Long chapter, so short A/N. I'm a bit sad today because I didn't get my dream job :(
Thanks to all of you who reviewed, you brightened my day a bit. Hope you enjoy this one. Just fluff today. has anyone noticed that the chapters have names now?
To make sure it's not confusing "this is what they really say" 'this is what they really wanted to say'
Jack had every intention of staying in the workshop. He understood what Gretchen meant. Her and Bunny didn't really need his help and it was risky for him to be outside, unnecessary risky. He had rescued so many fairies he didn't think there were too many left anyway.
And then he remembered what Bunny said about the other Guardians getting weaker. There was only one explanation: the children. Of course children would stop believing. He thought of the destruction outside, of the people screaming with grief and terror. How could the children believe in the Guardians amidst the tragedy?
And just then, a dreadful thought crossed his mind. He had been so worried about Tooth that he didn't even think...
Jack felt a surge of panic rushing through his body. If something had happened to them... he pictured Jamie's face calling his name in the storm, wondering why uncle Jack didn't come to his rescue. It made him feel sick.
Without even thinking it, the winter spirit opened a portal to Burgess, where Jamie's house should have been. His eyes welled with worry and regret, because where the familiar window stood, there was only debris, as if a tornado had just taken the whole house off the ground.
"Jamie! Sophie!" he yelled, but it was useless, there was no one around.
He looked around what was left of the town, his heart beating in his throat. He had seen survivors- thinking of that word made him want to throw up- he had seen survivors from other towns gathering somewhere safe, a stadium, a convention centre, a church. He just had to find them. His family would be there, they just had to be there. They had to.
He found the place, an old theater outside the town, unscathed by the tornado. Jack was terrified as went inside, afraid of not finding the familiar faces he was looking for.
He searched every face in the room, untroubled by people walking through him, until he found Mr and Mrs Bennett cuddled up on an old mattress, with a sleeping Sophie in Amanda's arms. His chest ached. Jamie... where was Jamie?
Before he could get too panicky, he heard Jamie's laugh across the hall. He was fine, and so were his friends. Jack ran toward the kids who immediately wrapped him in a group hug.
"Uncle Jack! I knew you'd come!" said Jamie, his arms tight around Jack's waist.
Jack felt guilty. How did he allow himself to forget about the Bennetts?
And then he realised that it was probably for the best, that he would have only put them in danger, that he was probably putting them in danger right now. What would he do if Gaia showed up? Would he run away and leave them to die? Would he stay and die with them? What difference would it make?
"I just wanted to make sure everyone was OK. I have to…" said Jack before he felt the little hand in his shoulder.
Mandy's eyes were clouded with tears as he wrapped her arms around him. He buried his head in her shoulder. It was official, Amanda Bennet's arms could make him feel safe even when the world was ending.
"I'm so sorry" he said.
"I was so worried, Jack! When you didn't come I imagined the worse" she sobbed "Don't be sorry, I know you were trying to stop this madness."
"I can't be around, I may be putting you all in danger. I just needed to know that you were OK." he said, but he didn't pull away from the embrace.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"The Boogeyman turned Mother Nature into a monster. She's the one doing all this. I can't stay, I may attract her here. She takes away all my powers…"
"Jack, you know that controlling the weather is not your real power" she said smiling. "Your real power is in here" she said putting her hand on his chest. She always knew what to say to make him feel better.
"Thanks" said Jack.
It started snowing inside the old theater but nobody seemed to care. Everyone was happy, celebrating that they were together, that they were alive, as the tiny blue snowflakes nipped everyone's noses. Amanda looked at Jack and smiled.
"Look, it's Jack Frost!" said a little kid.
"I see him, I see him!" said his sister.
"The Tooth Fairy, Santa, The Easter Bunny, The Sandman, Jack Frost! All real! They're trying to help us but they need us to believe in them!" said Jaime, his voice traveling around the room.
Jack smiled as he waved bye-bye. He was both proud and grateful. The Guardians now had an oasis of believers.
Gretchen had been dead quiet since they left the workshop, and so had Bunny. He was hurt when she refused to take his hand and he certainly didn't like the whole scene with Snowflake. Maybe he had misread her after all. Maybe he just caught her by surprise when he tackled her, maybe she was still shaken from the fall, maybe the whole thing was too much for her and she was just scared. Maybe being so close to him meant nothing to her after all.
He was lost in his thoughts putting the little injured fairies in his back. Thinking about something else helped. It put some space between him and the chaos surrounding him. If he was distracted, he didn't have to listen to the people screaming, he didn't have to see the towns destroyed.
Somehow, the silly thoughts in his head found their way to his lips.
"How come he gets to be handsome and I get to be Peter Rabbit?"
"Uh?" she asked, rubbing her forehead with her hand. She could barely believe he was such an idiot.
"Because he is handsome and you are a rabbit" she said coldly. If this was his idea of breaking the ice, it was a very stupid one.
"Hum" he said, his face sunken. "about earlier..."
"I should thank you for saving my life, right?" she said, her eyes fixed on the ground as they crossed the portal to the next location.
"No, no! You don't have to" he said, a bit louder than he intended. 'I had to save you, I can't live without you' he really wanted to say.
"But I want to thank you. You risked yourself for me." she didn't know why, but that hurt. Maybe because she wished he hadn't saved her just because he was a Guardian. Maybe because she wished he had saved her because he couldn't live without her.
"T'was nothing" he said, throwing an explosive googie to break the wall of debris in front of them. 'I was so scared'
"I just wanted to apologize, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, you know, when I tackled you" Bunny continued 'I was just trying to protect you'
She took that as a confirmation that it had meant nothing to him, and she hid her face while she passed him some more injured little fairies.
"It's OK, you didn't make me uncomfortable" she said. 'I never wanted it to end'
"I don't want you to think that I'm the kind of guy who would take advantage on a situation like that" Bunny was rambling now.
Gretchen laughed.
"I think you're exactly that kind of guy" she said grinning. "You just hate me" her voice was low now and she was looking away.
He turned around to look at her and put his hand in her shoulder. She was so soft, even softer than Tooth.
"Gretchen... I... I don't hate you" he said, staring into her eyes "I mean, you are a pain in the neck, but I... I kinda like you" he smiled.
"You are a pain in the neck too!" she smiled back.
He opened another portal.
"So you were taking advantage?" she asked, bumping his shoulder with hers as they crossed to the next town.
"Maybe just a little" he winked.
The little fairy guiding them was sure that she preferred the uncomfortable silence to this weird flirting. 'Why don't they just tell each other what they feel?' she wondered as she crossed the portal behind them.
Who would be the 100th reviewer? : D
