Thank you to everyone for putting up with me and my flu chapter in the middle of the climax. Sorry about that. Hopefully this longer chapter has enough excitement and fluff to compensate.
Thanks to Oinky (yeah, I'm calling you that), Krystal and Shawna, Everlak-forever12, Obsie, Goldie, creatorX33, Faleno and Revenge of the Red Pen, not only for your latest reviews for your constant support. Love you :3
"Is she bloody trying to kill herself?!" asked Aster. Gretchen gasped.
"She just may be..." she replied, her eyes wide at the realization that Tooth may just have lost hope.
"Bloody Hell!" said Bunny.
Gretchen let go of his hand. She was scared that her little plan had backfired, that someone would get hurt because of her. She kept running, avoiding Gaia's attack, but kept looking towards Bunny from the corner of her eye, making sure he got to Tooth on time.
The force of the tornado had taken the trees off the ground, so magic was not an option, and without Bunny's hand forcing her to run faster, leading her... Thick hail was hitting her face and body and the pain on her side intensified. She could feel the wind pulling her backwards, the tornado closing in on her. That's when she made a bad call. She stopped for a fraction of a second, trying to open a tunnel to escape from. She barely had time to hear Gaia's musical laugh before the wind lifted up a chunk of a concrete wall and hit her on her injured side. The pain. She collapsed on the ground, tears falling uncontrollably, clouding her vision. She could hear herself screaming, an alien high-pitched sound escaping from her lips without her consent. She saw the yellow eyes shinning with malice through her teary olive ones.
"Gaia... we're family!" Gretchen whispered.
"You should have though about that earlier..." replied a silky smooth, evil voice, not unlike Pitch's.
"I did! I saved you from the flames!" the groundhog meant to scream, but she barely managed to whisper loudly. Talking hurt. Breathing hurt.
Seraphina just smiled, as the tornado moved closer and closer to Gretchen. She tried to put up a fight, tried to drag herself away from there, her black claws scratching the shaking ground as she tried to move forward, causing Mother Nature to laugh louder as the twister swept the Groundhog away.
Gretchen found herself spinning uncontrollably, getting hit left and right by huge objects she couldn't quite identify. Being inside of the tornado was like being in another world, a world of death and destruction where no one can hear you scream. She saw a car coming towards her and she closed her eyes. She wished she would have told Bunny the she loved him.
Bunny's ears twitched with the piercing noise. His head turned to see Gretchen lying on the floor, the tornado getting dangerously close to her limp body.
"No..." he whispered, regret washing over him. He should have never let go of her hand.
Bunny ran with Tooth flying by his side. She wanted to get to Gaia even more now, it was the only way to save Gretchen. She didn't want Bunny to go through the pain she was feeling.
Aster couldn't feel the hail or the pieces of concrete hitting his face and body as he got closer to the eye of the twister. He wasn't even aware of the fairy flying next to him. All that mattered was Gretchen. But he was too late. She was already inside the twister, a car spinning dangerously close to her. It was only a matter of time before she got hit, it was only a matter of time before she broke her neck. He was considering getting inside the tornado with her. He wasn't sure how that would help her, but he wasn't about to sit down and watch her die and he knew that trying to take down Gaia was pointless. And then he saw it, the golden sand flying in the sky, entering the tornado, wrapping the Groundhog in a protective cocoon.
"Good on ya, Sandy!" said Bunny to himself, he knew Sandy couldn't hear him in the distance.
The Sandman tried with all his might to pull Gretchen out of the tornado to no avail. The wind was just too strong. But at least his sand would keep her safe as she spun around.
"I definitely thought you would be more of a challenge..." said Pitch, laughing. His sharp, black sand blades colliding with North's.
Of course the Boogeyman didn't fight fair. His nightmares were surrounding North, attacking him, distracting him, but they were only really dangerous if one was afraid. And the russian had never been afraid of Pitch in his life.
"I may still surprise you..." replied the Guardian smiling.
The Nightmare King smiled confidently, as he charged towards North with all his power, his sword cutting through one of the Guardian's like a hot knife through butter. But his smile faltered as he felt the cold metal piercing his skin. The Russian man's blade went through the left side of his chest and he screamed in agony as the sharp pain hit him.
Pitch was on the ground, his clothes stained by the black sand pouring from his wound. North moved closer to him, more than ready to give him the final blow. For Jack. For the Earth. For all the innocent people who had died because of him.
But just as he lifted his sword in the air, the wind swept him away, as an angry Seraphina turned around to face him.
Sandy heard Pitch scream and he knew that this was his golden opportunity. The second Mother Nature turned around, a sand bow and arrow appeared in his hands and the Sandman wasted no time in shooting Seraphina on the back.
