what I think it is, isn't it?"
"Yes."
It took me a minute to think about everything that this would mean for Toothiana, her life may change. "I will, but I'm warning you: there's information that those contain that you don't want to know."
"I'll take my chances." She said, holding out one of the containers. The containers were very similar, but two distinct differences. One had a snowflake on it, and the other had a small apple on it. I cringed at the sight and quickly took up the snowflake one. We both sat down on the hard ground and concentrated hard on the memories that resided inside.
I saw Jack, just a young child running through the forest. His family calling to him and him answering in a jovial manner. The second was him learning the lesson of hunger. He hadn't eaten very much in a week and his stomach was continuing to growl. His father was late coming back from town and his family was getting worried. They had one day of rations left, with the portions being extraordinarily small. He made a game with his siblings to deal with betting and faked his own hand to lose his food to his younger brother. Two days later his father returned, bearing a lot of food for his family but he would never forget the game he made up.
There was a lull of memories that continued after and then I saw the death of his father. A vivid image of the two chopping wood and a bear attacking them. The father fought, the boys ran. They waited hours for him to come home, but could only go back to pick up some remains for a burial. A few years later more families moved nearby and a town was created; Jack was playing with the other children, climbing trees and running around. Everyone was having fun, most of all Jack.
The memories zoomed in on one girl, and Jack's sneaking out to meet her by a pond in the woods. They fell in love, that was obvious, but nothing would tear them away from each other. Jack's mother died soon after and they got married a year later; Jack and the girl must have only been 15 at the time. Their ceremony was small, only having one family and Jack's brother to have at the ceremony. But the two loved it and continued on with their life in the house he grew up in.
Eventually it came to Jack's wife being pregnant. Her body swollen and plump was all Jack needed in a day to feel joy to have an addition to their family. When the day came for their child to be birthed, he sat outside while the midwife delivered the child. When he heard the baby's cry and his wife's comforting words, his heart soared for he knew that both of his women were okay. Almost every day flashed by after that, he drew great joy from his daughter's life. They played games and had fun and, most importantly, loved each other very much.
Then it came upon his last memory, the one of his death. He knew he would probably die, but he knew it was important for him to save his daughter, the light of his life. And he did. And he fell once again, and so did I.
I woke up from my trance with a start, not only had I had tears streaming down my face, Toothiana was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Thank you Tooth, I think I can help Jack." I walked over to her and placed the snowflake container next to the apple one. I moved my hand and thought about picking up the other, but I stopped myself. "I'm sorry. How far did you…?" I lost the use of words. No words should be able to describe what is in that container.
"I got to one memory. The first. And I. I'm so sorry." She wasn't angry anymore, but I wasn't surprised.
"No Tooth, I pushed you here. It was me that made you think you had to look at that. I'm sorry, and I'll never be sorry enough." I said, hugging the winged woman. "No one deserves to see what is in that container." She was sobbing again. "Do you know how Jack's death was with his baby teeth?"
"Yes," She sniffed, "He had a baby tooth lodged in the back of his mouth for years. If he didn't save his sister, he would have died from that soon enough." I smiled when Toothiana mentioned Jack's sister, for his secret would be kept with me. Jack never had a sister; that was his daughter.
No pressing cliffhanger this time, though there's a lot of questions that need to get answered! This chapter turned out to be a few thousand words longer than expected, but I couldn't be happier with it. Hope you enjoyed!
Marriage and pregnancy happened a lot earlier for some in the 1700s, and so it was in this community. The oddity is that Jack was so young.
I'd just like to publicly thank those who have reviewed. I really do like them and have started responding to them (unlike before). So if your heart feels in place, please review!