The effect was instantaneous. Golden sand replaced the black where the arrow hit and waves of gold kept spreading rapidly through her body, until there was no sign of black. The golden sand dissipated to reveal Gaia's beautiful pale skin once more.
Tooth caught an unconscious Mother Nature before she hit the ground. There was no point in her stupid revenge now. Gaia was back and she was the world's only hope.
Sandy smiled, satisfied that the arrow had worked. He looked around to see North laying on the pavement, a Nightmare Mare circling his inert body. He flew to his aid as fast as he could, but when he got there, both Pitch and the black sand horse disappeared into the shadows. The Boogeyman knew Sandy was too much of a challenge in his current state.
As soon as Gaia's transformation begun, everything stopped: the rain, the earthquake, the tornado. The clouds gave way to the blazing sun, revealing that it was morning.
Gretchen didn't even noticed that she was falling when she fell two warm, strong, familiar arms catching her.
"G'day gorgeous!" said Bunny. He was thrilled. Gaia was back and everyone was safe. Gretchen was safe.
The Groundhog just buried her head in his shoulder, her body trembling from head to toe. Her breathing was hard and irregular.
"Hey, it's alright. You're OK now. It's over. Gaia is back. Everyone is safe" Bunny whispered in her ear.
"Gaia?" she asked, with a tiny smile.
"Right over there, Love" he replied, gently putting her down, her arms still clinging to his neck.
Her legs were unsteady, like a calf walking for the first time. Bunny chuckled and held her closer to his body as they both made their way towards Tooth and Mother Nature, Gretchen holding her injured side as she walked, breathing with difficulty.
"You OK?" asked Bunny, noticing that the Groundhog was not OK.
"I'm fine." she replied. Of course she would say she was fine. Aster wondered why he even bothered asking.
The Guardian of Memories was kneeling on the floor, holding Gaia's head. Her eyes were lost somewhere, in a world where Jack still existed, in a world where the nightmare was over and he wrapped her in his cold arms again, relieving the pain on her chest that was consuming her. She wished she could cry, but her eyes were stubbornly dry, as if they didn't want to accept that her winter boy was gone.
As the pookas approached the fairy, Bunny noticed Tooth's face.
"Gretchen, aren't we forgetting something?" he asked.
"Oh... of... course!" she panted, tapping the ground with her foot, opening a hole big enough for Jack to come out.
Tooth felt the familiar cold breeze in her face and she closed her eyes. She knew it was her mind playing tricks, but she would savor it regardless.
"Tooth..." called Jack shyly.
The voice sounded too real to be inside her head so she opened her eyes. He was really hovering there, smiling that lopsided grin of his. Tooth was frozen for a moment, a sea of emotions rushing through her. Relief that he was alive. Happiness that it was all over. Anger that he would put her through that Hell. She flew towards the hellion at top speed and Jack's smile faltered when he saw the expression on her face.
"You! How could you...?! Do you have any idea...?!" she screamed flaming away.
Bunny leaped between Jack and Tooth, wrapping the fairy in his arms.
"Tooth, you can't! He's injured, Love, just look at him!" said Aster as he received the punches and scratches that were obviously meant for Jack. "Besides, I put him up to this. We had to keep him safe."
Tooth stopped for a moment and looked at her winter boy. Her eyes trailed from his apologetic eyes to his shoulder, where an injured hand held his staff. Tenderness returned to her eyes when she saw the extent of his injuries and she imagined the pain he would be in, yet he was standing there, smiling at her.
Jack flew next to them and Bunny let the fairy go.
"All yours, Snow White" said the pooka smiling and hooping away to give them some privacy.
Tooth buried her face on the cold hoodie, the tears her eyes were holding back finally flowing and she sobbed in the familiar cold embrace, the pain on her chest subsiding.
"I'm so sorry, Toothie. I didn't want to..." started the winter boy, but he settled for kissing the top of her head.
Two big arms joined them in a group hug, startling Jack.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, son!" said North's familiar jolly voice.
"I won't... Dad" replied the hellion smiling before the Russian crushed them in a bear hug.
Jack couldn't help but being thrilled. He sensed that the Guardians cared about him, but after three hundred years of being alone and forgotten he had his reservations. It felt amazing to know that they did love him, that he was part of the family and that they would miss him if he was gone, not that he was planning on going anywhere anytime soon. He felt three hundred years of insecurities melting away in one hug.
Sandy was smiling. He was about to join North when Bunny approached him.
"Thank you" said the pooka looking over at Gretchen, who was kneeling down stroking Gaia's hair.
Sandy moved his hand in a dismissive way. He looked at Bunny and showed him the images of Pitch and his Nightmare.
"We better get him while he is weak."
